Affiliate Students

Afsaneh Fallahi is a doctoral student and a research assistant in the department of Epidemiology. she obtains her BS from Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and MA from Tehran University, Iran in Health care Management (HCM). Afsaneh’s research interests are mostly about older adults’ challenges and mental problems (fall, depression and etc.), long-term care, as well as hospitalization costs.  She grew up and studied in Iran, and is bilingual in Farsi and English.

Ally Hucek is a Ph.D. student in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, and the Certificate of Graduate Study in Aging program. Her research focuses on preventive screenings for breast, ovarian and cervical cancer. In addition, her research interests further include dementia, social isolation among older adults, and older adults impacted by COVID-19. Ms. Hucek attended the University of Kentucky, where she obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Health. She was awarded the Arnold School of Public Health Fellowship for the academic years 2021 – 2023 for her academic achievements and dedication to public health research.

Eric Mishio Bawa is a PhD student in Epidemiology at the Arnold School of Public Health. He is a Field Epidemiologist, with training from the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (GFELTP). He is also a AHPC licensed Medical Laboratory Scientist. His core competencies as a field epidemiologist are surveillance system design and evaluation, surveillance data analysis, outbreak investigations, and manuscript writing. As a laboratory scientist, his responsibilities are testing, quality control and laboratory management. Currently, Eric is a Graduate Assistant (GA) at the Office of the Study of Aging (OSA).

Daniel Amobtiwon Amoatika is an epidemiology doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree in Nursing, Daniel pursued a master’s degree in Epidemiology and Disease control. He was actively involved in outbreak investigations, especially re-occurring infections among the aged, in Ghana.  Findings from the study on HIV diagnosis in the Upper West region of Ghana further brought to light the unique challenges associated with HIV diagnoses and aging, and deepened his interest in HIV and aging research. Daniel’s current focus is to understand the coping strategies associated with higher antiretroviral adherence among older living with HIV; to better understand the relationship between race/ethnicity and gender; the antiretroviral adherence among older adults living with HIV; and how best we can improve the prognosis and life expectancy of older adults living with HIV.

Fanli Yi is a Ph.D. Candidate of Epidemiology. Her research interests are on evaluating the impacts of cardiovascular procedures on the trend of coronary heart disease in Western Australia; the Affordable care act and Medicare on the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in South Carolina; and the periodontal antibodies on the cognitive function. Fanli has expertise in unique data linkages, administrative data claims analysis, data management of complex data systems, creation of complex data coding algorithms for clinical procedures, and analysis and interpretation of scientific findings.

Glaucia Salgado is a Master of Science Candidate at Duke University, Institute of Global Health in North Carolina, US. She holds a Master’s degree in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, and an undergraduate degree in Physical Education from the Adventist University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Glaucia has worked with community-based seniors services and has received six awards for academic excellence including an award for her thesis with ethnic minority immigrant older adults. Besides presenting her work with older adults on international conferences, she has eleven published articles and book chapters in Brazil and Canada. She is currently involved with a study on dementia among older adult incarcerated in US prison system and another project in Canada on gender-based violence.

Katherine is a doctoral student in the Department of Exercise Science.  She obtained her BS degree in Exercise Science from Slippery Rock University and obtained her MPH in Physical Activity and Public Health from UofSC. Katherine is interested in behavioral interventions targeting physical activity, sedentary behavior and weight loss. Katherine is a Cleveland sports fanatic and dog momma to sweet Sadie Mae.

Kelsey Rothera Day is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Exercise Science and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Prevention Research Center. She is a part of the T32-supported Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program, a former Health GIS Scholar, and a former Arnold Fellow and Graduate Scholar in Aging Research. Her research interests include disparities in physical activity, particularly among rural and older adults, and community-based physical activity interventions. Kelsey is also a yoga teacher and an avid runner. She and her husband are new parents to a baby girl, Lilly, and on most weekends you can find them exploring the outdoors together.

Kim is a doctoral student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior of the Arnold School of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Healthcare Management from The University of Texas at Dallas.  As an Arnold Fellow, she is interested in improving the quality of life of aging populations in diverse communities.

Prasun is a doctoral student in the Department of Exercise Science (applied physiology division). He started his undergraduate studies in computer science. His inclination toward the application of computational analysis to real-world problems inspired him to pursue a master’s degree in bioinformatics. After completing his master’s, he worked in the field of cancer genomics, where he further developed an interest in prevention research; now, his focus is to understand the molecular aspects of exercise, cardiometabolic disease, and aging. He enjoys playing cricket, badminton, and learning photography. Recently, he got his driver’s permit and is now looking forward to exploring the beauty of South Carolina.