BU-CHART Trainees
Daniel Bryant, PhD
Daniel Bryant, PhD earned his PhD from Middle Tennessee State University where he studied the effects of a novel small molecule on the immune response of macrophages, as well as characterizing their fluorescent properties and potential use as fluorophores. He also collaborated heavily with projects examining the ability for botanical polysaccharides to elicit an immune response from macrophages.
Dan received the College of Basic and Applied Science’s Distinguished Doctoral Research Award in 2023.
As a BU-CHART fellow, Dan will be assisting on a project examining the intersection of DNA-damage repair mechanisms and HIV integration. He is also collaborating on a project examining long terminal repeats of HIV-1 isolates from various clades and their association with differences in viral replication and pathogenesis.
Mentors
Andrew Henderson, PhD – Professor Medicine and Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Suryaram Gummuluru, PhD –Professor and Vice Chair of Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Manish Sagar, MD –Professor Medicine and Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Selected Publications
Bryant DL, Kafle A, Handy ST, Farone AL, Miller JM. Aurone-derived 1,2,3-triazoles as potential fluorescence molecules in vitro. RSC Adv. 2022 Aug 12;12(35):22639-22649. doi: 10.1039/d2ra02578g. PMID: 36105995; PMCID: PMC9372874.
Anderson B, Bryant DL, Gozem S, Brambley C, Handy ST, Farone A, Miller JM. Solvent-Dependent Emissions Properties of a Model Aurone Enable Use in Biological Applications. J Fluoresc. 2024 Feb 27. doi: 10.1007/s10895-024-03607-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38411859.
Ghosh R, Bryant DL, Arivett BA, Smith SA, Altman E, Kline PC, Farone AL. An acidic polysaccharide (AGC3) isolated from North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) suspension culture as a potential immunomodulatory nutraceutical. Curr Res Food Sci. 2020 Aug 5;3:207-216. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2020.07.002. PMID: 32914137; PMCID: PMC7473373.
*Ghosh R, *Bryant DL, Farone AL. Panax quinquefolius (North American Ginseng) Polysaccharides as Immunomodulators: Current Research Status and Future Directions. Molecules. 2020 Dec 11;25(24):5854. doi: 10.3390/molecules25245854. PMID: 33322293; PMCID: PMC7763949.
*Indicates equal contributions
Christopher Chiu, PhD, MA
Christopher Chiu, PhD, MA received his PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester. He was a predoctoral and postdoctoral fellow in the Behavioral Medicine program at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
During his graduate training, Chris was selected and awarded a competitive 4-year fellowship through the Health Policy Research Scholars program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and received specialized training on translating research into health policy to promote health equity. Prior to joining the BU-CHART program, Chris also served as a project director on two clinical trials that aim to address the psychobehavioral needs of communities with HIV who are suboptimally engaged in care and who have challenges with substance use (R34 and R01, PI: Abby Batchelder). These experiences have shaped Chris’ research interest and goals in addressing social determinants of health that drive health disparities among LGBTQIA+ communities of color.
As a BU-CHART Trainee and Research Fellow, he will continue working within the Behavioral Health Equity program under the research mentorship of Drs. Abigail Batchelder, Allen Gifford, and Carl Streed. During his fellowship, he plans to conduct research that informs the development of status-neutral psychobehavioral interventions that address the mental health and subsistence needs of sexual minority men of color with and vulnerable to HIV.
Mentors
Abigail Batchelder, PhD, MPH – Director of the Behavioral Health Equity Program and Associate Vice Chair of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Allen Gifford, MD – Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Carl Streed, MD, MPH – Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Selected Publications
Chiu C, Gnall K, Kaiser AP, Taft CT, Franz MR, Lee LO, Vasterling JJ. Neurocognitive Performance Predicts Future Partner Violence Among U.S. Iraq-and Afghanistan-deployed Army Soldiers and Veterans. Psychol Violence. 2022 May;12(3):160-169. doi: 10.1037/vio0000408. Epub 2022 Feb 14. PMID: 38463935; PMCID: PMC10923519.
Pantalone DW, Nelson KM, Batchelder AW, Chiu C, Gunn HA, Horvath KJ. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Combination Behavioral Interventions Co-Targeting Psychosocial Syndemics and HIV-Related Health Behaviors for Sexual Minority Men. J Sex Res. 2020 Jul;57(6):681-708. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2020.1728514. Epub 2020 Feb 20. PMID: 32077326; PMCID: PMC7457381.
