I am an Assistant Professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health at UC San Diego and Associate Director of the MPH Program, where I lead the CARE Research Group.
My research combines environmental epidemiology with causal inference and predictive modeling to understand how climate variability drives human disease — and to build early-warning systems and operational guidance for health departments and clinicians. My work spans the environmental epidemiology of climate-sensitive fungal pathogens; mineral dust and extreme heat; climate and active transport; and the hydrometeorological drivers of diarrheal disease.
Teaching and mentoring are central to how I work. I am committed to training the next generation of scientists to protect human health from climate change and other environmental hazards — you can read more using the sections at left.
Why I love teaching
I teach to inspire students, to help them think critically about important issues in the world, and to give them the foundational knowledge and communication skills they will carry into their careers. My aim is to help students become better consumers of research — well-rounded, thoughtful, and compassionate leaders in environmental health.
Teaching also sharpens my own work: building lectures, leading discussions, and talking through ideas with students returns me to the assumptions and evidence that shape my research, and often reshapes the questions I ask.
Courses I teach
An inclusive classroom
I am committed to ensuring that every student — of any race, gender, sexual orientation, health status, or socioeconomic background — feels comfortable, heard, respected, and supported in my classroom. Drawing on inclusive and anti-racist pedagogy and on training in universal design and trauma-informed teaching, I work to create a supportive environment with equal access to learning.
As a class, we discuss shared values and build community agreements that encourage mindful participation and mutual respect, and I design materials and choose readings and guest speakers that reflect a range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Approach to mentoring
I practice holistic advising by treating each student as a whole person, rather than relating to them exclusively in the academic context. For each advisee, I aim to understand where they are in their development, their current and past life experiences, and their goals and aspirations. I work to develop meaningful relationships by building trust and maintaining regular and ongoing communication. Overall I am dedicated to the success and wellbeing of each of my advisees and work with them to identify areas of stress or barriers that might be impacting their academic performance and/or experiences. While I might not always have the answers, I make sure that my advisees receive the academic, financial, social, or personal support they might need.
In practice, that looks like biweekly lab meetings, weekly one-on-one check-ins, and a shared writing hour where the group keeps each other accountable and supported.