The University of Washington School of Public Health celebrates the recipients of the 2026 Excellence Awards, which recognize members of the SPH community for their dedication, service, and many contributions to public health. Congratulations to all our awardees!
Outstanding Undergraduate Students
Environmental Health - Emily Do
Emily Do is a senior in Environmental Public Health, an aspiring physician, and a committed community organizer. Her research at the Marsillach Lab explores how diesel exhaust contributes to oxidative stress, and her research in Geneva examined medical pluralism in humanitarian aid. As a NEPHIP intern with Public Health - Seattle & King County, she produced public health resources on noise exposure and vaping disposal for K-12 schools. Through Environment Washington, she published environmental journalism and testified before the Washington State Legislature. Emily founded BeautifyUdub and served as SEHA officer twice. She is deeply grateful to the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences for this honor.
Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health - Carmela Stewart
Carmela Stewart is a senior at the University of Washington, pursuing a major in Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health and a minor in Bioethics. Throughout his time at the university, he has dedicated his time to volunteering at the UW Food Pantry, conducting independent research with Dr. Cristen Harris, singing in two UW choirs, and playing percussion in a band. In his role in the FSNH program as student resources coordinator, he has supported undergraduate engagement with the program, served as a peer adviser, and established a group called the Food Systems Leadership Coalition, through which he has cultivated community, enthusiasm, and connections among numerous student-led groups and community partners throughout Seattle.
HIHIM - Layla Abdirahman
Layla Abdirahman is currently studying Health Informatics and Health Information Management. With a passion for improving healthcare through data-driven insights, she worked as a medical coder for a couple of years before deciding to return to school to further her education, finding the HIHIM program the best fit. After graduation, she plans to pursue an RHIA certification and continue her education in healthcare data and informatics.
Outstanding Undergraduate Award
Public Health-Global Health - Daphne Suen
Daphne Suen is an exceptional scholar and leader graduating magna cum laude with degrees in Public Health-Global Health and Biochemistry. She is dedicated, compassionate, and committed to equity, with high-impact roles as a student resource coordinator and board member for Students of Color for Public Health. Daphne's research in epidemiology, including publications on trans health, further demonstrates her commitment to health equity. The PH-GH team commends her deep commitment to social justice, outstanding academic performance, and leadership in initiatives such as the annual ARCH Conference and DISCERN Collaborative. The team looks forward to celebrating Daphne's future as a physician grounded in public health values.
Read more: How undergraduate Daphne Suen improves public health while impatient for change
Outstanding Master's Students
Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences - Xinyuan Hao
Xinyuan Hao will complete her MS in Environmental Health Sciences in June 2026, with research at the intersection of climate, occupational health, and exposure assessment. Her thesis examined the associations between daily and nighttime temperature patterns and heat-related illness among Washington state workers. She received the Russell L. Castner Award to support summer mobile exposure assessment of heat and air pollution. Xinyuan has presented at ISEE and contributed to peer-reviewed publications on heat and health across occupational and built environments. She has co-led R workshops, engaged in community sustainability work, and will begin her PhD at UC Irvine this fall.
Epidemiology - Audrey Hersman
Audrey Hersman is an MPH student in Epidemiology whose work applies rigorous data analysis to inform global health programs and policy, particularly in infectious diseases. As a graduate research assistant with the UW START Center, she supports Gates Foundation initiatives through systematic reviews, quantitative analysis, and product valuation modeling. Previously, Audrey worked with PATH's Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases program, supporting operational research and implementation projects across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Her experience spans HIV, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and respiratory infections, reflecting a strong commitment to generating high-quality evidence to inform strategic public health decision-making and program delivery.
Global Health - Mariyam Sibghatullah
Mariyam Sibghatullah is an early-career mental health policy professional and researcher. Over the last four years, she has worked to shift how mental healthcare is understood and financed, from an illness-based model toward a preventive well-being approach. In Pakistan, she developed equity-based accountability mechanisms for national mental health policy work, which she extended at UW by designing policy implementation indicators for LMICs. This trajectory culminated in her role on the action group for the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health. Her long-term goal is to reshape mental health systems through priority financing of multi-sectoral preventive models accessible to all.
Health Administration - Laura Alford
Laurana ("Laura") Alford is an emerging healthcare leader and Master of Health Administration student committed to improving access, efficiency, and patient-centered care through collaborative leadership and dedication to public health. Laura works as an EMT at the King County Diversion Center, supporting vulnerable patients in high-risk environments, and as a contracts specialist at Proliance Surgeons. Laura demonstrates leadership by serving as president of the MHA Student Association, participating in multiple competitive case teams working on innovative, patient-focused recommendations for health systems nationwide, and serving as a mentor to students within and outside of the MHA program.
