In 2022, Heller launched a competitive research fellowship for Brandeis undergraduates, who work with mentors in the school’s nine social policy research centers and institutes. The program, which has already grown to six fellows, reinforces ongoing efforts to increase undergraduate students’ exposure to social policy research.
“Having undergraduate fellows is a great addition to our research at Heller,” says Associate Dean for Research Cindy Parks Thomas, PhD'00. “In addition to mentoring a next generation of researchers, we benefit from their varied experiences, perspectives, and enthusiasm.”
Each fellow works closely with a mentor, assisting them on social policy research projects. This year’s cohort are all contributing to projects at the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research, focusing on a variety of policy issues in global health, behavioral health, and health systems research.
Meet this year’s fellows:
Amanda Lanciault
Amanda is a senior majoring in Health: Science, Society, Policy and minoring in Legal Studies and Social Justice and Social Policy. After graduation, she hopes to earn a master’s in public health and pursue a career in health policy. Amanda says she is thrilled to join the Heller team and engage in hands-on research experience during her undergraduate career. Amanda’s Heller fellowship mentor is Scientist Cynthia Tschampl, PhD’15 in the Institute for Healthcare Systems.
Maya Subramanian
Maya is a sophomore studying Health, Science, Society, and Policy and International and Global Studies, with a central focus at the intersection of these majors - global health. She is invested in studying the interconnected nature of the field of public health, fundamentally working to alleviate factors that cause disparity and inequity. Maya says she is especially looking forward to growing her research skills and experience through the Heller Fellows program, working in such a robust academic environment. Maya’s Heller fellowship mentor is Professor and Institute Director A.K. Nandakumar at the Institute for Global Health and Development.
Nina Kumar
Nina is a senior double majoring in Health: Science, Society, and Policy and Anthropology, with a minor in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies. She spent her early childhood in Zambia and went to middle and high school in her hometown of Chennai, India, where her interest in global health began. She is a part-time research assistant at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social stigma on adherence to antiretroviral therapy among women in Tanzania. Nina says she looks forward to learning more about migration in health and immigration-related health policies across the U.S. Her Heller fellowship mentors are Associate Professor Diana Bowser and PhD candidate Priya Agarwal-Harding.
Victoria Lesser
Victoria is a third-year undergraduate student from Massachusetts double majoring in Health: Science, Society, and Policy, and Biology. Outside the classroom, she is an EMT on the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCO), works as a teaching assistant in the biology department, and teaches English classes through the Waltham Group. She developed an interest in behavioral health research after taking a course on the sociology of mental health and illness. Her Heller fellowship mentor is Professor Joanne Nicholson in the Institute for Behavioral Health.
Deb Haimowitz
Deb is a senior from New York, studying Health: Science, Society, and Policy with a focus on reproductive policy and healthcare administration. On campus, she is a student administrator and tutor for the English Language Program, which assists international students on their academic writing and communication. Before attending Brandeis, was a research assistant at the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University. Her Heller fellowship mentor is Senior Scientist and Institute Director Jennifer Perloff at the Institute on Healthcare Systems.
Natalie Omori-Hoffe
Originally from New York City, Natalie is a Japanese-American student from Singapore and a second-year student double majoring in Health: Science, Society and Policy and Psychology. She is also double minoring in Philosophy and Film, Television and Interactive Media. Her campus activities include Company B a cappella, Carceral Awareness Reform and Education, the Japanese Student Association, the Photography Club and the Sound and Image Media Studios. Off campus, she is the founder and executive director of Voices Meet Minds, a mental health organization. Her Heller fellowship mentors are Professor Cindy Parks Thomas and Professor Dominic Hodgkin at the Institute for Behavioral Health.