Scholars

Califia Oldham graduated in 2025 with a B.S. in Public Health–Global Health at the University of Washington. During her time at UW she worked as a student assistant at the Neisseria Reference Laboratory, a gonorrhea research lab looking at antibiotic resistance. Her interest in STI epidemiology began after taking an epidemiology of HIV class, where she became frustrated that stigma prevents many people from seeking HIV care. She is passionate about community health practices and mixed methods research. She regularly volunteers at her local homeless shelter which has fueled her interest in substance use research and harm reduction principles. In her free time, she loves rock climbing, trying new foods, and listening to music. She recently accepted an offer from University of California, Berkeley to continue her education with a Masters of Public Health, specifically in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Summer Project Title: The Invisible Barrier: Internalized HIV Stigma, Depression, and Their Role in Care Engagement

Mentor: Dr. Nadra Lisha

Catalina Do is a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a minor in Public Relations. Growing up in San Lorenzo in an immigrant family shaped her commitment to addressing health inequities and expanding access to culturally responsive care. Her experiences span population health and community-based care throughout the Bay Area. She has also contributed to research on maternal health in Vietnam, with her work selected for publication in USF’s Writing for the Real World. Catalina hopes to become an internal medicine physician and public health practitioner serving underserved populations, including her own community in the Bay Area. Her dream is to stay in the community that raised her and help ensure that families like hers do not have to travel long distances or overcome significant barriers to receive the healthcare theyneed.

Project Title: Closing the gap: Evaluation of an HIV RNA Monitoring Program to Identify and Re-Engage People with Detectable Viral loads

Mentor: Dr. Oliver Bacon

Christopher Soo is a Biology student at the University of British Columbia and a San Francisco native aspiring to become a physician-scientist. Driven by a mission to bridge “fractured dialects” of health, he aims to translate complex laboratory findings into accessible, community-centered care. Christopher has built a unique research foundation through data management roles at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, connecting with rural communities through the intersection of industry and community driven research;
experience which he hopes to carry on to his future research endeavors. His commitment to community health is deeply rooted in his volunteer work with seniors at Alberta Health Services, which has shaped his belief that research is a critical tool for delivering empathetic care. He has also spearheaded a volunteer partnership between the Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity and Point Grey Private Hospital. By connecting with the lived experiences of others, he views volunteering as a vital, yet often overlooked, avenue for lending a hand and fostering true connection. As a first-generation college student, Christopher leverages his bilingual proficiency and technical skills to prioritize data
integrity and reciprocity. He looks forward to joining the SHARP program to master epidemiological modeling and HIV prevention, with the ultimate goal of ensuring research drives actionable, equitable change for underserved populations.

Project Title: Opioid Use Intentionality and Mortality Among People Who Have Experienced a Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose in San Francisco

Mentor: Dr. Phillip Coffin 

Gabriella Torres is an incoming fourth-year Filipina-American undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Public Health and Public Policy on the Pre-MD/JD/MPH track. She founded Find Kind, a statewide nonprofit focused on advocacy for marginalized communities, and serves as Public Health Director at Mabuhay Health Center in South of Market. She is also an incoming Senator under the Associated Students of the University of California representing the Pilipinx and Pre-Health Communities on campus. She has worked as a California Volunteers intern for the Office of the Governor, interned under California Department of Public Health’s Gonorrhea Surveillance System, and is a Development and External Relations Student Worker at Berkeley School of Public Health. She aspires to obtain her MPH in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and attend medical school to hopefully work as a physician shaping global health policy in government.

Project Title: Care, Connections and Cash: A Qualitative Analysis of Formerly Incarcerated Transgender Women Living with HIV from the Guaranteed Income BOOST Pilot Program 

Mentor: Dr. Michelle NakPhong

Hannaiz Elias (she/her) is a first-generation college graduate and the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador. She earned a B.S. in Public Health with a minor in Latina/o Studies from San Francisco State University. Raised in San Francisco’s Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood, her experiences with health inequities inspired her commitment to advancing equitable, culturally responsive, community-centered care. As a Volunteer Coordinator at Clínica Martín-Baró, she supports the delivery of free primary care services to underserved communities. She plans to pursue a Master of Public Health and continue partnering with communities to improve health through community-based participatory approaches

Project Title:  Mapping Overdose Risk Environments to Optimize Harm Reduction Outreach Among People Who Inject Drugs in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Mentor: Dr. Natasha Ludwig-Barron

From Prince George’s County, Maryland, Joi Kenner is an incoming MPH student at the University of Maryland, concentrating in Health Equity. Prior to enrolling at UMD, she attended Prince George’s Community College as a dual-enrolled student, earning her Associate’s degree in Health Sciences alongside her high school diploma in 2023.

For three years, Joi worked as a peer health educator for the Prince George’s County HIV/STI Outreach Program (PGCHOP), providing sexual health education and connecting communities to resources surrounding HIV prevention and treatment. Joi most recently served as the Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator with the Prevention Research Center, contributing to the Live in Color project’s tobacco cessation and health communication efforts among Black and Latine youth and young adults.

Joi plans to pursue a career centered on marginalized populations and HIV prevention through community-based interventions. She will complete her MPH in the spring of 2027 and continue her studies toward a PhD, with the goal of advancing health equity through research and practice.

Summer Project Title: 

Mentor: Dr.Natasha Ludwig-Barron  & Dr. John Sauceda