Harvard Medical School

Dahlia graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University in 2023 with a B.A. in Medical Anthropology. She then spent two years at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, joining the Department of Emergency Medicine as the Program Coordinator of its Division of Health Equity. In this role, Dahlia developed and piloted eight health quality improvement initiatives — most notably the department’s first-ever food insecurity screening program — across three emergency department locations, while also directing four high-volume volunteer programs. At Harvard Medical School, Dahlia serves as a Coordinator of the OCCME’s Housing & Neighborhood Development Group, and as part of Mass EQLHS, she seeks to evaluate how health systems science can be used to tackle large-scale differences in care access and outcomes across health systems.

Harvard Medical School

Sein is a first-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. She graduated from Yale College with a double B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. At Yale, she volunteered with the HAVEN Free Clinic to support primary care services for uninsured and underinsured Connecticut residents, an experience that sparked her interest in addressing barriers that shape patient outcomes. Since then, Sein’s work has spanned research, policy, and clinical care, from advocating at the United Nations, serving as a policy intern at the National Institutes of Health, and coordinating a quality improvement study at Penn Medicine. As a Mass EQLHS Scholar, Sein is examining drivers of hospital discharge delays, with particular attention to the complications arising from insurance, institutional policies, and behavioral health needs. Through her work, Sein hopes to advance patient-centered healthcare delivery across clinical and policy settings.

Harvard Medical School & Harvard Business School

Christiana graduated from Duke University in 2019 with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies and a minor in Chemistry. At Duke, she conducted research on health behaviors including medication adherence improvement strategies and economic empowerment for all populations, including an independent study on microfinance and women’s economic capabilities in rural Nigeria. She subsequently worked on clinical trials and health policy research at Emory University and the Georgia Health Policy Research Center, employing qualitative and quantitative methods to inform state-level COVID-19 response strategies and cross-sector health equity initiatives.

As an MD/MBA candidate at Harvard Medical School & Harvard Business School, Christiana’s research focuses on improving access to neurosurgical care and neurotechnologies for all populations. She co-developed the concept of “Neurotech Justice”, applied data-driven analyses to clinical and market datasets, and co-authored publications shaping ethical frameworks for neurotechnology deployment. She also contributed to the creation of HMS’s Healthcare Leadership & Transformation Track, leveraging her research and policy expertise to guide program strategy. Her work has been recognized through awards including the Dennis Washington Leadership Scholarship and the ASCO Medical Student Grant.

As a Mass EQLHS Student Scholar, Christiana is committed to collaborating and integrating her experience in clinical care, health policy, and system-level interventions to improve access to healthcare and medical innovations.

Harvard-MIT MD-PhD Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST)
Erica graduated from Duke University in 2022 with a B.S. in Biology and Minor in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. She then worked for a year as a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital before joining the Harvard-MIT MD-PhD program in 2023 as part of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST). She is now working towards her PhD in Immunology at Harvard Medical School, studying the impacts of early life environmental exposures and viral infections on the development of chronic airway disease. As a member of Mass EQLHS, she is excited to explore ways in which environmental exposure data can be integrated into the clinical workflow to better inform patient care and improve outcomes. 

Harvard Medical School & School of Public Health

Sehej was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and completed her undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins, earning a degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Public Health. Throughout her time in Tulsa and Baltimore, she worked with community-based organizations addressing social determinants of health in underserved populations—serving as a Community Impact Fellow with Baltimore Youth Arts to support youth affected by the criminal justice system, advocating for low-income families with Health Leads, and providing harm reduction and sexual health outreach with H.O.P.E. Testing. These experiences deepened her understanding of how sociocultural and economic factors shape health outcomes, inspiring her to pursue a career bridging individual care to population-level impact. She is currently pursuing her MD at Harvard Medical School and MPH in Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As a member of Mass EQLHS, Sehej is excited to work at the intersection of medicine, health policy, and health systems innovation, reimagining how care can extend beyond hospital walls and into communities.

Harvard Medical School

Grace graduated from Duke University in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and certificate in Child Policy Research. At Duke, she led a program that leveraged student volunteers to screen and refer patients to resources for their health-related social needs. She led the program’s expansion to the Duke Health system and worked on North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilot, a statewide pilot to innovate social needs resource reimbursement. At Harvard, she is the VP of Community Health and Action, and as a member of Mass EQLHS, is dedicated to promoting healthcare access, preventive care, and social and medical care integration.

Tufts University
Young is a Master’s of Biomedical Sciences candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine. He earned his B.A. in Anthropology from Colgate University, where he developed an interest in how health outcomes are shaped. In previous roles at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care, and Boston Medical Center’s Emergency Department, he focused on improving access to care in safety-net settings through clinical research, patient engagement, and quality improvement initiatives. He plans to pursue medical school to integrate clinical care with research and health systems innovation to improve health outcomes for all. As a Mass EQHLS scholar, he is excited to contribute to the ANCHOR project by developing digital care navigation tools to improve access to trusted health information and resources.

Harvard College

Annika is a sophomore at Harvard University studying Social Studies with a focus in Public Health, a secondary in Economics, and a Spanish citation. Her work focuses on leveraging the law and policymaking to build healthier and safer communities. She has previously conducted research on the impact of social safety net policies on food security, rural health accessibility, and childhood injury prevention. Annika has also been a passionate advocate for healthcare improvement at the local, state, and national level, including as a youth organizer for firearm safety. At Mass EQLHS, Annika is interested in researching how to build a community-centered health system that meaningfully engages and serves patients.

