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The Scholars
Learn more about our SUMR Scholars.
SUMR 2008
 Katherine Brown was a member of the class of 2009 at the University of Pennsylvania, who majored in Economics and minored in Chemistry. She is originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her research interests are focused in HIV/AIDS, HIV stigmatization, and health disparities. Katherine worked with Dr. Mehret Mandefro on her documentary film, "Backbone" which delved into the issues of displacement, health and violence in Philadelphia. In the future, Katherine plans to pursue an M.D./MPH or M.D./Ph. D. However, she hopes to live and work in China before attending medical school and graduate school.
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 Jacqueline Chaudhry was a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn during the program. She was pursuing a Health & Societies major.
During the summer 2008 Jacqueline worked with Dr. Jalpa Doshi, and LDI senior fellow, on a project titled Variations in Psychotropic Medications trends (in relation to Medicare and Medicaid).
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 Donielle Johnson is a member of the class of 2010 in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in ethnomusicology with a potential double minor in cognitive science studies. Donielle worked with David Mandell on a project which assessed Autism and Schizophrenic diagnoses in an adult psychiatric facility. In addition to Autism, Donielle also has research interests in child development, sensory abnormalities, African American psychopathology, and health disparities. Donielle plans on pursuing a PhD either in clinical psychology or sensation and perception psychology and then hopes to become a professor or clinical researcher. She is a McNair Scholar in the Penn chapter of the Ronald E. McNair Program, a program dedicated to facilitating individuals underrepresented in their fields in their pursuit of graduate education. Aside from her studies, she is also a member of "Inspiration," an a capella group at Penn. Donielle dreams of owning a bed and breakfast in Sapa, Vietnam when she is older.
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 Laurel Johnson is a Senior at Yale University where she is majoring in Sociology. At Yale, Laurel is on the volleyball team. She setted for Professor Amy Hillier in the School of Social Policy & Practice. Laurel assisted Professor Hillier in her efforts to investigate the effects of urban planning on health, especially on access to healthy foods. Laurel's main research interest is in health disparities. She hopes to be working in public health someday, possibly attaining a Masters of Public Health to continue studying health disparities. Quite an accomplishment for someone who's only celebrated five birthdays (yes, Laurel is a lucky leap year baby).
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 Kevin Liang is a member of the University of Pennsylvania class of 2010 and is currently a health and societies and economics double major in the college. He is interested in studying the topics of health economics, pay for performance, and universal health care. Kevin worked on two projects: the first was with Dr. Rachel Werner, evaluating the effectiveness of pay for performance schemes in nursing homes by state medicaid agencies; for his second project, Kevin assisted Professor Arnold Rosoff with his book on universal health care. His future academic goals include continuing to do research in the areas of economics and health economics as well as attending graduate school to continue learning how people respond to incentives. In addition, Kevin hopes to one day own a minor league baseball team.
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 Carlos transferred from a Salvadoran university and studied cultural anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked with Professor Julia Lynch (political science) and Dr. Craig Pollack (Penn Med) on a project analyzing the health and social effects of the mortgage foreclosures crisis. He plans on obtaining a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology in the future. |
| Gerardo J. Melendez-Torres |
 G.J. Melendez-Torres is currently a junior in the Wharton School and the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked with Dr. Eileen Lake in examining nurse-patient staffing ratios in neonatal intensive care units. However, his general research interests are the organizational history of emergency departments, as well as sexuality and health. He is very interested in pursuing postgraduate studies in health services research, in addition to a clinical specialty in midwifery. Outside of research, he sings in a gospel choir at UPenn and is actively engaged in the National Student Nurses' Association.
