Camryn Garrett, MPH

camrynmg@email.sc.edu

Camryn Garrett is a current Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Shan Qiao on two studies. One study is related to the mental health impacts of Covid-19 on people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Carolina. The second study is related to the experiences of people diagnosed with Covid-19 and long haulers. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Virginia in 2021. Camryn’s research interests include social media, social health, community health, sexual health, HIV prevention and support, as well as, a focus on rural areas.

Gazi Sakir Mohammad Pritom

gspritom@email.sc.edu

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.

Jannatun Nayem

JNAYEM@email.sc.edu

Jannatun Nayem is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, working under the supervision of Dr. Shan Qiao and Dr. Xiaoming Li. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree from Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College in Bangladesh and a Master in Public Health degree from Ohio University in the USA. She did an internship in the Health Promotion department to work with young people and suicide prevention. Her research focuses on HIV, STDs, chronic illness, mental health, minorities, and youth. Her most recent work is Psychological Resilience in the COVID-19 Responses, Organizational Resilience with Psychometric Properties.

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

Zoey Babyak

ZBABYAK@email.sc.edu