Maryse Rios-Hernandez (she/her) is the Research Manager of the People, Health, and Place Unit of the Prevention Research Center at the Brown School. Maryse holds a master’s in public health with a concentration in Global Health from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. With a background on data management, strategic planning, and environmental health, Maryse is passionate about team and community science on the field of environmental justice. On her free time, Maryse enjoys reading and walking with her dogs.
Shaishavi (Shai) Patel is an undergraduate student at WashU. She is studying biology and anthropology on the premed track, and is passionate about healthcare accessibility. As a public health communications research assistant, Shai hopes to use her skills to help synthesize the very important data and research that the PRC at WashU does and aid in the dissemination of its findings, as well as get involved with various ongoing projects. In her downtime, Shai enjoys art, dance, and music.
Dennis Dela Tsagli is a Ghanaian physician currently pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He will be working with Amy Eyler. Prior to his graduate studies, Dennis practiced clinical medicine and conducted public health research at the Institute of Health Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences. A passionate advocate for health education, Dennis has used his talents as a writer and poet to make public health information accessible, contributing health columns to leading Ghanaian newspapers and online platforms. His commitment to health equity also extends to volunteer work in rural communities, where he has promoted health and well-being through direct community engagement.
Alexandre Silva is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Brown School. His research background is mainly focuses on physical activity and built environment, and public health, started participating in research activities in 2012 at Research Group of Physical Activity and Quality of Life, while was an undergraduate student and stayed involved in the field since then. Alexandre holds a master’s degree in physical Activity and Health (Universidade Federal do Parana) and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences (Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana). Outside of research, Alexandre likes to cook, listen to music, practice physical activity and sports (basketball and soccer).
Yi Wang (she/her) is a postdoctoral research associate at the Brown School. Her research focuses on the intersection of housing policy, urban planning, and public health. Yi holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs with a minor in Population Studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2023). Prior to the Brown School, she worked as a senior research associate on the Evicted in Oregon team at Portland State University. In her free time, Yi enjoys running and video games.
Nicola Creagh, is a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at the Centre for Health Policy, University of Melbourne. Nicola’s research applies qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation and implementation science disciplines to evaluate the implementation of policy and program changes, particularly within Australia’s National Cervical Screening Programs, focusing on self-collection of HPV-based cervical screening and lung cancer screening. The pursuit for health equity stands as a central principle in her work. Nicola seeks to use research as an advocacy tool for system-level change to ensure all people can receive the healthcare they deserve.
Nicola is the recipient of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Picchi Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, Richard Lovell Travelling Scholarship and a National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, which have supported her trip as a Visiting Researcher with the Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control at Washington University (Division of Public Health Sciences and the Prevention Research Centre). She will be splitting her time here over the next couple of months between the PRC and with Graham Colditz’s team at the WashU School of Medicine. In her free time, Nicola enjoys dancing (ex-ballet dancer!), eating delicious food, hiking and belly laughs with friends and family.