Past Cohorts

Current:  Clinical Research Coordinator | Population Health Sciences | DCCOR

Mentor:  Tomi Akinyemiju, Professor in Population Health Sciences

Current: Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company

Mentor: Brystana G. Kaufman, Assistant Professor in Population Health Sciences

Current: Research Assistant at AcademyHealth

Mentor: Christina Kelsey Zigler, Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences

Nicolette Rojas is a James M. Johnston scholar and Honors student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Sociology and Public Policy with a minor in Statistics and Analytics. She is a reoccurring Dean’s List student and Hayden B. Renwick Scholar. Nicolette is an advocate for community engaged approaches to population health research and global human rights policy and program development.

Daijah Scott, originally from Ohio, is a first-generation college graduate from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Laboratory Animal Science with a minor in Chemistry. Daijah currently works as a Laboratory Animal Technician at her alma mater while simultaneously working part-time as an emergency medical technician. She chose to study lab animal science to lay a foundation for the research goals she holds.

Sahar Shibeika is a master’s student in Population Health Sciences at Duke University, where she actively contributes as a research assistant on multiple projects. Her academic and professional journey is fueled by a deep passion for geriatrics, caregiving, aging, cardiovascular diseases, health policy, and health services research.

Mentor:  Sarah M. Wilson, PhD

Daekiara Smith-Ireland is a committed scholar and advocate for health equity, currently pursuing her Doctorate in Public Health at Mercer University, specializing in Social Epidemiology.

Current: Research Data Analyst

Mentor: Jennifer M. Gierisch, Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences

Mentor:  Tomi Akinyemiju, Ph.D.,

Jamilah A. Watson is a third-year doctoral student at the University of Delaware in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.