September 16, 2025

We're pleased to announce the new awardees of the 2025-6 UHC Master’s, Doctoral, and Urban Epidemiology Fellows programs. The programs support incoming students conducting research focused on understanding and improving health in cities. Fellows participate in ongoing UHC research and training activities with faculty mentors from the UHC.

Doctoral Fellows

Aashna Lal

Aashna Lal is a doctoral student in the Department of Health Management & Policy. Her research interests lie at the intersection of health, housing, and social policy, with a specific interest in structural approaches to ending homelessness. Aashna completed her MPH from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, where she worked as a research assistant for the Initiative on Health and Homelessness, and her BSA in Biology and BA in Plan II Honors at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to earning her MPH, Aashna worked as a research assistant for The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in New York.

Lita Lillibridge

Serenity “Lita” Lillibridge, MPH, is a doctoral student in the Health Services Research and Policy program, advised by Dr. Alina Schnake-Mahl. She earned her MPH in Health Management and Policy, minoring in Maternal and Child Health at Drexel University. While pursuing her MPH, Lita completed internships with the Wyoming Department of Health under the Title V MCH Internship Program, the Association of Maternal and Child Health, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, supporting a variety of diverse projects that impact maternal and child health. Her research interests include maternal and child health inequities and the social and political determinants that shape healthcare access and population health.

Annaka Scheeres

Annaka Scheeres is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Under the mentorship of Dr. Josiah L. Kephart, she works on projects about how climate change affects the health of urban populations, specifically how heat affects the mental and physical health of youth living in cities. Before starting her doctoral program, Annaka worked at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health for almost a decade. Most recently, she worked as a research scientist in the Health Commissioner’s Office, where she led the department's vital statistics reporting and developed PhilaStats. She received an MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a Bloomberg American Health Fellow and a BS in Biology/BA in Environmental Studies (Geography concentration) from Calvin College.

Urban Epidemiology Fellows

Sahar Abuouf

Sahar Abuouf is a Sudanese Medical Doctor from Khartoum, who earned her MD from El-Razi University. She served as a physician at the National Ribat Teaching Hospital, where she gained hands-on experience treating patients in resource-limited settings, responding to infectious disease outbreaks such as cholera, dengue fever, and malaria, and collaborating with local health authorities to implement health education campaigns aimed at preventing and reducing the spread of endemic diseases. Motivated by the challenges she witnessed while working in and around hospitals during the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, she pursued public health training to address the structural and systemic factors impacting population health. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at Drexel University, with a minor in Infectious Disease and Population Health. At the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, she works in the Health Commissioner’s Office, studying and analyzing cancer mortality trends to inform preventive interventions and advance health equity in the city.

Madelyn McConaghy

Madelyn McConaghy is an MPH student concentrating in Community Health and Prevention with a graduate minor in Maternal and Child Health. Madelyn graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Biology and a minor in Spanish. As an undergraduate, she worked at the Holy Family Institute, fostering a safe and positive environment for unaccompanied minors who had arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border as they awaited reunification with family in the U.S. After graduation, she went on to serve two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Aspire! Afterschool Learning. Through this role, Madelyn is refining her skills in perinatal epidemiology and engaging with pregnant and parenting families in Philadelphia, with the goal of advancing health equity among children and families from critically underserved communities.

Idalys Suin

Idalys Suin recently graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Through the university’s 4+1 program, she is now a second-year Master of Public Health student in Epidemiology, on track to graduate in June 2026. Currently, she serves as an Urban Epidemiology Fellow at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of HIV Health. In this role, she contributes to the CDC’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project as an interviewer and data collector. Abby Xu Abby Xu is a Master of Science candidate in Epidemiology and a Joint Urban Epidemiology Fellow with the Urban Health Collaborative and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Her research focuses on smoking-attributable morbidity and mortality, as well as the association between e-cigarette use and mental health. She brings eight years of prior experience in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry and is passionate about chronic disease management and research. Ms. Xu holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Master’s Fellows

Naa Lomotey

Sara Whittemore

Sara Whittemore is an MPH student concentrating in Community Health and Prevention with an anticipated minor in substance use and misuse. Sara previously graduated from the University of Rochester with a BA in Health Policy. Prior to the Urban Health Collaborative, she worked in Rochester, NY at local community health organization, Trillium Health, as a Hepatitis C Patient Navigator and STI tester based out of the area’s only syringe service program. Now here and with the UHC, she hopes to continue promoting harm reduction and working with the community for the community.