CHIBE/Health Policy Host 2019 Summer Intern Social Luncheon

The HP/CHIBE Summer Intern Social Luncheon was co-hosted by Norma Coe, PhD, and Harsha Thirumurthy, PhD, and was attended by interns, faculty, and staff.  Learn more about the HP/CHIBE interns below.

OBAIDAH BITAR
2019 SUMR Scholar I Faculty Mentor: Norma Coe
Obaidah is a recent graduate from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s in Economics. He is working with Dr. Coe this summer on a 20-year quality effectiveness analysis of health system reforms on end-of-life care. He is planning to work as a health care consultant before entering into medical school. Aside from work, Obaidah enjoys investing in the stock market and has become very skilled at losing money.

AIDEN BROSSFIELD
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Aiden is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in International Relations and minoring in Science History and Sociology. She plans to pursue medicine after graduating from Penn. Aiden is interested in studying and researching the intersection of politics, environmental factors, and health. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, drawing, and needlepoint.

ALEXIS BRYAN
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Alexis is a rising senior in Public Health at Tulane University with a minor in Spanish. Currently she works with a nonprofit nutrition education organization in New Orleans, and she is interested in continuing on to work in international nutrition.

CECIL ENE
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Cecil is a rising senior from Rockwall, Texas, studying Health and Societies with a concentration in Health Policy and Law. She is a captain on Penn’s Track and Field team, a board member on the Penn’s chapter of the nonprofit Camp Kesem, and a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Her future hopes are to work in health care consulting and later obtain a joint MPH-MPA degree.

CODY GOLDSMITH
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Cody is a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. In college, he majored in Nutritional Sciences and minored in Development Sociology. He is particularly interested in the primary prevention of disease and the intersection of health with nutrition and advocacy, along with exercise, dance, and music (a.k.a. his hobbies!). He is excited to be joining us all for the summer as a researcher in the PEACH Lab!

BRYSON HOUSTON
2019 SUMR Scholar I Staff Mentors: Laurie Norton and Michael Josephs
Bryson is a rising junior biology major on the pre-med track from Morehouse College. He plans to become a leading orthopedic physician one day, while advocating for health inequality within the African-American community and is working on the EMPOWER Study.

CHRISTINE KIM
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Christine graduated with a BA in Psychology from Columbia University and is currently an MSEd student in the Counseling and Mental Health Services program at Penn GSE. Her professional interests lie in both research and clinical work, particularly to understand the preventative effects of exercise on psychopathology and develop novel treatment methods for eating and weight disorders. In her free time, she enjoys museum-hopping and exploring new restaurants in the city.

ALEXANDER MASSARO
2019 PUMR Scholar I Faculty Mentor: Harsha Thirumurthy
Alexander is a rising sophomore at Penn and a prospective mathematical economics major. He is interested in data analysis for public policy, as well as the process of academic research, and he will be working on the Jikinge project with Dr. Thirumurthy.

CLAIRE MCKEOWN
PEACH Lab Researcher I Faculty Mentors: Christina Roberto/Laura Gibson
Claire is an MPH student at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor in Social Work, with a minor in Psychology, from the University of Kutztown. She is interested in nutrition, food systems, and the influence of environmental exposures on disease development. In her free time, Claire enjoys cooking, yoga, and live music.

GRACE NIE
2018 SUMR Scholar I 2018-2019 Researcher I Faculty Mentor: Norma Coe
Grace is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania. She is pursuing dual degrees in Nursing and Business, with concentrations in Healthcare Management and Business Analytics. Born in Beijing, she spent her high school years in New Zealand, and is now attending college in the United States. Thus, Grace has had the privilege to learn about three drastically different health care systems firsthand. Such experience has sparked Grace’s interest in health economics, as she aims to understand how public policies changes affect individual and institutional behaviors. She is particularly intrigued by health insurance reform, hospital financing and staffing, and long-term care.

BRIAN VALLADARES
2019 SUMR Scholar I Faculty Mentor: Harsha Thirumurthy
Brian is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He goes to school in rural Massachusetts at Williams College, majoring in chemistry and economics. This summer he is a part of the SUMR scholars program here at Penn.

YASH SHAH
2018-2019 Researcher I Faculty Mentor: Amol Navathe
Yash is a graduate from Penn in May 2018 from the College of Arts and Sciences, and currently a medical student at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School. He has been working with Dr. Navathe on his BPCI and CJR related projects for the past two years, and this summer, he’ll be working on a project dealing with ACOs and bundled payments. In his free time, he loves hiking, exploring cities, and being a Mets and Giants fan!

ROBIN WANG
2019 MSHP Summer Fellow I Faculty Mentor: Amol Navathe
Robin is currently a first-year medical student at Penn and graduated from Cornell University with a BA in economics in May 2018. Robin’s research interests lie in innovative value-based payment models that incentivize providers to reduce health care costs while improving the quality of care. This summer, Robin will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Navathe to investigate spillover effects of Medicare’s bundled payment policies (BPCI) for commercially insured patients. In her free time, Robin loves hiking, working out, and cooking.