Field of Study USA: Public Health

Hannah Davies

Hannah Davies earned an MS and BS in neuroscience and a BS in psychology (magna cum laude) from Brandeis University within four years. Hannah’s master’s thesis on the visual mechanisms involved in balancing was awarded the highest honors within the neuroscience department, and her research is being expanded by senior researchers at Colorado State University who aim to create AI models that assist pilots in maintaining aircraft stabilization mid-flight. During her time at Brandeis, Hannah assisted in teaching organic chemistry to undergraduate students and received the Emily Dudek Undergraduate Teaching Award for her effective teaching methods. Additionally, Hannah coordinated SPECTRUM – a volunteer program providing free mentoring, tutoring, and group play resources to children with disabilities – throughout her four years at Brandeis.

After graduation , Hannah was awarded the two-year Donald J. Cohen Fellowship in developmental social neuroscience at the Marcus Autism Center, a leading institution in the U.S. for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This research fellowship also led to Hannah co-authoring a paper which was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Hannah is also performing her own independent research on children regarding the genetic likelihood of autism. She has presented her clinical research at the 2024 Gatlinburg Conference and at the 2023 annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research. Outside of research, Hannah coordinates the NIH-funded FirstFocus Study aimed to validate eye-tracking technology as an autism diagnostic tool within the first year of life.

Hannah’s Fulbright-Nehru project is objectively analyzing the efficacy of the Caregiver Skills Training (CST) program using mobile healthcare technology. The CST program, being implemented at AIIMS Nagpur, is addressing autism service insecurity by teaching caregivers how to mediate autism interventions at home. As part of her study, Hannah is quantifying children’s social behavior, sensory sensitivity, and motor functioning from children playing tablet games and watching videos, before and after CST programming, in the hope of improving awareness about CST benefits.

Sadie Cowan

Sadie Cowan graduated from Boston University (BU) School of Public Health, Massachusetts, in 2024 with a master’s in public health, concentrating in global health policy. Sadie received her bachelor’s in sociology with honors from BU in 2022. She is originally from Dalton, Georgia, where her love for social sciences and public health began through experiences in electoral politics – a passion she continued for several campaign cycles in Georgia, Massachusetts, and nationally. Sadie’s social science research, among which includes a study regarding gender-affirming care for transgender inmates in the Georgia Department of Corrections Facilities, has been published by Johns Hopkins University and featured by Boston University’s Undergraduate Research Program. Her academic interests include global development, strengthening of health systems, LGBTQIA+ health, comparative health systems, and healthcare access for marginalized populations. Outside of academics, Sadie enjoys distance running, hiking, and exploring new cuisines.

Achieving the World Health Organization’s Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination Goals necessitates rapid reductions in TB incidence and mortality, particularly in India, which bears a quarter of the global burden. Aside from diagnostics, the Indian government has introduced nutritional subsidies for persons with TB through the Ni-kshay Mitra program. While the program has benefited hundreds of thousands of Indians with TB, there’s an urgent need to enhance its uptake. Sadie’s Fulbright-Nehru project is studying the impact of Ni-kshay Mitra subsidies on their recipients; it is also examining the motivational factors behind donors participating in the program. Besides, the project is exploring ways in which Ni-kshay Mitra can enhance access to public-sector TB facilities.

Kaylin Clements

Dr. Kaylin Clements has a BS in environmental science and a BA in business administration from the University of Florida, and an MS in conservation leadership and a PhD in human dimensions of natural resources from Colorado State University (CSU). Her past work has included: applied quantitative and qualitative research on protected area management and community engagement in southern Belize; studying pro-environmental behaviors in Florida and Belize related to controlling the invasive lionfish; and social network analysis on a variety of social and environmental issues. Between graduate degrees, she served as a social scientist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She has also served as a facilitator and research assistant for the Center for Public Deliberation at CSU, as an instructor in human dimensions of natural resources courses at CSU, and as a social network research assistant for the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences. Most recently, as a research social scientist fellow for the United States Geological Survey, she served as the partner engagement coordinator and as a co-chair of the National Early Detection and Rapid Response Framework to prevent the establishment of invasive species in the United States.

Her main research interests center around human dimensions of natural resources, which applies social science theory and methods to understand complex social–ecological systems. Specifically, she is interested in how social networks, cultural norms and models, and other social factors support or inhibit adoption of pro-environmental behaviors and collaboration. She is also passionate about teaching and building capacity in the social sciences to enhance the impacts of conservation work.

Dr. Clements’s Fulbright-Nehru project is applying social network research methods to investigate the networks of healthcare professionals, community leaders, and health information in communities adjacent to wildlife habitat in the Western Ghats. The analysis is identifying barriers and opportunities for improved access to health and safety services and information. In addition, a social science methods course is training natural scientists in Bengaluru and at the Centre for Wildlife Studies to integrate social science into their research and practice.

Priya Nambisan

Dr. Priya Nambisan is a tenured associate professor at the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the founder and director of two labs: the Social Media and Health Research & Training (SMAHRT) Lab; and the Aging Research & Digital Technologies (ARDT) Lab. She has a multidisciplinary background in terms of her education, work experience, and research. She has an undergrad degree in public health and extension education from India, a master’s degree in nutrition from Syracuse University, a PhD in communication and technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a postdoc in health informatics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has also been a registered dietitian. She has lived and worked in India, Singapore, and the U.S..

Dr. Nambisan has conducted extensive research in areas like public health; wellness and prevention; personal health information management; patient–provider communication; online communities; and digital technologies for self-care. Her current research focuses on the use of new digital technologies and data analytics techniques (prediction modeling and machine learning) for providing social, emotional, and informational support to health consumers and patients. She has over 60 research publications and over 20 conference presentations. She has also delivered several invited talks, organized special sessions at conferences, and written invited book chapters on the above topics.

For the last few years, Dr. Nambisan has been immersed in building and validating a digital self- care platform for older adults who are dealing with multiple chronic conditions. The platform – known as Comprehensive Digital Self-care Support System (CDSSS), aka myHESTIA (my Healing Ecosystem for Self-care and Therapeutic Integration for the Aging) – enables older adults to keep track of their health, reduce stress, and improve sleep using digital healing tools.

Dr. Nambisan’s Fulbright-Nehru project is adapting the CDSSS-myHESTIA platform to fit the Indian context. The aim is to provide support for the physical, mental, and social health needs of older adults. The project also aims to enhance CDSSS-myHESTIA by incorporating elements such as Indian ways of healthy aging.