Student Profiles
Upal Basu Roy
Upal Kunal Basu Roy received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Mumbai, India, and was also awarded an M.S. in Microbiology there. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona, Tucson. His work at Arizona focused on figuring out the regulation and functions of caveolin-1, a protein that is thought to play a role in the development of colon cancer. Upal says “I am extremely interested in cancer epidemiology in developing countries. Studying the cause of the disease would enable us to design better education-based prevention strategies. I chose the Global MPH program at NYU because of its flexibility and multi-disciplinary approach to the field of global health. My ultimate career goal is to apply my lab skills and knowledge in areas such as strategic planning and epidemiologic assessment of cultural and geographical variations and their impact on cancer development. It’s about time we thought outside the “infectious disease box”, and started to understand the impact of chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, at a global level. A good starting point for chronic disease intervention is to have effective health policies that have population-based impacts. That’s why I decided to join the concentration in Health Policy and Management as part of the Global MPH program.”
Mary Louise Cohen
is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Harvard Law School. After spending her early legal career working for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, in 1988, she moved back into the private sector and became one of the first lawyers in the country to represent whistleblowers under the False Claims Act Amendments of 1986. The False Claims Act encourages individuals who know of fraud against the Government to file suit to recover money for the United States. A successful plaintiff is guaranteed a share of the recovery. Mary's firm's False Claims Act practice has been very successful, and so far has returned more than $3 billion to the government. Their cases stopped clinical laboratories from misleading doctors into ordering billions of dollars of unnecessary medical tests, and have forced the recall of faulty diagnostic tests and products. Mary has had the privilege of representing doctors who saw the False Claims Act as a means to ensure that patients were treated properly, and that residents received appropriate and adequate training. Mary says "My interest in global health stems from work I have been doing as president of a small charitable fund that focuses on health and education programs in Africa. This has included providing support for pediatric cancer and surgical patients, and funding group homes and grassroots programs caring for AIDs orphans. We have just launched a new foundation in partnership with Benin singer Angelique Kidjo to expand secondary education for girls in Africa. Our fund is also collaborating with emergency doctors at George Washington University Medical Center to as they develop a long-term project to establish an emergency medical program in Ethiopia." Mary will be commuting between New York and Washington, where my husband Bruce Cohen is Chief Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Lalitha Ramanathapuram
received her B.S. in Physiology from the University of Calcutta, India, and also completed an M.S. in Physiology there. She earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Her work focused on using a non-toxic Vitamin E analogue, Vitamin E succinate in combination with dendritic cells as a chemo-immunotherapeutic treatment modality for cancer. Lalitha says "I am interested in the prevention and control of infectious diseases from an immunological perspective. A study of disease prevention and human migration will enable me to reach out professionally to address and see an impact among communities at large. The MPH degree program in Global Health at New York University will equip me with skills to combine my research background with understanding factors that are involved in the spread of disease and what strategies are needed to prevent or contain it. Ultimately I want to work with organizations involved in disease intervention projects at a global level."
Hanna Tessema
Hanna's education has been largely focused on social policy and evaluation within communities and social systems. While studying in the Global MPH program, she also works as the Associate Manager of the HIV & Older Adults initiative at the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, where she trains social service providers on issues pertaining to HIV prevention, care, treatment and stigma in older adult populations. The trainings take place in all five boroughs of New York City and are scheduled to go national in late 2008. Hanna spent her first year in New York City working as the Coordinator of Health Education and Outreach at a Community Based Organization in the Bronx called The Bronx Health Link, Inc., working with women of childbearing age on maternal and child health issues and infant mortality reduction. Hanna is interested in health and policy issues relating to HIV/AIDS globally, and she has undertaken qualitative research in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa - where the HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are among the highest in the world. Her research there addressed some of the social determinants of HIV transmission and the role of traditional healers in KwaZulu Natal. Hanna says "I would like to see the HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Sub-Saharan Africa drastically decrease within the next ten years -- hopefully with the success of microbicides, special compounds that help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections when applied topically.” Hanna also works with TruthAIDS, an NGO that coordinates primary HIV prevention projects geared toward youth.