DeGutis J, Chiu C, Thai M, Esterman M, Milberg W, McGlinchey R. Trauma Sequelae are Uniquely Associated with Components of Self-Reported Sleep Dysfunction in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. Behav Sleep Med. 2018 Jan-Feb;16(1):38-63. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2016.1173550. Epub 2016 May 16. PMID: 27183394.
Déjà Clement, MS, MPH, PhD
Déjà Clement, PhD, MPH, MS received her PhD in Clinical Psychology, MPH with a specialty in Rural and Underserved Communities, and MS in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology from Oklahoma State University. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from West Virginia University, where she was also a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. She recently completed her clinical psychology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the Behavioral Medicine program.
Déjà has received several competitively funded research fellowships, including the Fostering Diversity in HIV Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Brigham Research in Infectious Diseases and Global Engagement Fellowship (BRIDGE) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Recently, Déjà was selected to be a research fellow in the Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars (REIDS) within the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University’s School of Public Health.
Grounded in intersectionality theory and Black Feminist thought, Déjà’s research program aims to combine psychological, public health, and community-informed perspectives to understand and intervene on psychosocial and contextual stressors, including systemic oppression, intersectional minority stress, and experiences of discrimination as they influence health outcomes (i.e., suicide, substance use, and HIV) and health behaviors for minoritized populations (i.e., Black women, women of color). Her current work focuses on developing and implementing adapted psycho-behavioral interventions to improve HIV treatment engagement in individuals at risk or with HIV and who use substances among Black women.
As a BU-CHART Trainee and Research Fellow, she will be working within the Behavioral Health Equity Program under the research mentorship of Dr. Abigail Batchelder, Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, and Dr. Alex Walley. She plans to conduct a study that understands and intervenes on the unique needs of Black women who use opioids and who have HIV/ are at-risk for HIV through the development of a multi-level, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed psycho-behavioral intervention.
Outside of work, Déjà enjoys cooking/eating food, running, and spending time with her dog! Follow Déjà on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) for updates on her work!
Mentors
Abigail Batchelder, PhD, MPH – Director of the Behavioral Health Equity Program and Associate Vice Chair of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Sabrina Assoumou, MD, MPH – Inaugural Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Alexander Walley, MD, MSc –Professor of Medicine and Director of Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Selected Publications
Clement DN, Appleseth HS, Armstrong C, Cole AB, Wingate LR, Leffingwell T. (2023). Minoritized Graduate Student Identity, Wellbeing, and Suicide Risk. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000555.
Clement DN, Oliphant V, Awad S, Wingate LR. Race-Based Rejection Sensitivity and the Integrated Motivational Volitional Model of Suicide in a Sample of Black Women. Clinical Psychological Science. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026221147265
Oliphant V, Broyles D, Clement DN, Wingate L. Mental Health Strategies Informed by Black Feminist Thought. Open Cultural Studies, 6(1), 137-146. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2022-0151
Wiglesworth A, Clement DN, Wingate LR, Klimes-Dougan B. Understanding suicide risk for youth who are both Black and Native American: The role of intersectionality and multiple marginalization. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2022 Aug;52(4):668-682. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12851. Epub 2022 Mar 8. PMID: 35258124.
Katherine Reifler, MD
Katherine Reifler, MD received her medical degree from University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Harvard University. During medical school she worked abroad in Kenya on emergency care systems and screening for HIV in the emergency care setting. Prior to medical school, she worked on public health projects in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. These experiences, as well as her experience working at safety-net hospitals in Chicago and Boston, sparked her interest in tropical infectious disease, migrant health, and global and domestic inequities in access to care.
She completed internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at Boston University/Boston Medical Center. While completing her residency and fellowship training, she began working on research related to Chagas disease in migrants and educational efforts to promote awareness of Chagas disease amongst clinicians. The pandemic put the Chagas research on hold; meanwhile she contributed to COVID-19 research. She is now returning to migrant health and tropical infectious disease.
As a BU-CHART Trainee and Research Fellow, she will continue working on Chagas disease research domestically in Boston under the mentorship of Dr. David Hamer and Dr. Daniel Bourque, as well as in Bolivia under the research mentorship of Dr. Robert Gilman and Dr. Deborah Cotton. In Bolivia, she plans to conduct a study that compares features of cardiomyopathy in patients with T. cruzi and HIV coinfection compared to mono-infection. She is also involved in a collaborative effort with members of the department of Hematology/Oncology to examine infectious screening (with a focus on latent tuberculosis and strongyloidiasis) in high-risk patients prior to cancer treatment.
