Where Are They Now
Hear from a select group of our doctoral graduates and learn more about their accomplishments since graduation. They shared with us how their experience in the doctoral program helped to shape who they are today.
Rahel Dawit
Graduated: 2022
Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
Rahel Dawit graduated with her doctoral degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, her focus was infectious diseases. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. “My work as a postdoctoral fellow has required the use of every skill I acquired while pursuing my doctorate, including data analysis and interpretation, manuscript development, poster/PowerPoint presentations at scientific conferences, and grant writing,” she shared.
Abir Rahman
Graduated: 2021
Director of Epidemiology at Cabell-Huntington Health Department, West Virginia
In 2021, Abir Rahman graduated from Stempel College with a doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. Today, he is the director of epidemiology at Cabell-Huntington Health Department in West Virginia. His experience as director was captured in a story on FIU News. While at Stempel College, Abir focused on the associations of socio-cultural stressors with psychological distress and self-rated health among Hispanic emerging adults.
Sandra Kiplagat
Graduated: 2021
Global Epidemiology Fellow, PHI/CDC Global Health Fellowship, Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In 2021, Sandra Kiplagat graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, she focused her research on maternal health. Today, she is a global epidemiology fellow, participating in the PHI/CDC Global Health Fellowship at the Global Immunization Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sandra says she is applying her technical skills acquired through her doctoral presentation to contribute to the scientific field in vaccine safety. Her story was captured for Stempel News.
Mohammad (Ebbie) Ebrahimi Kalan
Graduated: 2021
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Eastern Virginia Medical School
In 2021, Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan graduated with his doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, he researched longitudinal trajectories of nicotine dependence among youth. His first role post-graduation was serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill. Today, he is an assistant professor of epidemiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Angel B. Algarin
Graduated: 2020
Assistant Professor, Edson College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University
In 2020, Angel B. Algarin graduated from Stempel College with a doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. Today, he is an assistant professor at Arizona State University's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. “Outside of the outstanding training I received during my PhD at FIU, as a current assistant professor, I continue to work with some of the same collaborators I had while finishing my degree,” Angel said. “This networking and continued mentorship has propelled my career to where I am today.” At Stempel College, he focused his research on the impact of HIV-related stigma on HIV care and prevention. After graduation, Angel took on his first role as a National Institute on Drug Abuse T32 postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Diego.
Merhawi Gebrezgi
Graduated: 2020
Epidemiologist, Pennsylvania Department of Health and Adjunct Lecturer, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University
In 2020, Merhawi Gebrezgi graduated with his doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, his research focused on developing risk prediction tools for retention in care and viral suppression and identifying predictors of sexually transmitted infections among people with HIV. He shared with us, “I am applying the knowledge and skills I acquired during my doctoral degree to explore health disparities and determinants of health, in order to improve the wellbeing of populations.”
Daisy Ramírez-Ortiz
Graduated: 2020
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Epidemiology, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University
In 2020, Daisy Ramírez-Ortiz graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. As a doctoral student, she focused her research on HIV epidemiology among Latinos. About her experience, Daisy commented, “My work on HIV epidemiology among Latinos and the methodological and analytical skills I gained during my PhD were the springboard to conduct independent and collaborative research in my postdoctoral training to improve HIV care engagement outcomes among Latino populations.” Today, she’s a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Epidemiology at Stempel College.
Isabel Griffin
Graduated: 2019
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In 2019, Isabel Griffin graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, she worked on her dissertation titled “Swiping Right and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD): Examining Venue Selection, Risky Sexual Behaviors, and STD among Persons Living with HIV, Florida". Her first job post-graduation was working as the outbreak epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health in Miami Dade-County. Today, she serves as the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Olatokunbo Osibogun
Graduated: 2019
Assistant Professor, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University
In 2019, Olatokunbo Osibogun graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, her research focused on polytobacco use among adolescents and adults in the U.S. Her first role post-graduation was as a NIDA TS32 postdoctoral associate at FIU. “The methodological, analytical, writing and critical thinking skills I learned while earning my doctoral degree prepared me for my current position, but of course, I am still actively learning,” she shared. Today, she is an assistant professor at Stempel College.
Melissa Ward
Graduated: 2017
Assistant Professor, Florida International University
In 2017, Melissa graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, her research focused on risky sexual behavior among adolescent women. Following graduation, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the RCMI/Community-Based Research Institute at Florida International University. Of her time here at Stempel College she shared, “ during my PhD studies, I learned to think critically about the multifaceted barriers to health and wellbeing that women face, and to translate that knowledge into study design and complex analyses. This training still impacts the research I am conducting today.” Today, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Florida International University.
Diana Sheehan
Graduated: 2016
Assistant Professor, Florida International University
In 2016, Diana M. Sheehan graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, her research focused on neighborhood effects of HIV outcomes among Latinos with HIV in Florida. After graduation, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology at Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. Of her time as spent as a doctoral student, she shares, “I had the opportunity to work on numerous publications and submit and obtain funding from the National Institutes of Health for my research. These opportunities were critical in my success at later stages of my career.” She is now an assistant professor at Florida International University.
Soumyadeep (Deep) Mukherjee
Graduated: 2016
Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator, Department of Health & Physical Education, Rhode Island College
In 2016, Soumyadeep (Deep) Mukherjee, graduated from Stempel College with a doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. As a doctoral student, he focused his research on Antenatal stressful life events and postpartum depression in the U.S. Following graduation, Deep worked as a postdoctoral associate in the Program of Public Health at Stony Brook University. In 2018, he became an assistant professor & program coordinator in the Department of Health & Physical Education at Rhode Island College. Deep commented, “most, if not all, of how I approach my current work is informed by my doctoral training at FIU. This includes not just the content knowledge, but also the “how” of teaching concepts of epidemiology and other public health courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The publication experience and research skills acquired during my PhD help me keep in touch with research and other forms of scholarly work amidst all the teaching responsibilities and service expectations.”
Karma McKelvey
Graduated: 2014
Assistant Professor of Research, Cedars-Sinai Department of Orthopedic Surgery
In 2014, Karma McKelvey graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, her research focused on waterpipe use among Jordanian adolescents. After graduation, she worked as a post-doc at UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, as well as one within the Stanford SOM Adolescent Medicine Division. Today, she is an assistant professor of research at the Cedars-Sinai Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
Evelyn P. Davila
Graduated: 2010
Head of Epidemiology, Clarivate
In 2010, Evelyn P. Davila graduated with her doctoral degree in public health and a concentration in epidemiology. While at Stempel College, she focused her research on chronic disease epidemiology, specifically on occupational and metabolic-related diseases. Her first post-graduation role was serving as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Today, she is the head of epidemiology at Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics to accelerate the pace of innovation.