Population and Public Health Sciences at USC

2024-2025 ANNUAL REPORT:✨Our students, faculty, and staff didn’t just study population & public health sciences—they shaped it! 🔍Explore our highlights: research breakthroughs, community partnerships, and incredible achievements. @KECKSchool_USC @USC #group-section-Welcome-rdN1NZWPOY" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">stories.keck.usc.edu/pphs2425/#grou…

Check out our 2025–2026 annual report! Ranked #1 nationally in NIH funding in its field by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, we continue to advance research & training that address urgent public health challenges locally & globally. 🔗 keck.usc.edu/pphs/annual-re…

Alumna Nisha Lerdsuwanrut reflects on her environmental health research through EH MATTERS. During the EH MATTERS fellowship, the USC alumna studied how transportation infrastructure and air pollution shape health disparities in Los Angeles communities. keck.usc.edu/news/alumna-ni…

Congratulations to Medha Sharma, MPH student and TSAPH scholarship recipient, for earning third place in the USC Libraries’ annual Research Award competition for her paper on telehealth use and asthma care outcomes in U.S. adults. Learn more here: libraries.usc.edu/article/resear…

🎓 Grad Spotlight: Yanchen Guo MS Biostatistics Yanchen developed methods to improve safety monitoring in clinical trials w/ delayed toxicity outcomes, helping trials continue w/out unnecessary pauses. She will pursue a PhD in Biostatistics focused on clinical trial methodology.

🎓 Grad Spotlight: Daniella Carrillo MS Biostatistics Daniella developed methods to detect spatial cell interactions in tissue data. Using statistical modeling, she explored spatial transcriptomics and plans to continue working in biostatistics and health disparities research.

🎓 Grad Spotlight: Anna Schenkel MS Applied Biostatistics & Epidemiology Anna researched how high school substance use impacts adolescent sleep. She applied epidemiologic and statistical methods to complete her thesis and plans to pursue a career in research and data analytics.

🎓 Grad Spotlight: Keyue Yin MS Applied Biostatistics & Epidemiology Keyue studied dose-escalation methods in Phase I clinical trials, identifying limitations in BOIN design through simulation studies in R. She plans to begin working as a statistical programmer after graduation.

🎓Grad Spotlight: Yuqing Li MS Applied Biostatistics & Epidemiology Yuqing studied gene expression using computational genomics and machine learning to better understand disease risk and biological variation. She will continue at PPHS USC to pursue a PhD in statistical genetics.

🌟 Grad Spotlight: Maya Ueoku 🌟 From mentee to Co-Director of the Keck Student Ambassador program, Maya made her mark through leadership, advocacy, and global health work. Excited to see her future in public health! 🎓

🎓 Grad Spotlight: Hannah G. With a passion for advocacy and a focus on biostatistics & epidemiology, this MPH grad is driven to create change for vulnerable communities. 💬 “I chose public health to help create this change.” Next up: travel + a future in clinical research.

Congratulations to Dr. Vaia Lida Chatzi for receiving the RIVER award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study how PFAS impact human health and develop real-world solutions.

In honor of National Public Health Week from the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences! We celebrated with our amazing Health Promotion and Global Health undergrads, Porto's bites, handmade bracelets, a photo booth, and grounding rocks to paint and take home. 🪨🎨

Congratulations to our student Welela Solomon on being selected as a 2026 @FulbrightPrgrm Scholar! She will be conducting a study at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, examining the barriers that pregnant women in Makerere Kivulu face in accessing quality antenatal care.

Career Spotlight! Nohemi Sanchez, MPH '25, pivoted from 10+ years in education to become an environmental health specialist at the County of San Diego. Now she's ensuring safe food, clean water & public health compliance for her community. Full spotlight: keck.usc.edu/news/mph-caree…

Infection prevention isn't just a behind-the-scenes role, it's where science, strategy, and real-world impact meet. From pandemic preparedness to healthcare-associated infection prevention, explore what a career in IPC really looks like. Register here: usc.zoom.us/meeting/regist…

Thinking about taking a gap year before applying to health professional school? This workshop features Keck students sharing how they used their gap year to gain experience, strengthen their applications, & prepare for the next step in their journey. usc.zoom.us/meeting/regist…

Happening Now! ⏰ In honor of National Public Health Week, join us for arts and crafts on the main University Park Campus at Stoner Hall, Room 107. We have drinks and pastries while supplies last.

IIGH Director of Policy Engagement Jonathan Cohen and staff and faculty from @uscpphs at the @KECKSchool_USC have recently published the article “Expanding power and opportunity in public health education: the continuous learning for antiracist culture change fellowship program."

Congratulations to Dr. @chanita_halbert who has been appointed as a Distinguished Professor of Population & Public Health Sciences for her nationally recognized leadership in cancer health disparities. We are so proud of you! @KECKSchool_USC

Celebrating Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, who received the 2026 @USC Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship for her innovative work bringing health equity to communities. We are so proud of you! Full story here: bit.ly/3QzjUEX @KECKSchool_USC