Principal Investigator
Nash Rochman is an Assistant Professor in the CUNY SPH
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; an
Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health
Investigator; an NIH Special Volunteer; and an editor at
Biology Direct.
Nash was drawn to a career in biology to help distil complex and confusing data into predictive models for disease. He completed his undergraduate education at Bard College of Simon's Rock and Brown University and pursued his PhD advised by Sean Sun in The Johns Hopkins University Cell Biomechanics Lab. Nash went on to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship centered on pandemic viral evolution advised by Eugene Koonin
in the NIH Evolutionary Genomics Research Group. Prior to joining CUNY, Nash was a Principal Investigator at the NIH in the Independent
Research Scholar Program. Nash splits his time between NYC and DC where he lives with his wife Anita.
In many locations, Nash can be found playing jazz trumpet.
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Senior Research Associate
Peter Vlasov has over 20 years experience in computational biology. He completed his PhD in applied physics and mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Peter began his scientific career in the area of structural bioinformatics at the Institute of Molecular Biology (Russia). After spending several years applying these techniques in the private sector for the drug-design company Algodign LLC, Peter returned to publicly funded research within the Center for Genomic Regulation (Spain) and the Institute of Science and Technology (Austria). Peter's current research focuses on the development of computational methods in evolutionary and systems biology. In addition to his research, Peter has made advances in computational biology through his contributions to educational initiatives for both university students and children designed to expand and diversify the biomedical workforce. Peter currently resides in Barcelona with his family where he can be found lifting heavy things before heading out to a gallery opening.
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Postdoctoral Scholar
Evan J Curcio is interested in using mathematical, physical, and statistical modeling to understand and predict biological behavior. His current research involves constructing a mathematical framework to harmonize predictive climate parameters with epidemiological models for vector-borne virus transmission. Evan received his PhD in Biomathematics from North Carolina State University, advised by Prof. Sharon R Lubkin; his dissertation discussed modeling of stomach morphogenesis and the biomechanics of packing patterns in notochords. Previously, he obtained an MA in Statistics and Applied Mathematics from CUNY Hunter College, and a BA in Mathematics from the University of Washington. Returning to CUNY for his postdoc, Evan is also currently an NIH Special Volunteer. Evan has industry experience in data analysis and reporting, revenue management, forecasting, and operations analysis at JetBlue Airways and Disney Streaming. He is currently lost in Brooklyn.
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Doctoral Scholar
Eslam Abousamra completed his undergraduate degree in molecular biology and applied statistics at Connecticut College. He went on to pursue his MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Washington advised by Prof. Trevor Bedford centered on infectious disease forecasting, surveillance, and the complex dynamics of respiratory viral interference. His current research focuses on applying machine learning methods to improve public health surveillance and intervention, in particular, with respect to antibiotic resistance. Originally from Alexandria, Egypt, Eslam lives in NYC.
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Research Associate
Ben Jagt completed his pre-med undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota. Seeking to shift his focus from improving clinical outcomes to population health, after graduation Ben hopes to find new ways to use "big data" to reduce health disparities. His current research focuses on increasing accessibility for underutilized public data. Ben lives in NYC with his wife where he can be found playing ultimate frisbee (he's a pro!) in the American Ultimate Disc League.
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Predoctoral Scholar
Vinaya Shinde is passionate about computational cancer and virology research. She is currently working on the development of a Python package harmonizing tools for the analysis of evolutionary data. Vinaya completed her undergraduate studies at Shivaji University and went on to pursue a Master's degree from Chandigarh University in India. For her Master's thesis, she conducted research in computational virology at CSIR IMTECH, India. Vinaya divides her time between Mumbai and Chandigarh, India.
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MPH Scholar
Delaney Collins completed her undergraduate studies in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Utah. Graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic; her work in oncology; and volunteering in a children's hospital all played important roles in shaping her interest in public health. Her research interests lie in finding ways to use molecular data to solve large-scale public health problems. Outside of work and school, Delaney enjoys reading, baking, and hiking all over the diverse Utah terrain.
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MPH Scholar
Emily He completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Cal Poly Pomona. She was drawn to a career in public health to use 21st century data to address health disparities. Her current research interests focus on the integration of novel computational techniques to streamline clinical workflows. Emily lives in Los Angeles where she can be found lifting heavy things at the gym and soaking up the sun.
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MPH Scholar
Rawda Alaswad completed her B.S. in Health Science at Sacramento State. Her time as an RA investigating the molecular mechanisms connecting social behavior and health outcomes in Drosophila has guided her to a career in Public Health. Her current research focuses on establishing quantitative guidelines for scientific consensus by exploring the graphical structure of the citation space. She enjoys reading, exploring the redwoods and coffee shops of Northern California, and traveling.
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MPH Scholar
Abdoul-Rahamane Bako Bagassa earned his doctorate degree in general medicine from Abdou Moumouni University in Niger and spent the following four years practicing medicine. Driven by a desire to impact population health more broadly, Abdoul transitioned from clinical practice to public health. His research interests are centered on antibiotic resistance, particularly understanding how antibiotic exposure affects the dynamics of gene transfer in the human gut microbiome. Abdoul lives in NYC, where he enjoys walking on the beach, especially in the summer, finding it a perfect way to unwind and connect with nature.
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