Student Advisory Committee
About
The Cornell Public Health Student Advisory Committee (SAC) provides input and advice to the Public Health Program to ensure that students’ perspectives are represented, and that the Program is responsive to them and changing workforce needs in achieving the Program’s mission and vision. Members of the SAC act as ambassadors for the Program; review Program progress and developments; provide input and recommendations for Program growth and improvement; and contribute to Program governance related to the MPH curriculum, admissions processes, and/or policy changes. If you have ideas that you want to share, reach out to an SAC member!
Committee Members
Daniel Addo
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
About Daniel
- Born and raised in Kumasi, Ghana
- Degree: Doctor of Pharmacy
- Public Health Interests: HIV, tuberculosis, and vaccine initiatives. I’m passionate about driving impactful healthcare solutions in underserved communities.
Email Daniel
Jordan Deskins
Food Systems & Health
About Jordan
- Raised in Cardington, Ohio
- Degree: BA in International Studies and Spanish from Case Western Reserve University
- Public Health Interests: Agroecology, public health nutrition, food security, and rural livelihoods
Email Jordan
Anya Gowda
Environment, Climate & Health
About Anya
- Grew up in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
- Degree: Undergrad major in Biology and minors in Public Health and Spanish at Rutgers University
- Public Health Interests: climate resilience, soil health, and gender violence prevention
Email Anya
Meghana (Megan) Guturi
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
About Meghana
- International student from India
- Degree: Dentist by training
- General Interests: I’m always down to watch a movie, illustrate, dive into design, or talk all things oral health
- Public Health Interests: I’m passionate about making public health actually work for people when it comes to health equity, infectious diseases, and communities often left out of the conversation. I care deeply about science communication, culturally responsive interventions, and reimagining what public health can look like when it’s people-first.
Email Meghana
Anika Jessup
Food Systems & Health
About Anika
- Born and raised in San Diego, CA
- Degree: Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Food Studies from Middlebury College
- General interests: Reading, baking, hosting dinner parties, & gardening
- Public Health Interests: Pastoral-based agriculture, community-centered interventions, and public health education and communication
Email Anika
Heather Khamis
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
About Heather
- From Birmingham, AL
- Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in writing from Birmingham-Southern College
- General interests: Reading, baking, and painting
- Public Health Interests: I am particularly interested in vector-borne diseases and disease prevention
Email Heather
Ruye (Leo) Liu
Food Systems & Health
About Ruye
- Born and raised in Beijing China
- Degree: Bachelor of Environmental Science and Master of Plant Science in Ames, Iowa
- General Interests: Basketball, workouts, road trips, and the outdoors in general. Also enjoy video games and movies.
- Public Health Interests: Ways to improve health via changes in eating habits, physical activities, mindsets, etc..
Email Ruye
Sophia Mena
Food Systems & Health
About Sophia
- Grew up in Belize, Central America
- Degree: Bachelor’s in Food Studies with a minor in Business from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA
- General Interests: Baking, reading, and watching sports and movies
- Public Health Interests: Food systems and community health—particularly in the areas of child and maternal nutrition and food security
Email Sophia
Jordan Owens-Hall
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
About Jordan
- Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY
- Degree: B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University
- General interests: Gardening, hiking, dragon-boating, videogames, and petting every dog I can
- Public Health Interests: I work in the Animal Health Diagnostic Lab, and I have a strong interest in zoonotic disease and the intersection of animal/human health
Email Jordan
Anthony Penna
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
About Anthony
- Grew up in New Jersey
- Degree: BS in Microbiology from Rutgers University
- General interests: Spending time outdoors, reading, thrifting, playing video games, and wearing hats
- Public Health Interests: Parasites and neglected tropical diseases, climate change and disease trends post industrialization, disease forecasting, and pandemic prevention.
Email Anthony
Ruma Poudell
Emergency Preparedness & Management
About Ruma
- Degree: Cognitive Sciences from UC Davis
- General Interests: I create pieces of paintings, poetry, jewelry, and crochet to deliver authentic expression
- Public Health Interests: Criminal justice and advocacy including patient rights/carceral health, preparedness and management of health risks, cultural humility frameworks in medicine, and de-stigmatization of mental health for rehabilitation and reintegration