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 Tariro Mupombwa, originally from Zimbabwe, is a proud member of the class of 2010 at the University of Pennsylvania in the College of Arts & Sciences. She is currently on the premed track pursuing a major in Biochemistry and minor in Economics. Her research interests encompass areas of health policy, oncology, the impending threat of tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of SUMR 2008 she worked with Dr.Jeremy Kahn on a project comparing quality of care of ICU patients in critical access hospitals to other patients in large hospitals. She also worked with Dr.Mark Pauly on a project that examined the effects of the uninsured on the community as a whole. Her future plans include medical school and a possible PhD in Health Economics. She would like to work in the states for a time, and then head back to her native Zimbabwe and open a cancer research institute. She hopes to play a big role in health policy in her country. Tariro loves to dance to kwaito music (South African hip hop), sing, and travel.
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 Sascha Murillo is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently majoring in Health and Societies and intends on taking a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior and Health Service Management. Her research interests are in Health Policy, minority health disparities in Latino communities and neonatology. For the SUMR program, Sascha worked with Dr.James Macinko on a two part project. The first part involved the study of Mexican female immigrants so as to see how immigration and acculturation affect their health with a particular focus on obesity. The second part was a survey of Latin Americans which assessed the primary care given to them. Sascha worked with Dr.Scott Lorch on a survey that looked at neonatologists in order to assess the treatment options they take. Her future aims are varied and include pursuing an MD/PhD or a masters in public health. She intends to work for WHO or an NGO that has a focus on Latin America. Her interests include theater, acting and piano.
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 Amol Narang (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Class of 2011, Yale University class of 2007, Major: Economics) is the sole medical student among the 2008 SUMR scholars. As he completes his medical degree, Amol hopes to gain a deeper understanding of physician labor markets and their organization through his research. This summer, Amol worked with LDI Senior Fellow Seema Sonnad, PhD and CHOP orthopedic surgeon Theodore Ganley, MD. Their project utilized cost effectiveness analysis to evaluate two types of regional anesthesia for knee surgery. Among his other distinctions, Amol earned the honor of being named the 2001 University of Maryland Terps Fan of the Year when just a sophomore in high school.
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 Darryl Powell was a member of the class of 2009 at the University of Pennsylvania. A Philadelphia
native Darryl is interested in minority health disparities in terms of healthcare access, quality,
and outcomes. He spent his summer working with Dr. Peter Groeneveld on a project that
evaluated the impact of medical devices on the quality of life of patients. Darryl also worked
with Dr. Matthew O'Brien in evaluating the impact of an educational intervention on cervical cancer
rates in the South Philadelphia Mexican population. Darryl sang in the Gospel Choir and
was the president of the Onyx Senior Honor Society. He hopes to become a physician and plans to
incorporate health services research into his future career.
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 Aaron Schwartz graduated Swarthmore College in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Economics and a degree in Biology. Aaron's research interests include the effects of financial incentives on behavior in the healthcare market. As part of the SUMR program, Aaron worked with Dr. Kevin Volpp to investigate how variations in the profitability of care affect patient outcomes and how this relationship changes over time. Aaron also worked on a second project with Dr. Sandy Schwartz, which studied cardiologists' purchasing decisions regarding imaging technology. After college, Aaron hopes to attend medical school with a focus on health policy. Among other interests, Aaron is an avid fan of public radio and worked on a documentary on sickle cell anemia.
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 Randi Scott is a member of the Class of 2011 at Columbia University in New York. A native of Philadelphia, Randi is particularly interested in researching the vast minority disparities that exist in health care. She is also interested in mental health and hopes to become a clinical psychiatrist. Randi spent her summer working with LDI senior fellow James Guevara, M.D. on a study that evaluated the effects of maternal depression on children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study involved the use of data obtained from the School District of Philadelphia as well surveys and interviews. At Columbia, Randi is involved in a public health student group serving as the pre-professional chair and also works as a health educator, increasing drug awareness among high school students.
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Fan Zhou, a member of the Class of 2010 at Penn, is pursuing dual degrees in Health and Societies at the College and in Economics with a concentration in Finance at the Wharton School. His current interests are in health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. Fan worked for Arnold Rosoff on a book about the possibility of universal healthcare in the United States. An active member of the Glee Club at Penn, he recently became a permanent citizen of the United States. He intends to pursue a career in health law, with the eventual goal of working with not-for-profit organizations. |
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