Terry Zhou, BA, BS
MPH Student (Epidemiology), she/her
I am a second year MPH Epidemiology student pursuing a certificate in Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology. I graduated from the University of Rochester in 2022 with degrees in Statistics and Computational Biology. I have been working with Dr. Huels as a data analyst for the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium. I have also worked on projects using multi-omics (epigenetics, metabolomics) methods to explore the relationships between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. I am currently working with Dr. Huels on my MPH thesis, investigating associations between prenatal phenol exposure and cognitive neurodevelopment.
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E-mail: terry.zhou@emory.edu
Elaine Cheng, BS
MSPH Student (Epidemiology), she/her
I am a first year MSPH Epidemiology student while also pursuing a certificate of Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology. I graduated from Sichuan University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree of medicine (Yeah this happens in China!) in Public Health. My undergraduate thesis at Sichuan Women's and Children's hospital was to explore the relationship between prenatal depression and fetal growth trajectories. I just joined the lab recently and I will work with Dr. Huels on my upcoming graduate thesis that concentrates on the mediation of DNA methylation on the association between prenatal exposure and offspring's health outcomes. .
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E-mail: yaoyilian.cheng@emory.edu
Keita Shimizu, BA
MPH Student (Epidemiology), he/they
I am a first-year MPH student in the Epidemiology department with certificates in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Data Science. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from the University of Washington in 2021, where I also minored in both Global Health and Policy Studies.
My previous professional experience spans diverse healthcare settings, which includes working at a long-term care community serving over 440 residents, working in one of the largest non-profit hospitals, as well as volunteering at a homeless shelter for women, all of which in Seattle, WA. Additionally, I worked as a business development analyst for a healthcare consulting company in Japan.
I'm conducting research for my MPH thesis with Dr. Huels. My investigation focuses on the potential association between exposure to PM2.5 air pollution and cognitive function, aiming to understand its impact on dementia-related outcomes.
Outside of work and classes, I am an avid Seattle sports fan, a big foodie, and enjoy hiking.
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E-mail: keita.shimizu@emory.edu
Zander Vervaet, BS
MSPH Student (Epidemiology), he/his
I am a first-year MSPH Epidemiology student pursuing a certificate in Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology. I graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Human Biology and Society with a minor in Public Health. As an undergraduate, I conducted research at the UCLA Carceral Ecologies Lab evaluating and mapping the effect of noise pollution of Los Angeles police helicopters on the health of marginalized communities. Broadly, my research interests lie in epigenetics and omics mechanisms. Currently, I am working with Dr. Huels on a project studying the effects of PM2.5 air pollution on epigenetic age acceleration for Alzheimer’s disease. In my free time, I love to cook, play video games, and explore Atlanta!
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E-mail: zander.vervaet@emory.edu
