Tanveer KI Shafiq

tshafiq@email.sc.edu

Tanveer Shafiq is a Ph.D. student and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Xiaoming Li. Tanveer obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree in 2003 and Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in 2008 from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He worked as public health researcher at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) for 14 years. His research interests include substance use, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), HIV and AIDS, and HCV infection. His most recent work was as the principal investigator of a study involving OUD and methadone treatment in Bangladesh funded by Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM).

Irene Esu

iesu@email.sc.edu

Irene Esu is PhD student in Health Promotion Education and Behavior, she is working under the supervision of Dr Shan Qiao and Dr. Banky Olatosi. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree from University of Maiduguri and Master of Public Health (MPH in Field Epidemiology) degree from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria both in Nigeria, she worked at the National AIDS Control Program in Nigeria as a focal person for Adult HIV treatment and Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD). She has been involved in various research activities including “Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and occurrence of Substance Used Disorder and Factors affecting Healthcare workers compliance with Standard Precautions in Nigeria. Her area of interest are HIV and data science, mental health and resilience.

Cuihong Huang

CUIHONG@email.sc.edu

Cuihong Huang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, working under the supervision of Dr. Xueying Yang and Dr. Xiaoming Li. Her research interests focus on applying epidemiological designs and methods to improve the psychological and physical health of vulnerable populations, particularly adolescents and people living with HIV. Her prior work includes leveraging digital health interventions to promote adolescents’ physical activity and healthy dietary behaviors, conducting national surveys on the non-medical use of prescription drugs among adolescents, and leading multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses on factors influencing chronic diseases. Currently, Cuihong is examining how structural barriers (e.g., structural racism), family factors (e.g., caregiving burden, family relationships), and individual resources (e.g., resilience) affect the health outcomes of people living with HIV. Additionally, she is interested in exploring the opportunities and challenges of applying machine learning techniques in the HIV field.

Hao Zhang

HZ20@email.sc.edu

Hao Zhang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, under the supervision of Dr. Xueying Yang and Dr. Xiaoming Li. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Preventive Medicine from Fudan University and his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Peking University. His research focuses on improving health outcomes among vulnerable populations, including people living with HIV and individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Specifically, he is interested in integrated care models, mental health challenges, and healthcare transition among disadvantaged groups. Methodologically, he applies advanced epidemiological approaches and mixed-methods research to better understand the structural and psychosocial determinants of health disparities.

Abdul-Hanan Inusah

AINUSAH@email.sc.edu

Abdul-Hanan Inusah is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, under the supervision of Dr. Shan Qiao and Dr. Xiaoming Li. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University for Development Studies, Ghana. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he worked with national and international organizations to deliver SRHR interventions to underserved communities. His research focuses on sexual and reproductive health, including HIV and non-communicable diseases, among historically marginalized groups. He is particularly interested in how structural determinants of health influence disparities in access, outcomes, and equity, and in leveraging digital tools to design and deliver innovative interventions.

Menglin Shang

MSHANG@email.sc.edu

Menglin Shang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Shan Qiao and Dr. Xiaoming Li. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Preventive Medicine and Public Health from Shandong University and her master’s degree in Biostatistics from Sun Yat-sen University. Her research focuses on HIV prevention and care, stigma reduction, and mental health promotion among vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV (PWH). She is also interested in applying advanced statistical methods to real-world data, including electronic health records. As a CHQ Junior Scholar, she is mentored by Dr. Sayward Harrison and Dr. Cheuk Chi (George) Tam.

Edith Utaka

EUTAKA@email.sc.edu

Edith is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences and a master’s degree in public health. She is also a CHQ Junior Scholar for the 2025/2026 Academic session. Her research interests are infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS and HPV infection, with a focus on how social determinants of health influence their acquisition and treatment outcomes. Through her research, she hopes to identify effective strategies to address health disparities related to social factors, promote HPV vaccination, screening practices, and the uptake of other preventive health services. Her works have been published in several Journals, and she has presented her research at both international and national conferences. As a CHQ Scholar, Edith is working with her CHQ mentors, Drs. Monique Brown and Jiajia Zhang to investigate disparities in cervical, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening among people with comorbidities and factors that drive such disparities.

