Our Students | Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology | Teachers College, Columbia University

A Graduate School of Education, Health & Psychology

Meet Our Doctoral Students

Lexi Ayala (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Nursing Education (Distance Learning)

Lexi is an EdD candidate in the TC Online Nursing Education program. Her research interests include nursing professional identity and academic nurse educator competencies.

Lexi's professional experience includes pediatric nursing, nursing leadership, and nursing professional development. She is passionate about closing the gaps between nursing practice, education, and research.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Isaac Ayereka (He/Him/His)

Ed.D. Student, Health Education

Isaac is an Ed. D. candidate in the Health Promotion and Education program. His current research focuses on using the health belief model and the social-ecological model as framework to explore the health behavior of African-born immigrant mothers in WA State toward the utilization of cervical cancer prevention services. He is the Co-Chair of the Student Committee of the American Public Health Association. A Research Affiliate at the Center for Health Policy, Columbia University. He is a Research Assistant at the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food and a Graduate Assistant at the Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services. He is a Trainee Associate Member at the Cancer Research Training & Education Coordination Core of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also a team member of an Electronic Adolescent Reminders for Completion of HPV Vaccination - Uganda: Randomized Controlled Trial. He is in a mentorship program with the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Kasey Boeger

Ed.D. Student, Health Education

Kasey is a Graduate Assistant at the Rita Gold Child Development Center and she specializes in early childhood education at the infant and toddler level. She began her career as an early childhood educator after completion of her bachelor’s degree in 2010, and was trained in Infant/Toddler Montessori curriculum at Hope Montessori Educational Institute in 2019. Prior to her work in early childhood, Kasey worked as a health educator and coach in the field of special recreation. Kasey's research at Teachers College focuses on the health and well-being of early childhood educators and aims to provide more insight into classroom workflow efficiency, professional development, and the mental wellness of early childhood educators.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Adriana Carrieri

Ph.D. Student, Behavioral Nutrition

Adriana is a Ph.D. candidate in the Behavioral Nutrition program. Her current research focuses on exploring how young adults with celiac disease transition from high school to college, and the impact of this transition in their quality of life and gluten-free diet adherence. Adriana received a research award from The Celiac Disease Foundation for her dissertation. During her journey at Teachers College, Adriana served as a research assistant to Dr. Randi Wolf helping in the development of a curriculum for a large NIH grant aiming to test the impact of new gluten detection technologies in intestinal healing among individuals with celiac disease. She also served as a course assistant for two semesters in the Nutrition Epidemiology course, and for one semester in the course Analysis of Current Literature in Nutrition. Among her research interests are strategies for effective dietary behavior changes among individuals with chronic diseases, including the use of technologies.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Cecilia Chen

Ph.D. Student, Behavioral Nutrition

Cecilia Chen is a Ph.D. candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Registered Dietitian (RD) specializing in gastrointestinal health and disordered eating. Her current research, in collaboration with the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, focuses on assessing personality factors in celiac disease management among adolescents. Cecilia explores the intersection of nutrition and mental health and aims to translate scientific research into practical applications for promoting healthy lifestyles. She also explores the potential integration of artificial intelligence in the field of nutrition.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Srimayee Dam (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Health Education

Srimayee serves as a Peer Health Educator at Columbia Health, acquiring a New York State-Department of Health certification. She has also been accepted as a Peer Reviewer for the Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal (a graduate-led initiative based out of the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge). Her past affiliations include the SMILE Lab at Teachers College; UB Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention; and Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab, Wellesley College. Srimayee's primary focus entails understanding of youth bullying behaviors and bystander intervention programs in NYC public schools. She recently co-authored a book chapter on "Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying" with Nova Science Publishers (Nova Medicine and Health), and her second publication with MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) is currently under review.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology Student-Parent

Sotos Djiovanis

Ed.D. Student, Nursing Education (Distance Learning)

Sotos G. Djiovanis is a doctoral candidate in Nursing Education at TC. He has been a trauma, orthopedics, and community health nurse in Central Florida since 2015. He is full-time faculty at the University of Central Florida, where he helped to inaugurate Dedicated Education Unit clinicals. Sotos is faculty sponsor of the university's Hispanic Nursing Student Organization, Unidos. He also co-leads an annual intercultural study abroad to Chiapas, Mexico, where he and his students provide public service clinics for women, children, and Indigenous people. Research areas include nursing education, communication, and simulation.

