Meet our Research Scholars, their faculty mentors, and the program leadership team.
Co-CEO, BCPH; Co-Editor-in-Chief, BCPHR
Chief Technology Officer and Director of BCPH Studio
Dr. Le Compte holds Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees from Harvard University, where she majored in social and behavioral sciences theory/research methods, and racial and sexual/gender minority health. Her independent research inquiries have focused on the use of novel interventions, such as PhotoVoice, to improve the health outcomes of medically underserved populations.
Her current research focuses on Black gay and bisexual men aged 55 to 79, and how creating/recreating peer support (support provided by persons from the same or similar groups or lived experiences) and community agency (collective re/affirmation and re/creation of peer connection) multiple times over the lifecourse may influence their cognitive function, mental health, and antiretroviral/pre-exposure prophylaxis self-efficacy.
With experience in SPSS statistics, Logistic Regression Modeling, and data analysis, Dr. Le Compte is excited to bring her expertise as a mentor to the program in helping scholars expand their critical thinking as they conduct high-quality public health research that addresses local and global health challenges.
Phillips Academy
Emily Ney is a high school senior at Phillips Academy who is interested in the intersection between molecular biology and public health. With skill sets in Python programming and statistical mathematics, she is excited to build her communication skills and learn to evaluate trends while synthesizing existing research through systematic review and meta-analytic techniques.
A leader of the Andover Girls Do STEM club, Emily also hopes to explore research topics within the sphere of neurodivergence and biological sex, particularly as they relate to autism-linked pathways in the context of autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people.
Emergency Medical Technician
With an interest in medicine, Tyanna Middleton serves as an EMT and seeks to understand how research can inform meaningful, actionable improvements in patient and community health.
Building on prior research experience across topics including emergency medicine, point-of-care ultrasound, and substance use in correctional settings, she hopes to further strengthen her research skills through the Research Scholars Program, particularly as they relate to research translation and use of scientific methodology. She would like to focus her future research in the spheres of health equity, community health, and the social determinants of health.
Clinical Research Coordinator, Mass General Brigham and Fenway Health
A clinical research coordinator at Mass General Brigham and Fenway Health, Phoebe Garibaldi is a graduate of the Psychology-Clinical Track at the University of Central Florida. Throughout this program, she hopes to cultivate a public health researcher’s approach to thinking and problem-solving, further develop her scientific writing skills, and utilize mixed methods approaches.
With research interests in the areas of sexual health/violence, gender and sexually diverse populations, reproductive justice, and trans health, she aspires to pursue doctoral training in Clinical Psychology, focusing on sexual violence and substance use among gender minority individuals.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia
Dr. Uzzam Khawaja is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia, where he has leveraged his MBBS background from Pakistan and over seven years of research experience to explore key areas in pediatrics and adolescent health. His research focuses on endocrine disorders in female athletes, anorexia nervosa, pediatric diabetes, and autism.
Dr. Khawaja’s goal is to integrate clinical practice with cutting-edge research to develop effective, evidence-based treatments for pediatric and adolescent health challenges. He looks forward to mentoring students during the Program and plans to foster critical thinking, encourage scientific rigor, and promote collaboration and professionalism.
Pediatrician and Medical Lecturer, Tan Tao University School of Medicine
A pediatrician and medical lecturer at the Tan Tao University, School of Medicine, Dr. Nguyễn is interested in further developing his research skills and exploring mechanisms that may improve pediatric healthcare and clinical decision-making. With research foci in health disparities, artificial intelligence, improving child health in low- and middle-income countries/resource-limited settings, and disease prevention, he hopes to gain additional exposure to data analysis methods.
Over the course of the program, Dr. Nguyễn is excited to build the foundations necessary to engage in research that identifies practical, evidence-based and context-appropriate strategies that improve pediatric health outcomes in settings where healthcare resources are limited.
Director, BCPH Research Scholars Program
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Boston Congress of Public Health Review
As Co-Editor-in-Chief, Catherine Tsasis has been active in the development and running of BCPHR. Having joined BCPHR in 2020, prior to her position as Co-Editor-in-Chief, Catherine has served as an associate editor, reviewer, managing editor, and deputy editor, gaining a broad scope of experience and holistic understanding that has served her well in implementing improvements to the Journal. With an interest and background in global health, Catherine has helped elevate health equity and social justice as the Journal’s primary focus.
In her role, Catherine has been instrumental in the development of journal policies and procedures regarding authorship and contributorship, complaints and appeals, post-publication discussions and corrections, data sharing and reproducibility, ethical oversight, the identification of and addressing allegations of research misconduct and AI use, intellectual property, as well as copyright and article viewing.
Catherine has also actively led informational sessions to onboard new members, provided educational training for BCPHR’s Editor Bootcamp and Editorial Fellowship, helped design policies, procedures, and curriculum for new journal initiatives, and participated in special projects, including acting as a judge for the BCPH Virtual Research Summit and contributing to editing the Best of HPHR edition. With regards to special editions, Catherine coordinates and manages special edition leads, has designed special edition promotions, written-up introductions to special editions, and spearheaded a special edition collaboration within BCPHR’s Consortium and Partnership Program.