Qingyang Li

QL9@mailbox.sc.edu

Qingyang Li is a PhD student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include HIV prevention, machine learning applications in public health, substance use, and telehealth. Her current projects focus on HIV testing behaviors among Chinese college men who have sex with men and the exploration of substance use issues using U.S. national survey data. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Xueying Yang and Dr. Xiaoming Li.

Sulochan GC

SULOCHAN@email.sc.edu

Sulochan GC is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina, supervised by Drs. Xueying Yang and Xiaoming Li. He earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm.) from the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, and previously worked as a hospital pharmacist at Nepal’s largest public healthcare facility. His research focuses on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, and cardiovascular disease, with particular interest in disparities across the HIV treatment cascade. His interests include retention in care; physical and psychological health outcomes; and the clinical, behavioral, social, geographical, and structural determinants of suboptimal care and health outcomes among people with HIV.

Ya (Grace) Gao

YG9@email.sc.edu

Ya (Grace) Gao is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, under the supervision of Dr. Xiaoming Li and Dr. Xueying Yang. She holds a Master of Medicine in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health from China CDC, and a Bachelor of Medicine in Public Health and Preventive Medicine from Shandong University. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she contributed to national research and prevention programs for mother-to-child transmission and supported HIV/AIDS public welfare and research initiatives in China. Her research interests include HIV prevention and care, substance use, stigma reduction, infectious disease epidemiology, health promotion, and health equity. She is also mentored by Dr. Cheuk Chi (George) Tam.

Yao Tang

YT8@email.sc.edu

Yao Tang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, under the supervision of Dr. Shan Qiao and Dr. Xiaoming Li. She graduated from the University of Rochester. Her research interests include HIV prevention and care, substance use, health disparities, and the application of artificial intelligence and digital health technologies in public health. She is particularly interested in understanding health behaviors and leveraging emerging technologies to improve health outcomes among vulnerable and underserved populations.

Rajon Banik

RBANIK@mailbox.sc.edu

Rajon Banik is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, under the supervision of Dr. Xiaoming Li and Dr. Shan Qiao. He completed his Master of Science (MS) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Public Health and Informatics from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he worked for over five years in public health research at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), with a focus on intervention and implementation research in maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health. His research focuses on leveraging digital tools and interventions in the flieds of sexual and reproductive health, substance use disorders, mental health, and noncommunicable diseases among disadvantaged and underserved populations, particularly people living with HIV.

Chiyere Arinze

CARINZE@mailbox.sc.edu

Chiyere Arinze is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, under the supervision of Dr. Xueying Yang. She earned her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Georgia State University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Chiyere supported an implementation science study focused on evaluating strategies to sustain youth-centered HIV self-testing interventions within community-based organizations in Nigeria. Through this work, she has contributed to published literature and presented research at several conferences. Her research interests include infectious diseases, behavioral health, global health, health promotion, and health equity.

Alumni

2016-2019 Yanping Jiang

2016-2019 Wendi Da

2017-2021 Akeen Hamilton

2018-2021 Chengbo Zeng (Recipient of 2021 Arnold School Doctoral Achievement Award; HPEB 2021 Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year Award)

2019-2022 Tianyue Mi (Recipient of 2022 USC Breakthrough Scholar Award; HPEB 2022 Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year Award)

2019-2020 Shuge Lei

2020-2024 Fanghui Shi (Recipient of the Track D IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators)

2020-2023 Ran Zhang

2020-2022 Pallavi Jayadev

2021-2024 Abhishek Aggarwal

2021-2024 Atefeh Aghaei

2023-2025 Arielle N’Diaye

2025-2026 Jannatun Nayem

2021-2026 Camryn Garrett

2023-2026 Gazi Sakir Mohammad Pritom