Mentors
David Hamer, MD— Professor of Global Health and Medicine, Boston University School of Public Health and Chobanian & Avesidian School of Medicine
Daniel Bourque, MD— Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avesidian School of Medicine
Robert Gilman, MD—Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Deborah Cotton, MD, MPH—Professor of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avesidian School of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health
Selected Publications
Reifler K, Kytomaa S, Miller N, Bourque D. “Plasmodium species reactivation in the setting of COVID-19 infection.” Ann of Intern Med Case Reports. 2023 May 2; 2(5). DOI: 10.7326/aimcc.2022.1034.
Sinha P, Reifler K, Rossi M, Sagar M. Coronavirus Disease 2019 Mitigation Strategies Were Associated With Decreases in Other Respiratory Virus Infections. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 20;8(6):ofab105. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab105. PMID: 34514014; PMCID: PMC8083776.
Sagar M, Reifler K, Rossi M, Miller NS, Sinha P, White LF, Mizgerd JP. Recent endemic coronavirus infection is associated with less-severe COVID-19. J Clin Invest. 2021 Jan 4;131(1):e143380. doi: 10.1172/JCI143380. PMID: 32997649; PMCID: PMC7773342.
Rachel Yorlets, PhD, MPH
Rachel Yorlets, PhD, MPH earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the Brown University School of Public Health. Prior to her doctoral training, she earned her MPH in Epidemiology with a focus on infectious diseases from the Boston University School of Public Health. She then collaborated on health disparities research for several years with clinician-researchers in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Across her work, Rachel has focused on understanding who gets health care, who doesn’t, and why. In her PhD dissertation, she evaluated the relationship between circular migration and HIV care engagement among adults in northeastern South Africa, where she also led fieldwork. In her BU-CHART fellowship, she will grow her research agenda to evaluate the effectiveness of HIV care that people use. Specifically, she will expand on her dissertation finding that, in one cohort in South Africa, a high proportion of adults living with HIV died within six months of starting ART. She plans to evaluate relationships between South African HIV policies and care uptake.
Outside of research and teaching activities, Rachel enjoys the Rhode Island beaches, Del’s, tennis, and reading medical non-fiction with her rescue cat.
Mentors
Matthew Fox, DSc MPH – Professor, Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
Jacob Bor, ScD, ScM – Assistant Professor, Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
Frank Tanser, PhD, MSc, MSc – Professor, Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, Stellenbosch University; Senior Faculty, Africa Health Research Institute
Selected Publications
Yorlets RR, Lurie MN, Ginsburg C, Hogan JW, Joyce NR, Harawa S, Collinson MA, Gómez-Olivé FX, White MJ. Validity of Self-Report for Ascertaining HIV Status Among Circular Migrants and Permanent Residents in South Africa: A Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Analysis. AIDS Behav. 2023 Mar;27(3):919-927. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03828-w. Epub 2022 Sep 16. Erratum in: AIDS Behav. 2022 Nov 10;: PMID: 36112260; PMCID: PMC9974592.
Yorlets RR, Iverson KR, Leslie HH, Gage AD, Roder-DeWan S, Nsona H, Shrime MG. Latent class analysis of the social determinants of health-seeking behaviour for delivery among pregnant women in Malawi. BMJ Glob Health. 2019 Mar 30;4(2):e000930. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000930. PMID: 30997159; PMCID: PMC6441245.
Shrime MG, Iverson KR, Yorlets R, Roder-DeWan S, Gage AD, Leslie H, Malata A. Predicted effect of regionalised delivery care on neonatal mortality, utilisation, financial risk, and patient utility in Malawi: an agent-based modelling analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Jul;7(7):e932-e939. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30170-6. PMID: 31200892; PMCID: PMC6581692.
Raykar NP, Yorlets RR, Liu C, Goldman R, Greenberg SLM, Kotagal M, Farmer PE, Meara JG, Roy N, Gillies RD. The How Project: understanding contextual challenges to global surgical care provision in low-resource settings. BMJ Glob Health. 2016 Dec 16;1(4):e000075. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000075. PMID: 28588976; PMCID: PMC5321373.