In addition to her duties as Director of the BCPH Research Scholars Program, which provides aspiring scholars with the training, mentorship, and opportunity to research, write, and publish on critical public health issues, Catherine regularly leads editorial board meetings and is part of BCPHR’s Expedite Campaign initiative which aims to improve publication turn-around times.
Catherine is one of the visionaries on the Journal’s Editorial Leadership Team and looks forward to continuing to help expand the Journal’s discourse on public health issues, health equity, and social justice by promoting collaboration and inviting content that fosters diversity across disciplines.
BCPH Co-CEO and Chief of Strategy and Innovation
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Boston Congress of Public Health Review
A physician-serial entrepreneur, Dr. Carpenter is a recognized healthcare innovator, inventor, educator, and advocate for social justice. She is the Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer of The Boston Congress of Public Health. For the past five years, she has also been a member of the Boston Congress of Public Health Review and currently serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief. She has been integral to the development of the BCPH Academy, Public Health Institute, Medical Academy, Thought Fellowship, and Editorial Fellowship.
Dr. Carpenter is a dedicated educator, teaching public health at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and courses in pharmaceutical economics, nonprofit management, entrepreneurial management, and ethical and legal responsibilities for managers at the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics in Camarillo, California. She also serves on the Institutional Review Board at CSUCI.
She is a graduate of the UCLA Biodesign and Healthcare Technology Innovation Fellowship in 2024, Harvard’s Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Fellowship in 2021, Oxford’s Women Leadership in Entrepreneurship Programme in 2020, and Oxford’s Social Impact Program in 2019 to 2020.
She holds an MPH in Public Health Leadership and Health & Social Behavior from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, an M.B.A. from Oxford University Said Business School, an M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, an Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University. She trained in Neurological Surgery at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She is a licensed physician in California.
An intensive 12-week program supporting aspiring public health professionals, clinicians, and aligned scholars to advance their research, writing, and publication skills through one-on-one mentorship with leading faculty.
Missed the live session? The full recording is on YouTube. No registration, no sign-up form — just press play.
About the Program
The BCPH Research Scholars Program offers a strategic approach to realizing your academic and professional aspirations!
Learn how to translate your research ideas into real, published work with strategic support from the Boston Congress of Public Health Research Scholars Program (RSP). The RSP supports aspiring public health professionals, clinicians, and scholars in advancing their research, writing, and publication skills through one-on-one mentorship with leading faculty.
Over an intensive 12 weeks, RSP scholars will:
Spots are limited, and a strong application takes time to assemble — writing samples and a letter of intent are both required. Plan now, and walk into the new academic year with momentum and peer-reviewed scholarship already underway.
Deadline: Friday, September 4, 2026 · 11:59 PM PST
Complete one publication, one research poster, and one live webinar presentation alongside expert faculty mentorship.
Work closely with experienced faculty in the public health field through bi-weekly sessions tailored to your research goals.
Gain a meaningful edge for medical school, public health school, and residency applications through publication and presentation experience.
Are you a seasoned researcher? We're also recruiting faculty mentors!
Help shape the next generation of public health scholars. As an RSP mentor, you'll guide a scholar through their research and co-author work for publication in BCPHR.
Apply to Be a Faculty MentorKnow someone ready to make this their year? Forward this their way.
Catch up on our Research Scholar Program honoring webinars, where scholars present their research alongside their faculty mentors and the broader BCPH community celebrates their work. Recordings from both cohorts are available to watch now.
Spring 2026 Cohort
Three outstanding scholars conducting research in maternal and newborn health, insurance and avoidable emergency care, and the cognitive health of sexual and gender minority populations exposed to gun violence, each paired with a senior faculty mentor for one-on-one guidance through their 12-week program.
Scholar & Mentor Pairing
2026 Scholar
Felician University • Undergraduate ABSN Program
Lucy is a nursing student at Felician University dedicated to promoting equitable and culturally sensitive care in underserved communities, particularly in maternal and community health. As an aspiring Labor and Delivery nurse, she is passionate about addressing disparities in maternal and child health by examining how social determinants such as racism, stress, food insecurity, and limited prenatal access shape pregnancy outcomes.
Her research with BCPH explores how targeted education tools can improve prenatal health literacy among first-time mothers, with a focus on early recognition of complications such as preeclampsia and preterm labor. The work has reinforced her commitment to maternity and newborn health outcomes, particularly in communities where access to evidence-based prenatal information remains limited.
Faculty Mentor
Howard University • Member, BCPH Board of Directors
Dr. Kamilah Marie Woodson is a tenured Full Professor in the School of Education at Howard University, Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies, and a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience. She previously served as Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies, Department Chair, and Director of Training for the APA-accredited Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Howard University.
