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Current Trainees

Post-Docs

Colette J. Brown, PhD earned her doctorate in Psychological Science from UC Irvine and her BA in Studio Art from CSU Long Beach. Her research broadly focuses on social and behavioral determinants of health and well-being among older adults. Her dissertation investigated how close social relationships can help or harm functional and cognitive health in later life. Additionally, her work has examined the role of active aging (e.g., daily movement, social activities, arts engagement) on cognitive performance. Colette is trained in a variety of methodologies, including behavioral interventions, experience sampling, and qualitative and quantitative analyses. During her postdoctoral fellowship, she is interested in examining social influences on cardiovascular aging, as well as supporting community-based interventions designed to reduce cardiovascular disease risk and improve care for older adults.

 

Esmeralda Castro, PhD, MS, ACSM-EP is a double graduate (BS/MS) in Kinesiology – Exercise Science from CSU Long Beach. After working as an exercise physiologist at Hoag Memorial Presbyterian Hospital’s cardiac rehab facility, she chose to pursue a PhD in Prevention Science from the University of Oregon to compliment her background and skills learned while at Long Beach. Esmeralda wanted to further understand how diseases she was seeing among her cardiac rehab patients (e.g., coronary artery disease) could be prevented or delayed. Her research has focused on chronic disease prevention and management, largely through physical activity promotion. She plans to expand on this work and investigate mechanisms for sustaining positive healthy behaviors. For the past few years, she has enjoyed providing service to several professional organizations she is a part of, such as the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Public Health Association. Outside of academia, you can find Esmeralda spending time with family, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, supporting women’s sports, or finding some way to be active, mostly at the gym or playing soccer.

 

Alice Y. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., M.S. received her BS in Microbiology from UCSD and MPH from SDSU in Epidemiology.  She also received her MS in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University.  As an undergrad at UCSD, she delved into hypertension research, kick-starting a journey that would shape her career. Working as a lab assistant in a hypertension genomic lab, she recruited patients at the hypertension clinic and skillfully extracted DNA from their mouth buccal cells, laying the groundwork for her interest in cardiovascular research.  Alice received her medical degree at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and completed her Emergency Medicine (EM) Residency at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.  She was an Assistant Professor in EM at NEOCOM for a few years and was designated the Sepsis Champion for the Cleveland Clinic Akron General EM department where she spearheaded several leadership and hospital QI projects related to sepsis.  She became particularly intrigued by the interplay between sepsis and cardiovascular disease, recognizing the common thread of endothelial cell dysfunction in both pathologies.  Alice’s research and career goal is to identify a more accurate diagnostic tool for sepsis, with a focus on microcirculation.  Beyond her professional pursuits, Alice finds solace and joy in running, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.  Additionally, Alice finds tranquility in playing the piano, indulging in melodies that soothe the soul.

Hannah Martha Twiddy, PhD’s research centers on healthy aging and the importance of living well throughout life. Originally from a small town in Northeast North Carolina, she is an avid traveler and sailor, emphasizing intergenerational activities and cultural learning. Hannah earned her undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, followed by her master’s and doctoral degrees in Applied Kinesiology and Global Health from Old Dominion University. She completed her first postdoctoral placement as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Her research includes cardiometabolic and physical activity-based studies, providing insights into generational health. While in Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula—a "Blue Zone"—she initiated an interview-based series on healthy aging that now includes older adults from the U.S. and Australia. This work fosters a multidisciplinary, multicultural perspective on aging. During her UCSD postdoctoral fellowship, Hannah aims to expand this research to enhance understanding of the “Perspectives of Healthy Aging” in different cultural contexts and to disseminate this information through mediums that engage all ages. In addition to her research, Hannah founded and directs Cape Charles Community Sailing, an intergenerational summer sailing school on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Pre-Docs

Jacob Carson, MPH earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Health (2018) and a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior (2020) from the University of California, San Diego. During his graduate training and through the COVID-19 pandemic Jacob has worked for local health departments to assist with health promotion programming and disease prevention. Through his work with the County of San Diego, Jacob coauthored a Complete Streets Toolkit focused on Older Adults and works to promote healthy transportation options for older adults through engagement with community partners. Jacob began the SDSU/UCSD joint doctoral program in Public Health – Health Behavior in 2022 and joined the T32 Integrated Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Predoctoral Fellowship in 2024. Jacob’s primary research interests are in the role of the built environment in health equity across the domains of physical activity, social engagement, and community health. Additionally, he is interested in the policy and community-driven solutions to obesogenic environments.

Heidy Mendez-Rodriguez, BA earned her Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Biology (2017) from Brown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the City University of New York (2022). Since graduating in 2017, she has been closely involved in behavioral and chronic disease management research in populations with reproductive cancers and populations with diabetes, including serving a supporting role on NIH-funded studies such as the Function and Emotion in Everyday Life With Type 1 Diabetes study. Heidy began the T32 Integrated Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Predoctoral Fellowship in 2022 when she also began the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Heidy’s primary research interests are exploring 1) psychosocial, environmental, and biological mechanisms behind health behaviors for promoting healthy lifestyles, 2) how integrated models of care can reduce health disparities, and 3) how technology-based interventions and community-partnered interventions can improve chronic disease management, like CVD, and patient-provider communications.