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

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

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, and began her Master’s program 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

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.

Hannah McKinley

Degree Program(s):BS in Environmental Public Health, MPH in Environmental Public Health, MPA in Public Policy & Governance

Graduation Year: 2024, 2027

Projects: King County Community Science Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Project, Gonzaga Spokane Extreme Heat Symposium, & Gonzaga Spokane Smoke Ready Symposium

Bio: Hannah is a dual Master's student in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health and the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Her research and policy interests include climate change, environmental justice, wildfire smoke implications, air quality monitoring, food system sustainability and safety, and human decision making. In Hannah's free time she enjoys exploring new food places around Seattle, hiking, listening to music, and spending time with others.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Julio Ramos-Vazquez

Degree Program(s): MPH Epidemiology - General Track

Graduation Year: 2025

Projects: Smoke Ready Spokane; 2024 wildfire smoke season data collection using PurpleAir low-cost sensors

Bio: Julio is a second-year Master’s student pursuing his MPH in Epidemiology. During his undergraduate career at the University of Washington he worked quantitatively with PurpleAir low-cost sensors to understand how indoor air quality is impacted by inhabitant activities. His current practicum work with Smoke Ready Spokane uses qualitative methods to improve his skill set. Julio’s public health interests include air quality monitoring, health equity, and working with the Latinx community. Away from his studies you can find Julio unwinding with backpacking, lifting, playing board games, or exploring the many restaurants around Seattle.

Social Media Handle(s): LinkedIn

Uthaylah Al-Arab

Degree Program(s): Environmental Public Health (BS)

Graduation Year: 2025

Projects: 2024 Smoke Ready Spokane

Bio: Uthaylah is a third-year in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health undergraduate program. She is a second generation American Lebanese student born and raised in Lebanon. Her research interests include climate change, wildfire smoke, environmental toxicology, air quality and its health impacts, microbiological and chemical sampling. In Uthaylah's free time she volunteers as a Health Scholar in Swedish Medical Center, but when she isn't volunteering or studying you can find her reading fantasy books, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or crocheting.

Charlotte Crocco

Degree Program(s): Environmental Public Health (BS)

Graduation Year: 2026

Bio: Charlotte is an Environmental Public Health major with a Statistics minor entering her third year at the University of Washington. She is currently working with Dr. Tania Busch Isaksen on two projects, both involving wildfires and air quality in Spokane and Alaska. Her interests in public health lie in epidemiology, health equity, and climate change. In her free time, she enjoys playing club rugby for UW, going to concerts, swimming, snowshoeing, and playing board games.

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.

Theresa Sabala

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

Graduation Year: 2025

Bio: Theresa, a forth-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