Community-Oriented Public Health Practice - Jane Zhao
Jane Zhao (she/hers) will graduate from the COPHP program and the School of Social Work. Passionate about community-driven visions for the future, Jane is guided by years of direct service, outreach, and program management experience in harm reduction, houseless services, sexual assault response, and crisis care. She brings her deep love for weaving together people, places, and issues to her current interdisciplinary work in environmental justice, trans healthcare, and the ethics of generative AI. With her MPH/MSW, Jane will continue this ongoing journey of dreaming, planning, and actualizing the world that communities envision for themselves.
Executive Master of Health Administration - Jason Rubin
Jason Rubin is an exemplary EMHA student and behavioral health professional whose work bridges academic excellence and real-world impact. He consistently elevates learning through thoughtful analysis, applied insight, and collaborative engagement, grounded in experience with behavioral health systems and access challenges. As a clinical outreach specialist in Western Washington, Jason guides families and providers to critical services, advancing equity and person-centered care. His compassionate leadership and empathetic patient care advocacy ensure that patients and clinicians are aware of integrative, evidence-based treatment options.
Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence: Master's Student
Biostatistics - Yifan Lin
Yifan Lin is a Biostatistics MS thesis student whose innovative research has advanced high-dimensional genomics data. She developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework to address the impact of unmeasured confounding, one of the toughest problems in observational public health research. By combining generative AI with traditional methods, she developed sensGAN, a framework that improves interpretation of complex genomic data. She has presented her work at multiple conferences, has a published preprint, and is preparing for publication before beginning her PhD program. Beyond research, Yifan was an active leader, co-leading DEI initiatives and contributing to many community-building efforts within the department.
Read more: How biostatisticians use AI to uncover hidden factors causing diseases
Outstanding Doctoral Students
Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health - Norma Garfias Avila
Norma Garfias Avila is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Nutritional Sciences from Tijuana, Mexico. Her research focuses on the gut microbiome, culturally relevant nutrition, and food access. For her dissertation, she analyzes data from a trial on how red and processed meat affects the gut microbiome and collaborates on improving healthy food access for Latino communities. She is a passionate educator and has led undergraduate degree courses as both a teaching assistant and an instructor. Beyond research and teaching, she is committed to community service through volunteer work with international students and a healthcare nonprofit in Tijuana.
Biostatistics - Gabriela Vasconcelos
Gabriela Vasconcelos is a Biostatistics PhD graduate from the University of Washington whose research sits at the intersection of statistical innovation and applied genomics. Advised by Dr. Ali Shojaie, she developed methods for spatial transcriptomics with a persistent focus on usability and interpretability, building tools that are not only theoretically grounded but also accessible to a broad scientific audience. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, continuing to advance statistical methodology for spatial and single-cell genomics.
Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences - Rebecca Kann
Rebecca Kann recently completed her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences, with research focused on the intersection of drinking water, climate, and enteric disease. Her work, supported by an NIH F31 fellowship and UW Future Rivers Program fellowship, advances understanding of how to improve drinking water interventions and climate resilience in rapidly urbanizing low-income settings. She has presented at national conferences and has seven peer-reviewed publications, with several more under review. Beyond her research, Rebecca has been an active contributor to department life, taking on leadership roles across student organizations to foster mentorship, community, and connection among students and faculty.
Epidemiology - Nicole Asa
Nicole Asa is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology with an interest in injury prevention, particularly firearm violence. Her dissertation explores the impacts of Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Washington state, including who is most affected by these orders, geographic variation in their use, and the impact that an order being granted has on the recipient's future interactions with the criminal legal system. Her work has also examined the impact of vacant lot greening on violence and the Earned Income Tax Credit on firearm suicide.
Global Health - George Wanje
George Wanje holds a PhD in Global Health Implementation Science and an MPH in Global Health, both from the UW. His research focuses on women's health and HIV/STI prevention and treatment in resource-limited settings. George has extensive expertise in behavioral and mixed-methods research and implementation science studies aimed at improving service delivery. For his dissertation, he evaluated the integration of HIV prevention and treatment services into family planning clinics in Kenya. While at UW, he has mentored many students, and his outstanding scholarly contributions have been widely recognized. He joins UW's Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as a postdoctoral fellow.
Health Services - Zoe Pleasure
Zoe Pleasure (she/her) is a reproductive health services researcher employing mixed-methods approaches who will graduate with her PhD this spring. Her research interests focus on understanding how people make contraception and abortion decisions when faced with practical, logistical, and policy barriers, and how to better support them in making choices that reflect their own needs and preferences. She has a particular interest in research that centers people with chronic health conditions, who often face additional challenges in accessing equitable reproductive healthcare. Her NIH-supported dissertation explores how to improve contraceptive care for veterans with autoimmune conditions.
Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence: Doctoral Student
Public Health Genetics - Betty Celeste Cohn
Betty Cohn is a PhD candidate in Public Health Genetics at the University of Washington and a trained bioethicist, holding a BA from Binghamton University and a Master of Bioethics from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Her research examines the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging biotechnologies, including direct-to-consumer genetic testing and polygenic risk scores. Using qualitative methods, her dissertation explores how individuals who discover misattributed parentage through genetic testing navigate these findings, with a focus on online communities as sources of social support. Betty aspires to become an independent principal investigator at an academic institution.
Students' Choice Awards
Outstanding Student Community Service - Carmela Stewart, BA-FSNH
Outstanding Teaching Assistant - Angela Chen, PhD-HSPOP
Outstanding Faculty Mentor - Kurt O'Brien - HSPOP
Outstanding Faculty Teaching - Ali Rowhani-Rahbar - Epidemiology
Outstanding Community Partner - Seattle/King County Clinic, Seattle, WA
Staff Excellence Awards
Anderson-O'Connell Excellent Staff Awardee: Hannah Shucard, Biostatistics
Nominated for exceptional leadership, collaboration, and impact across UW SPH Biostatistics. Hannah led RAPID-PC through pandemic disruptions and staffing changes, contributing to 10 publications while coordinating data collection, manuscripts, and reviews. As coordinator of the complex MCAD study, she guided multidisciplinary collaboration and launched data collection. She co-leads PRISM’s patient engagement and strengthens data management across the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Proactive, resourceful, and consistently exceeding expectations, Hannah is an indispensable, highly valued collaborator.
Amy Gundlach Ritter, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences
Amy is deeply student-centered, remembering individuals by name, checking in on their well-being, and offering guidance with genuine care. Amy makes herself consistently available through one-on-one meetings and drop-in hours, creating a welcoming and approachable environment for all students, staff, and faculty. She contributes meaningfully to committees and recruitment efforts. Her empathy, responsiveness, and unwavering commitment to student success make her an indispensable and outstanding member of DEOHS.
Isabel Kenney, Health Systems and Population Health
Isabel Kenney exemplifies exceptional service, innovation, and collaboration. She has transformed complex, redundant processes into streamlined, coordinated systems that strengthen admissions, onboarding, and program operations. Resourcefulness is evident in developing tools, trainings, and data-driven solutions now used across programs, while her leadership in strategic planning and cross-team initiatives has been instrumental to organizational success. Isabel consistently fosters a respectful, supportive environment, navigating diverse perspectives with integrity, empathy, and profession.
John Paulson, Epidemiology
John is widely recognized as “a pivotal figure for the Department,” providing exceptional, sustained service marked by responsiveness, clarity, and care. During periods of uncertainty, he showed “grace and care” while helping students navigate complex decisions with transparency and reassurance. He demonstrates a strong commitment to equity by designing programs that “level the playing field” and ensuring all students feel respected and supported. His resourcefulness is evident in helping students pursue unique paths and in creating innovative advising and recruitment approaches. Known for his “calm, respectful” demeanor and follow-through someone who “never lets issues go unresolved”—John fosters a collaborative, supportive environment grounded in integrity and trust
Fernanda Freistadt, Global Health
Fernanda demonstrates exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication, making a lasting impact on global public health partnerships. As project director for the INSIGHT Cooperative Agreement, in partnership with the CDC, she established the Informatics and Data Science for Health program across six South American countries. Under Fernanda's leadership, the program has earned recognition from participating governments and the CDC for its innovative approach and high-quality training. She also strengthened cross-border disease surveillance in the Peru-Brazil-Colombia region, fostering unprecedented international collaboration. Through her ability to unite diverse countries, languages, and cultures with humor, respect, and determination, Fernanda exemplifies excellence in global public health leadership.
Chelsea Elkins, Office of the Dean
Chelsea is recognized for exceptional, sustained leadership in advancing digital accessibility across the School of Public Health (SPH). Going above and beyond her role as access and advocacy coordinator, she led the school to federal digital accessibility compliance under extraordinarily tight deadlines. Through creative collaboration, innovative training, tireless outreach, and resourcefulness, Chelsea helped faculty and staff achieve these critical goals. She consistently led with compassion, patience, respect, and integrity while navigating evolving technology requirements. Her dedication not only advanced an important institutional milestone but also strengthened SPH by making its digital spaces more accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all.