Department of Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
University of Massachusetts
Current Students
Sahana Sule '23
Sahana is a rising senior pursuing a dual degree in Psychology on the Neuroscience track and an Individual Concentration through UMass’ BDIC program, as well as a minor in Business. She will also be completing her MPH with the 4+1 2024 cohort in Health Policy and Management at UMass. She joined the Quality for All lab in the Fall of 2021. Her interest are health inequities and the intersection of medicine, public health, and business. Sahana is an EMT and CPR instructor on campus with UMass EMS, as well as a peer advisor for the BDIC department. In addition to being a part of the Quality for All lab, Sahana is a research assistant in a Social Psychology lab on campus. She also works as a Patient Care Technician in the Emergency Department and hopes to one day attend medical school and focus on pediatric populations. Outside of academics she loves spending time with her friends and family (especially her puppy), traveling, and sketching.
Charlotte Gilson '25
Charlotte Gilson is a Sociology major on the pre-med track in the Commonwealth Honors College pursuing a certificate in Medical Humanities. Her passion for studying healthcare disparities and connecting society to medicine drove her interest to assist with conducting qualitative research in the Q4A lab. She serves as a Peer Mentor in the Honors College and as the vice president of the Black Women in Medicine club. She enjoys volunteer work both on and off campus. In her free time, Charlotte loves running, cooking, and walking on the beach with her dog.
Siri Palreddy '24
Siri Palreddy is a senior at Amherst College studying Biology and English. She is writing two theses in these areas, one studying the time course of disease resistance in plants and the other investigating themes of melancholy and the Muse in the writings of Romantic and modern writers. She began working in the Q4A Lab her junior year. In her free time, Siri works as an EMT on campus and serves on the board for her college's student-run EMT squad. She loves to read and write, and founded Amherst College's first Poetry Club, helping lead the associated literary magazine, The Lilac. She hopes to work in health policy research or community development in her gap years before attending graduate school.
Sanjana Ravikumar '24
Sanjana is a rising junior pursuing a degree in Public Heath on the pre-med track. Her interests in health disparities, especially as it relates to women’s and reproductive health, drove her to join the Q4A lab in the Spring 2022 semester. In the future, she would like to pursue a career as an OBGYN. Sanjana works as an EMT on and off campus and is a part of the Student Wellbeing Advisory Board. She also sings with the University Chorale. In her free time, Sanjana loves to read, go on long walks, and spend time with her family back home in California.
Joyce Mogaka '28
Joyce is a Ph.D. student in Public Health, focusing on Health Policy and Management. She has over 15 years of experience in public health through implementing and supporting community-driven initiatives in Africa and the United States. Joyce holds a Master of Science in Global Health Policy and Management from Brandeis University and a Master of Arts in Community Development from Daystar University in Kenya. In addition, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology Major from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the Technical University of Kenya. Her research interests include health and healthcare disparities, infectious diseases epidemiology, women and children’s health, immigrant health, community-based participatory research, and
result-based monitoring and evaluation. She also loves taking nature walks, cycling, and catching sunsets.
Alums
Syrah Bradley ‘24
Syrah is a rising junior pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a certificate in Medical Humanities. She joined the Q4A lab at the end of Spring ‘22. She is interested in pursuing a career as a PEM Physician with a subspecialty in Child Abuse. Due to her personal experience as a first generation, low income student as well as her experience working 911 calls on an ambulance, she has developed a deep desire and curiosity to explore an interdisciplinary approach to medicine and addressing inequities within healthcare. Syrah is an EMT for UMass EMS, and is currently responsible for aiding in the coordination of the UMass EMT-B Course. Additionally, she is studying to be a yoga instructor to volunteer her time working with children who come from low income backgrounds in Fall ‘22. In her free time, Syrah loves hiking with her dogs, yoga, reading, rollerblading, and is an avid true crime listener.
Katie Schoellkopf '27
Katie is a Doctoral student pursuing a PhD in Health Policy and Management. Katie also works as a public health project manager for Commonwealth Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School where she specializes in Massachusetts Medicaid programs. Her interests include health equity & quality improvement and health care policy & financing. In her free time, Katie enjoys hiking, skiing, spending time with friends and family, and traveling.