Dr. Woodson has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, served on over 100 doctoral dissertation committees, and chaired more than 40. Her scholarly work focuses on global colorism, friendship among women of color, and culturally grounded mental health interventions, including her edited volume Colorism: Investigating a Global Phenomenon, with Implications for Research, Policy and Practice (2020).
In 2024, she founded Epiphany Psychological Solutions, LLC, a psychological technology company dedicated to culturally responsive digital mental health innovation, with the Epiphany App scheduled to launch in 2026.
Scholar & Mentor Pairing
2026 Scholar
University of Southern California • Quantitative Biology, Healthcare Policy
Nickol is a public health advocate and aspiring researcher at the University of Southern California, majoring in Quantitative Biology with a minor in Healthcare Policy. Her academic background integrates scientific training with a strong focus on public health, health equity, and policy, supported by coursework in race and health, medical ethics, and the social determinants of health.
Her experiences as a healthcare interpreter, mental health curriculum developer, and youth policy leader, grounded in lived experience from South Central Los Angeles, have shaped her commitment to underserved communities. Her research examines how structural factors such as housing insecurity, language access, and systemic racism impact health outcomes, and how emerging technologies like AI can either exacerbate or mitigate health inequities.
Her research with BCPH, co-authored with Dr. Le Compte, is a three-paper series on Insurance Type, Clinical Severity, and Avoidable Emergency Department Use in New York State, drawing on more than 1.8 million SPARCS discharges. The series moves from describing the puzzle, to explaining its correlates, to decomposing it through counterfactual mediation analysis, with a headline finding that privately insured adults, not publicly insured or uninsured adults, carry the highest adjusted odds of avoidable ED use.
Faculty Mentor
Co-CEO, BCPH • Co-Editor-in-Chief, BCPHR
Dr. Circe Gray Le Compte (she/her/hers) has served as editor-in-chief and co-editor-in-chief of BCPHR since 2015, and was part of the journal's founding board, as Deputy Editor, in 2014. She is also Co-CEO of The Boston Congress of Public Health, which publishes BCPHR.
In addition to these leadership roles, she serves as Chief Technology Officer and heads BCPH Studio. She is Executive Producer of Great Health Debates and co-Producer of The Humor Scientist with Matt Kazam, and is the creator of the forthcoming Public Health History Mysteries.
Dr. Le Compte holds Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees from Harvard University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she majored in social and behavioral sciences theory and research methods, and racial and sexual and gender minority health. Her independent research inquiries have focused on the use of novel interventions, such as soap operas and PhotoVoice, to improve the health outcomes of medically underserved populations.
Scholar & Mentor Pairing
2026 Scholar
Physician-Scientist • Neuroimmunology & Therapeutic Apheresis
Dr. Garima Siwach is a physician-researcher (MBBS, MD) with advanced training in Transfusion Medicine and a strong research focus on neuroimmunology and therapeutic apheresis. Her MD thesis and peer-reviewed publications examined plasma exchange versus IVIG in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, reflecting her interest in clinical outcomes research and evidence-based interventions.
She has presented her work at international conferences and is actively involved with the American Society for Apheresis through its research and neurological subcommittees. Her clinical observerships in neurology, internal medicine, and psychiatry across the United States and India, combined with a strong foundation in biostatistics, academic writing, and translational research, position her well to contribute meaningfully to population-based and public health research initiatives at BCPH.
Her research with BCPH is a systematic review of Gun Violence Exposure, Social Safety, and Cognitive Health Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations in the United States, examining how exposure to firearm-related violence intersects with structural safety and downstream cognitive health outcomes in SGM communities.
Faculty Mentor
Co-CEO, BCPH • Co-Editor-in-Chief, BCPHR
Dr. Le Compte mentors both Nickol Georgy and Dr. Garima Siwach this cohort, bringing her social epidemiology and mixed-methods expertise to two complementary research programs: insurance and avoidable ED use in New York State with Nickol, and the cognitive health of sexual and gender minority populations exposed to gun violence with Dr. Siwach.
Her doctoral training at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health combined social and behavioral sciences theory and research methods with racial, sexual, and gender minority health, which directly informs the systematic review framework underlying Dr. Siwach's BCPH project.
Past Cohort
Our 2025 cohort presented research at a special November 30, 2025 informational session, exploring immigrant health trajectories and emergency care utilization in New York.
University of Southern California • Health and Human Sciences, Law and Social Justice minor
Mia is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Southern California. She presented findings from her systematic literature review on Immigrant Advantage, Generational Change, and Structural Influences (2019–2025): Cardiovascular Health Trajectories of Afro-Caribbean Immigrants in the United States.
University of Southern California • Health Promotion, Quantitative Biology
Nickol is a public health advocate and aspiring researcher with academic training from the University of Southern California. Her 2025 research focused on The Association of Insurance Type with Use of Emergency Care in New York and AI Innovations to Mitigate Avoidable Emergency Department Use.
Tuition for accepted scholars is $600 and covers all programmatic activities, including publication and presentation charges. We also welcome inquiries from those interested in serving as Faculty for the Research Scholar Program.