Prior to becoming a nurse educator, Sotos spent 19 years in the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra as a professional oboe and English horn player. He also has performed in state and national orchestras in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Now, Sotos continues to play professionally on a part-time basis as English hornist in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Elizabeth Eilender

Ph.D. Student, Behavioral Nutrition

Elizabeth is a PhD Candidate in the Behavioral Nutrition Program, Department of Health Studies and Educational Psychology. Her research interests include intergenerational trauma and eating behavior, trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, autoethnography, and qualitative research. She is a registered dietitian (since 2003) with more than fifteen years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor at various institutions including Hunter College’s School of Urban Public Health (undergraduate program in nutrition and food studies), American University (graduate program in health studies), Montclair State University (undergraduate program in health and nutrition sciences), and Saint Peter’s University (undergraduate and accelerated program in nursing). Currently providing individualized nutrition counseling services for a private telehealth practice based in New Jersey.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Ya Gao (She/Her/Hers)

Ph.D. Student, Behavioral Nutrition

Ya Gao is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a focus on how to promote diet adherence and quality of life for individuals with gastrointestinal disorders. Her current research explores the relationship between gluten-free diet adherence and quality of life in pregnant women with celiac disease. Ya also serves as a research assistant to Dr. Randi Wolf on the NIH-funded GLUTECH trial, in collaboration with the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, which investigates remote dietitian follow-up, with and without novel gluten detection technology, to improve clinical management of celiac disease. With a background in food science, she is also interested in advancing food standards through research and development, particularly for individuals with specialized dietary needs.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Daeshawn Hall

Ph.D. Student, Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing

I am a PhD candidate specializing in Deaf and Hard of Hearing education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Special Education Assistant Principal in NYC. I bring extensive experience as a classroom teacher, itinerant Deaf and Hard of Hearing related service provider, and unit coordinator. My research focuses on teacher professional learning, preservice mentoring, and leadership in special education. I have mentored both preservice, in-service teachers and interns.

Through my doctoral studies, I have strengthened my ability to think critically and conduct inquiry-based professional learning, emphasizing research-driven decision-making. My work in the program has deepened my understanding of how to coach teachers to embrace a teacher-as-researcher approach, making them more assessment-driven to support student growth. I aim to create inclusive, data-informed learning environments that meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Ara Nazmiyal

Ph.D. Student, School Psychology

Dissertation Advisor: Benjamin Lovett

I am a doctoral candidate in School Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a primary research focus on neurodevelopmental disorders. My dissertation investigates the diagnostic implications of incorporating emotion dysregulation into Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) DSM criteria. I have extensive experience conducting neuropsychological assessments across diverse clinical, educational, and research settings, including Growing Minds Psychology and Mount Sinai. For my internship year, I will be at Weill Cornell’s neurosurgery center, where I will further develop expertise in neuropsychological assessment within a medical setting.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

Courtney Parent (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Health Education

While obtaining her EdD in Health Promotion and Education at TC, Courtney is working as an Administrative Associate to Dr. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, a Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. Sonali Rajan, and a Research Assistant at the University of Michigan. Her dissertation research focuses on the health and well-being of farmers in Maine, a topic driven by her lived experiences growing up on her family's potato farm in northern Maine. As she continues to learn from and be mentored by researchers who influence policy, Courtney hopes to use such training to improve the health of farmers and their families.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Juliya Pattammady

Ph.D. Student, Special Education: Intellectual Disability/Autism

My research interests focus on special education, early childhood development, and family/caregiver experiences particularly for families with a young child with autism. My dissertation project is a multi-methods study focused on examining the effects of a randomized control trial of a group-based psychoeducation intervention for parents of preschool-aged children with autism and developmental delays (Incredible Years for Children with Autism and Language Delays); specifically to understand how parents learn and use taught strategies throughout the intervention. Before pursuing my doctorate, I worked as a first-grade special education teacher and kindergarten teacher, experiences that have significantly shaped my research approach.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Emily Romero (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Health Education

Dissertation Advisor: John P Allegrante

Since 2020, Emily K. Romero has served as a data analyst at ICAP at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health while concurrently pursuing her EdD in Health Education. In this role, she has supported more than six nationally representative, population-based surveys across sub-Saharan Africa, designed to evaluate the impact of PEPFAR-supported HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs. Beyond her core responsibilities, Emily has led in-country capacity-building and data analysis workshops throughout the region. Her research interests center on behavioral cardiovascular health, with a particular focus on the influence of nutrition and physical activity. She is especially interested in exploring how predisposing factors—such as language and obesity—affect health outcomes across diverse populations. She brings expertise in data management, statistical analysis, cardiovascular behavioral health research, and global health research.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Janet Schwenk

Ed.D. Student, Nursing Education (Distance Learning)

I am a Registered Nurse with thirty years of experience in Medical-Surgical and Mental Health Nursing. I am board certified in mental health nursing and have worked as a mental health nurse for the past twenty years. I received my Master of Science in Nursing as a Nurse Educator from Chamberlain University and currently I am a doctoral candidate at Teacher's College, Columbia University. In addition, I am a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) from The National League for Nursing's Academic Nurse Educator Certification Program. My current research interests focus on using standardized patients in simulation to enhance nursing student's therapeutic communication skills, particularly in the context of telehealth and remote patient care. I am passionate about advancing nursing education and improving patient outcomes through innovative teaching methods and technology.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new online profiles for Doctoral Students at Teachers College.

If you are a currently enrolled doctoral student at Teachers College, please visit the profile submission page for more information on how you can create your own profile.