Current Trainees

Maja Jeranko, PhD

Bio: Maja is a cultural anthropologist whose research investigates the impacts of cascading disasters and subsequent reconstruction initiatives on lifeways, perceptions, and gender relations. Her focus are the socio-cultural and economic impacts of earthquakes, floods, sea-level rise, and COVID-19. Since 2018, Maja has worked in rural fishing villages in coastal Ecuador, where she has collaborated with local organizations to ensure an engaged research approach. She has extensive training in a variety of qualitative and participatory action research methods, including ethnography, photovoice, and oral and life histories.

Chris Boyer

Degree Program(s): PhD Environmental and Occupational Hygiene

Graduation Year: 2024

Projects: Building Public Health Climate Change Adaptation Capacity in U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States: An Implementation Science Approach; Assessing readiness to implement adaptation solutions for climate change-related health risks using stakeholder perceptions in Pacific Island countries.

Bio: Chris’s work centers on the Pacific Island country context where he collaborates with governments and other stakeholders to better understand and prepare for the health risks of climate variability and change. Particularly, he is interested in addressing research and operational gaps in health adaptation by generating context-specific knowledge to inform implementation of interventions, policies, and programs, including climate-informed early warning systems. He has extensive experience in low-resource settings globally (West and Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia) while working with the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, and World Bank. Chris also served as a Chapter Scientist for Chapter 7: Health and Well-being for the Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation, Vulnerability) contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. He earned his Master of Public Health with a concentration in global health from the University of Washington in 2017. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, biking, and hiking with his pup.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Amber Khan

Degree Program(s): PhD Environmental and Occupational Hygiene

Graduation Year: 2023

Projects: Getting the Food Out: A Content Analysis of the Online Communication of Seattle Food Banks During COVID-19; Developing a Concept of Operations Template to Guide Collaborative Disaster Research Response between Schools of Public Health and Public Health Agencies; Where to mitigate? Prioritizing hospital seismic and non seismic mitigation among Dominican Republic hospitals.

Bio: Amber's research interests are focused on long-term post-disaster housing recovery and housing displacement among low-income families and other marginalized populations. She is specifically interested in policy solutions to prepare urban areas for climate migration and displacement. Amber has a BS in Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz and an MPH in Environmental Epidemiology from UC Berkeley School of Public Health. In her free time, Amber can be found outside climbing, backpacking, scuba diving, or hanging out with her husky.

Social Media Handle(s): Twitter | LinkedIn

Ashley Moore

Degree Program(s):PhD in Environmental Health Sciences

Projects: Coastlines - Camera - Action: Community-Driven Research for Adapting to Willapa Bay’s Rapidly Changing North Shore; Collaboration on Extreme Heat Events: Building a Sustainable Regional Partnership for Innovations that Promote Public Health in Response to Climate Change; Understanding Risk Perception and Protective Action Decisions Among Cascadia Coastal Emergency Managers; Integration of Indigenous Worldviews to Inform Equitable Hazard Mitigation Practice: A Qualitative Study

Bio: Ashley is a PhD student interested in studying how policy impacts community engagement and public health emergency preparedness among local health jurisdictions. She graduated from Yale University in 2020 with an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences and specifically looked at mental health assessment tools used in disaster research. She then participated in a fellowship at CDC in which she evaluated disaster recovery programs. In her free time, Ashley enjoys walking her dog, lifting, cooking, and looking for mushrooms.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Katelin Teigen

Degree Program(s): PhD in Environmental Health Sciences

Graduation Year: 2027

Bio: Katelin Teigen is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. Her research interests include climate and health, air quality modeling, environmental epidemiology, community engagement, and environmental justice. She hopes to eventually work in government where she can utilize her research background to inform effective, equitable policy interventions for issues relating to climate and health. Katelin is excited to join the ERG Team and looks forward to supporting the PHEER network in creating IRBs, identifying data needs, and developing concepts of operations. Prior to coming to UW, she earned her MPH in Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health, during which she investigated the mental health impacts of climate change and extreme heat. Previously, she worked at the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development to address health equity, racism, and the needs of children with unequal access to COVID testing and resources for successful remote learning. Outside of academia, Katelin enjoys hiking, biking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, surfing, and embarrassing herself at karaoke. She is very excited to explore Seattle and take advantage of all the outdoors activities the PNW has to offer.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Sophie Hammond

Degree Program(s): MS in Environmental Health Sciences

Graduation Year: Fall 2024

Bio: Sophie (she/her) graduated in the spring of 2023 from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s in biology and is now pursuing an applied master’s degree in environmental health sciences at UW-Seattle. After studying water quality and its impact on communities in Ecuador, she developed a passion for environmental justice and the connection between natural resources and community health. In her free time she likes to connect with nature by hiking, kayaking, or camping and enjoys creating art, whether it be painting or making her own jewelry.