Harvard College

Keneil is a senior at Harvard College from Long Island, NY, studying Neuroscience with a secondary in Economics. Through coursework and consulting with Harvard Undergraduate Consulting on Business and the Environment (HUCBE), he has become interested in how data and evidence can translate scientific insight into strategies that strengthen care delivery and improve health outcomes. Prior to joining Mass EQLHS, Keneil conducted Alzheimer’s disease research at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he studied microglial biology and amyloid pathology. He is also involved in clinical service and leadership through CrimsonEMS and the Surgery Interest Group, supporting hands-on learning and mentorship for premedical students.

Tufts University

Dallin is a sophomore at Tufts University studying biopsychology. At Tufts, he is involved with a student organization called Project SHARE, which aims to improve healthcare within Tufts and local communities by increasing healthcare access and awareness of important healthcare initiatives. Dallin also volunteers at Melrose Wakefield Hospital and is a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) near his hometown in New York. Through his experiences in volunteering and student organizations, he has learned the importance of patient education and the barriers they face in receiving proper care. Specifically, Dallin has developed a passion for improving healthcare across all populations. At Mass EQLHS, Dallin hopes to enhance patients' access to useful resources for their care. 

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahawy

Roya Ahmadi is a senior at Stanford University studying Human Biology with a self-designed concentration in Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Women's Health and a minor in Interdisciplinary Arts. Her primary interests are in Muslim and SWANA women's sexual and reproductive health and culturally and religiously sensitive pregnancy care. Roya has interned with Motherbeing, a Cairo, Egypt based women's health platform delivering context-tailored sexual and reproductive health education to MENA women through a mobile application and AI chat assistant that speaks different Arabic dialects. Roya is also a co-chair for the Stanford Institute for the Arts Fellowship and a video and sound installation artist who has presented work in group shows across the US.

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahawy

Nadiha Noor Chelsea is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) with a medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). As a Bangladeshi-born Canadian, she has witnessed firsthand that there’s room for improvement in women's health. Her research interests are focused on improving women’s healthcare outcomes. She is especially committed to exploring and implementing strategies that empower women to navigate healthcare systems, ensuring they receive high-quality care.

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahawy

Lobna graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Religious Studies and a minor in Bioethics. Following her undergraduate studies, she joined Teach For America, where she taught high school students and earned her Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University. With a passion for both medicine and education, she aims to improve healthcare outcomes by leveraging her unique background and experiences in education and bioethics.

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahaway
Sarah graduated from Yale College in 2022 with a degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. At Yale, she was a clinical research coordinator for the COPPER Cancer Center, where she aided in the development of standardized tools to better connect low-income ovarian cancer survivors with community resources. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to attend University College London and obtained a masters in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics of Health. At Harvard Medical School, Sarah works alongside community organizations like Saheli to increase improve access to healthcare in South Asian and Arab communities. As a member of Mass EQLHS, she is interested in investigating the factors that are most important in health decision-making for women of all backgrounds. 

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahaway
Neirja recently graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience. Curious about understanding the clinical aspects of women’s health, Neirja is currently working as a Medical Secretary/Assistant at an Outpatient OB/GYN Medical Clinic, with plans to pursue medical school in the future. Through participation in the MeRGE Lab, she is excited to learn more about the role of religion and culture in maternal and reproductive health outcomes. 

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahaway
Elizabeth is a sophomore at Harvard University studying Anthropology and Medicine with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. She is a student researcher with the MeRGE Lab, where she contributes to research at the intersection of gender and health. Her prior work includes advancing menstrual initiatives in Tanzania, supporting women’s health programs in Boston, and contributing to cancer research at the SouthCoast Cancer Center. Elizabeth is also currently involved in health advocacy and community engagement through Partners in Health Engage, Women’s Fund SouthCoast, and the Girl Up New England Coalition. Her academic and advocacy interests center on women’s health and global health. 

Assisting Dr. Sarrah Shahawy
Shreetoma Datta is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She earned her medical degree in Pune, India, where she held leadership roles in student research and national medical organizations. She is currently preparing to pursue residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United States.

Her research focuses on maternal and reproductive health, with peer-reviewed publications on pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19, minimally invasive myomectomy, breastfeeding among people with HIV, and the multicenter PLACID Trial. She also completed research electives at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in HIV in pregnancy and reproductive endocrinology. Through her work with Mass EQLHS and the MERGE Research Lab, Shreetoma now seeks to identify the social, clinical, and contextual factors that guide health decision-making for women from all backgrounds.

Assisting Dr. Rose Olson
Trishathi is a public health researcher with training in epidemiology, biostatistics, and dentistry. She holds an MPH from the Boston University School of Public Health and a dental degree from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in India. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she works with Dr. Rose Olson in the Department of Internal Medicine and Dr. Ingrid Katz in the Division of Women’s Health, contributing to studies on emergency department (ED) boarding. Her research interests focus on improving access to medical and oral healthcare and implementing effective interventions in real-world settings.

Assisting Dr. Rose Olson

Zoe graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2024 with a B.A. in Public Health. Her research focuses on women’s health and the differences in healthcare outcomes faced by all communities. She is particularly interested in understanding women’s long-term health complications. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Zoe is committed to improving healthcare delivery and passionate about healthcare policy’s role in improving access to healthcare.