Aryana Sepassi

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Tala Alrousan
  
• Email: a2sepassi@ucsd.edu

Aryana was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and grew up in San Diego, California. She completed her bachelor's degree in neuroscience and physiology at the University of California, San Diego, followed by a doctor of pharmacy degree and a Master of Advanced Studies degree in Clinical Research, all at UC San Diego. She has practiced community pharmacy, worked in the biotech industry and previously served as faculty at the University of California, Irvine. Currently, she also serves as faculty at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her research interests are in health economics and health policy, focusing on access to high-cost medications for people with cancer and immigrant health. Aside from her work and research, she enjoys being active and outside, reading, embroidery and looking for new places to eat.

Cassidy Boyd

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Gretchen Bandoli
  
• Email: c4boyd@ucsd.edu

Cassidy is originally from Conway, New Hampshire. She studied environmental science at Green Mountain College in Vermont and earned her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion from National University in San Diego, where she completed her thesis project on the implementation of a screening tool with the San Diego juvenile justice system clinic. She currently serves as a manager in the population health department at Rady Children’s Health, overseeing initiatives to expand access to preventative care, improve childhood and adolescent immunization adherence, advance quality improvement and address social drivers of health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked on drive-through testing operations and the Moderna Kid-COVE pediatric vaccine trial.

Her research focuses on strategies to improve pediatric vaccine confidence and adherence. Drawing on her experience in applied public health practice, health equity and implementation science, she aims to design interventions that reduce disparities and build trust in and utilization of pediatric immunizations. Outside of academics and work, she enjoys skiing, rock climbing and spending time outdoors.

Isaac Bouchard

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Eikey
  
• Email: ibouchard@ucsd.edu

Isaac grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. Prior to joining UC San Diego, he received his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Research from California State University, Northridge. During his master’s program, he served as a dissemination and implementation science intern at the UC San Diego Dissemination and Implementation Science Center. His research interests lie in the areas of dissemination and implementation science, digital health tools and community-based participatory research. Aside from research, Bouchard loves to rock climb, read fiction and hike.

Kera Swanson

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Borsika Rabin
  
• Email: k1swanson@ucsd.edu

Kera was born in Bakersfield, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University and her master of public health from the University of San Francisco. In 2024, she also received an Implementation Support Specialist Certification from The Center for Implementation. She has worked in the dissemination and implementation science field since 2015 and currently serves as program manager for the UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute’s Population Science and Community Engagement Unit and its Dissemination and Implementation Science Center. 

Her research interests include identifying and addressing barriers to improving health care quality and access, particularly in women’s health and advancing pragmatic, community-driven approaches to expand the reach of clinical and translational research. She is especially committed to disseminating research impact in ways that are meaningful and responsive to community needs. In her spare time, Kera enjoys being out in nature, gardening, playing “cozy” games with her friends and spending time with her Australian shepherd, Luna.

Thet Nwe Kyo Khin

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Sara McMenamin
  
• Email: tkhin@ucsd.edu

Thet was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017 and earned her bachelor’s degree in global disease biology from the University of California, Davis, and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy from the University of California, San Diego. She currently serves as a policy analyst at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, where she is involved in analyzing and evaluating tobacco-related policies, as well as state fertility preservation benefit mandates. Thet also serves as a task force member for the California Health Benefits Review Program. Her research interests include exploring the impacts of health benefit mandates as well as the implementation and dissemination of health policies. She hopes to advance equitable access to health care by tackling structural and systemic barriers.

Wenxin Chen

• Entry Term: 2025
• Advisor: Dr. Alexandra Heaney
  
• Email: wec027@ucsd.edu

Wenxin was born and raised in Chengdu, China. She received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Sichuan University and her master’s degree in public policy from UC San Diego. Before starting her doctoral program, she spent a year working as a research assistant with Alexandra Heaney, PhD, assistant professor, focusing on environmental health research. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, watercolor painting and exploring local coffee roasters.