Affiliate Students

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).

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.

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.

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.

Rithika Markanti  is a dynamic and results-oriented Health Information Technology student with a passion for utilizing technology to improve healthcare delivery. In search of a demanding position where she can use her knowledge of data management, IT solutions, and health informatics to enhance operational effectiveness and enhance patient outcomes. Committed to keeping up with industry trends, adopting creative solutions, and working with teams from different departments to optimize healthcare information systems. She is excited to her experience in health information technology to help with the smooth integration of electronic health records, protect the security and quality of data, and ease the shift to value-based care.

Nikki Tyson is a doctoral student at the USC College of Education focusing on Curriculum Studies. She holds a master’s degree in gerontology from UNC – Greensboro. In addition to her 20-year career in older adult programs and services, Nikki also provides aging sensitivity courses to combat ageism through Advocating Anti-Ageism. Nikki is on a mission to disrupt ageism through gerontological education, one class at a time.

Cara Vandergriff is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Carolina. She earned a master’s degree in writing and linguistics from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2013. In 2018, she earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Western Kentucky University. After obtaining the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP), Cara practiced as a medical SLP in her home state of Tennessee, as well as Georgia and Oregon in a variety of sub-acute settings. Her areas of clinical interest in techniques and tools to promote independence, connection, and communication among individuals with neurogenic communication disorders intersect with her current research role in the Aging Gracefully lab. Cara is an avid fly angler who enjoys fishing the rivers of Southern Appalachia in her free time.

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.