Kate Fierro Wallace '21, MPH '22
Katie was a public health sciences major ('21) with a focus area in women's health at UMass Amherst. As a student in the 4+1 BS/MPH in Epidemiology Program, she is completed her MPH in epidemiology ('22). She worked for the Center for Health Information Analysis while pursuing her studies and will be working with the VA in Leeds supporting a health services research team. In her free time, she loves to experiment with recipes in the kitchen and spend quality time with her dog.
Eva Chow '21
Eva graduated from UMass in 2021 as a Public Health major with a focus area in Community Health & Policy and a minor in Political Science. Inspired by my spiritual, educational, and professional experiences, my interests include social determinants of health, environmental & structural sustainability, and diversity. I believe these things are essential to the pursuit of health equity. Eva works with as a Research Assistant with Health Resources in Action (https://hria.org/staff/eva-chow/), a public health institute working at the intersection of population health, policy, research, and action. When not actively thinking about public health, I love exploring new places, and most importantly, drinking really good coffee!
Kelsey Clary MPH '21
Kelsey completed her MPH in Health Policy and Management in 2021. After receiving her BA in 2016, she worked in a research lab evaluating the impact and efficacy of addressing co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders among individuals experiencing homelessness, individuals involved in the criminal justice system, and veterans, via the implementation of an evidence-based intervention. Her interests lie in behavioral health, specifically injection opioid and polysubstance use among people with mental health disorders. She currently works as a Health Access Project Coordinator at Caring Health Center in Springfield, MA. Long term, she is interested in health policymaking and translational science to turn research findings into interventions to improve the health of populations. Kelsey’s hobbies include swimming, crafting, and baking new recipes.
Meghan Fernandes '21
Meghan received her BA in Public Health Sciences in May 2021, with a focus area in community health education. She worked as a Contact Tracer at the Public Health Promotion Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She enjoys coming up with fun and creative ways to share health information with others, both on social media and in real life. She currently works in the Rhode Island Department of Health. Her future goals are to continue learning how to connect with people in meaningful ways, promote health literacy and help to build a more just and equitable world. She loves wide-open spaces, the mountains, and Dolly Parton.
Juliana Sopko '21, MPH '22
Juliana Sopko completed her MPH in Health Policy and Management in the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences in 2022. She earned her bachelor of science in public health in 2021. Juliana has focused her most recent research on legislation such as ACCESS law and through robust qualitative analysis, evaluated the effectiveness and impact of these public health policies. Outside of the classroom, Juliana works as an EMT, Medical Advocate, and Teaching Assistant. Upon graduating this spring, Juliana will pursue a career in medicine, where she will apply her public health knowledge and medical training to help care for individuals living in rural and underserved communities.
Jessalyn graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst after her Fall semester 2021. She was in the pre-med track and received a dual degree in Public Health and Biology. Her interest in health inequalities and social determinants of health combined with her interest in medicine have driven her interest in qualitative research research. Jessalyn was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Public Health Equity Research Scholars Program and also works in a molecular genetics lab on campus where she is conducting her honors thesis. She was an EMT on campus and a volunteer with the Big Brother Big Sister program She enjoys helping her community and In her free time, Jessalyn loves to read, bake and spend time outdoors with friends and family.
Jessalyn Kaur '22
Jessalyn Kaur Fall '21
Parker Sweet '21, MPH '22
Parker completed his MPH in Health Policy and Management in the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences in 2022. He has research experience in political science and social epidemiology in the commonwealth honors college, community health experience at the public health institute of western Massachusetts, and experience in state, nonprofit, and local health in COVID-19 contexts. In the 2020/2021 Academic year, Parker was selected from his entire graduating class to be recognized by the Department of Higher Education and Governor Baker as one of the 29 Who Shine in the Commonwealth for his leadership in contact tracing management and civic engagement, and by UMass Amherst as a COVID-19 hero for his role in the contact tracing program. Parker will be working with Massachusetts Health Officers Association in change management, quality improvement, and business development. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, camping, and being active.