Matias Korfmacher

Degree Program(s): MPH Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, MUP

Graduation Year: 2024

Projects: Health impacts of disasters, Community co-creation of knowledge and research needs of coastal communities, Disaster response frameworks, Disaster Research Response (DR2).

Bio: Matias is a first-year graduate student pursuing concurrent Master's degrees in Public Health and Urban Planning. His research interests center on themes of community resilience and environmental justice related to disasters and coastal hazards; his interdisciplinary focus engages with the fields of public health, public policy, geography, geoscience, sociology, and planning. He is particularly passionate about incorporating community-engaged research into the response to and recovery from extreme events. Prior to beginning his studies at UW, Matias worked in a number of environmental consulting and public health roles that pursued environmental justice related to water resources. Matias graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. When not attending lectures, Matias enjoys just about every outdoor activity under the sun (especially cross country skiing and kayaking), ultimate frisbee, board games, cooking, and everything related to music.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Joey Teresi

Degree Program(s): MS in Environmental Public Health

Graduation Year: 2024

Projects: Improving public health surveillance and communication for freshwater harmful algal blooms in Washington State using qualitative research methods and drone technology

Bio: Joey's research interests include understanding the effects of climate change on our natural resources and public health outcomes, water resource management, and sustainable communities. Prior to attending UW, he was employed in the environmental consulting industry where he performed hazardous building material inspections, abatement and remediation oversight, and groundwater compliance monitoring. In 2018, he received a BA in Geology and Environmental Studies from Augustana College, where he completed research projects investigating highly eroded streams and downstream water quality in an urbanized watershed and the legacy of lead-based paint hazards in urban neighborhoods. In his free time, he enjoys running, biking, hiking, performing improv comedy at local theaters, and attending concerts.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Mariana Cortes Espinosa

Degree Program(s): BS Biology, MS Environmental Health

Graduation Year: 2023, 2025

Projects: Low-cost indoor air quality sensor evaluation studies & development of community engagement tool to analyze sensor usability.

Bio: Mariana is a second generation Mexican American student born and raised in WA. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation) at UW Seattle in 2023. She is set to start her Master’s in Environmental Health Sciences at UW in Fall of 2023. As an undergraduate she worked as a Research Assistant for Professor Tania Busch Isaksen on a legislative report on indoor air quality in WA state schools and low-cost air quality sensor data. Her interests and passions include environmental equity, wildfire smoke, exposure science and GIS applications. In her free time she enjoys biking, paddleboarding, and sewing.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Ali Groza

Degree Program(s): Pre-Public Health (B.S.)

Graduation Year: 2026

Projects: 2023 Extreme Summer Heat in the Cities

Bio: Ali Groza is a freshman and lifelong Washingtonian from Spokane. She has a particular research interest in the prevalence, impact and management of extreme heat events in the PNW and is working on tracking relevant public health communications this summer. She has previous experience in community organizing surrounding climate change mitigation and is invested in learning more about the adaptive efforts made by local governmental organizations, based on a strong belief that effective climate action is best built on compounding practical, specific actions at a local level. Ali is an avid lover of any type of skiing (cross county, alpine touring, downhill), mountain biking and running, and enjoys playing guitar.

Hannah McKinley

Degree Program(s): Environmental Health (BS), Public Policy (minor)

Graduation Year: 2024

Projects: Evaluating low-cost PurpleAir monitors in a community impacted by extreme weather in Alaska.

Bio: Hannah is a third-year in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health undergraduate program. Her research interests include human decision making, climate change, air quality impacts on community health, environmental justice, and food security. In Hannah's free time she works as a barista, but when she isn't working or doing school you can find her hiking, exploring new neighborhoods, trying new foods, and listening to music.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Theresa Sabala

Degree Program(s): Communications (BS), American Indian Studies (minor)

Graduation Year: 2025

Bio: Theresa, a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington, is pursuing a degree in Communications with a minor in American Indian Studies. Passionate about the intersection between cultural and environmental resilience, Theresa is dedicated to amplifying Indigenous perspectives in addressing public health disparities.Driven by a commitment to health equity and social justice, Theresa's research interests span tribal-federal relations, community engagement-based research, hazard mitigation and data sovereignty, all viewed through the lens of Indigenous worldviews. She believes in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to confront complex public health challenges, centering Indigenous voices and values in the conversation.With a focus on the intersection between cultural and environmental resilience, Theresa strives to advocate for marginalized communities' well-being, empowering them to navigate environmental challenges with strength and resilience rooted in their cultural heritage.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn