PhD Students

Nqobile Nzama is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Louisville in the Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences department. She works as a graduate research assistant in the SEAL study. Nqobile's research focuses on HIV, digital health, harm-reduction, alcohol, and substance use. 

 Juma Mwenda is a PhD student in Social Work at the University of Louisville in the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. He is a research team member on a National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) funded study entitled, Alcohol Misuse, Gut Microbial Dysbiosis and PrEP Care Continuum: Application and Efficacy of SBIRT Intervention (R01 AA030485). Drawing on years of professional experience in HIV care and public health programming in Tanzania, his research examines how stigma and structural inequality shape access to and retention in HIV prevention and treatment services. Juma’s work is guided by a commitment to developing culturally grounded, community-driven interventions that address both structural and relational barriers to care.

Sadaf Sedaghatshoar is a doctoral student in Social Work with a background in Clinical Psychology and an interest in qualitative research methodology. Her research focuses on HIV care, oncofertility, reproductive health, and mental health, with particular attention to the reproductive and psychosocial experiences of individuals affected by cancer. She is working toward developing a research agenda grounded in health equity and person-centered care.

Eliana Lopez-Baron is a PhD student in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisville, where she also works as a graduate research assistant in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. She is currently a Fulbright scholar, and her work is dedicated to the promotion of collaborative studies and interventions with the objective of enhancing health outcomes among underserved populations. Passionate about global health, pediatric cancer, and implementation science, her research interests are in improving the outcomes for children with acute critical illness from low-resource settings and using implementation science to develop strategies that reduce disparities in access high-quality care.

Eliana received her medical degree in Colombia, after which she completed a clinical residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric critical care. She has dedicated part of her clinical, academic, and research career to pediatric critical oncology and assessing disparities in clinical outcomes among children with low resources. She has led and participated in different research projects related to global health, pediatric oncology, and research limitations in low-resource countries.

Ikwubiela Akede is a PhD student in the Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences program in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences. Her research focuses on HIV care, behavioral health, and practices that promote justice-oriented public health outcomes.