Hello everyone! I’m Austin Tarumoto (they/them). I graduated with a Global Disease Biology major and a Community Development minor in Spring of 2020. I was first interested in the major because of how interdisciplinary it was and how it allowed me to explore my interest in the intersection of advocacy, social justice, and public health. While at Davis, I was a tutor, a peer educator at the Cross Cultural Center, and the Identity Development Coordinator with BRIDGE: Pilipinx Outreach and Retention at the Student Recruitment and Retention Center.

Kazim Rizvi is a 4th year GDB student currently conducting their practicum project on "Circadian Rhythms of Drosophila melanogaster" Learn about Kazim's research experience in the GDB Office's February Practicum Pod!

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Dr. Fumika Hamada M.S. Ph.D, Associate Professor of Neurology, Physiology, & Behavior (⁠[email protected]⁠)

Dr. Douglas Cook is a professor in Plant Pathology. He is also Director of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Climate Resilient Chickpea. Dr. Cook's studies focus on chickpeas' and nitrogen fixing. He teaches one of the GDB major requirement Pathogen/Disease course options, GDB 103: Microbiome of People, Animals, & Plants.

Alejandro is a fourth-year first-generation student double majoring in Global Disease Biology (GDB) and Psychology with a minor in Chicano/a Studies. Alejandro’s interest in medicine and public health led him to join Clinica Tepati, a UC Davis student-run primary care clinic that addresses the healthcare gap in the Latino community of the greater Sacramento area. Clinica Tepati’s three-part mission; healthcare, education, and advocacy resonates with Alejandro’s aspiration of becoming a physician to address the health disparities in his community.

Hello everyone! I’m Crystal Ngo Diaz (she/her) and I’m a very proud GDB alumna! I completed my degree in three years in spring 2022 and am an incoming physician assistant student at Point Loma Nazarene University! Reflecting on my time at UC Davis, I am incredibly grateful to my high school self who chose GDB. The major provided me with the flexibility to explore diverse pathways in the sciences and ultimately led me to the pre-PA route. Most importantly, the GDB community has been an invaluable part of my journey.

Alejandro Tapia is currently working on his GDB Practicum Project in the Pinkerton Lab. He is still working on the title of his project, but his practicum deals with fourth-generation e-cigarettes and the health implications of their use. Learn about Alejandro's research experience in Episode 20 of the GDB Office's Practicum Pod!

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My name is Meaghan Woody and I graduated with the GDB major in Fall 2018 after transferring from Santa Rosa Junior College. Currently, I am a first-year PhD student in Community Health Sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. My pathway to PhD was not linear and I am so glad GDB exposed me to many diverse fields of research. The unique and multidisciplinary curriculum of GDB allowed me to connect with people from plant pathology and public health, which grew my network of mentors, colleagues, and friends.

Hi, I’m Davis and I am a fourth-year Global Disease Biology student. The GDB curriculum has given me the tools and experience necessary to become successful in the fields of public health and health sciences. The wide range of course topics has exposed me to new ways of thinking while diving deeper into topics I already have had an interest in. Studying disease from a One Health perspective has allowed me to analyze and critically think about health issues from different angles.

Mrinal Prabhakar is currently working on her GDB Practicum Project in the Yiu Lab. She is still working on the title of her project. Learn about Mrinal’s research experience in Episode 19 of the GDB Office's Practicum Pod!

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My name is Emmet, and I am so glad I decided to major in Global Disease Biology at UC Davis! When I first started my undergraduate degree, I thought I wanted to go to medical school. I did not know what other career options I could pursue with my interest in infectious diseases. Thanks to the GDB major, I was able to explore many different career options with some amazing faculty. The GDB practicum in particular helped me join a lab and get hands on research experience, which is how I fell in love with parasitology!

Hi, my name is Muyun, and I am a fourth-year GDB student minoring in Statistics. Majoring in Global Disease Biology has allowed me to learn much about diseases and other public health concerns, and I am grateful that this major has given me the opportunity to start conducting research. Combining Global Disease Biology and Statistics has provided me with the starting tools needed to analyze and interpret complex health and biological data sets. 

Hello Everyone!! My name is Anna Francisco but I usually go by my nickname, Nikki. I graduated from the Global Disease Biology major in the Spring of 2018. I always had an interest in studying diseases since I was young and it was no surprise that I wanted to pursue a career out of it. As a transfer student, it was hard narrowing down majors that I could explore my interests in but when I found out about the Global Disease Biology major, I knew that the curriculum aligned perfectly with what I wanted to get out of my bachelor's.

Hi, My name is Maggie Bauer and I am a 4th year Global Disease Biology major. Through the diverse classes I’ve taken in the GDB major, I have been able to explore my ranging interests from health inequities to immunology while gaining perspective of the interconnectedness of different fields. I have also been able to gain practical experience through the practicum research experience. I am part of the Research Scholars in Insect Biology program which provided me the opportunity to work in Dr. Ralston’s lab focusing on Entamoeba histolytica.

Our October 2023 Alumni Spotlight highlights Obinna Okechukwu Nduka; read more about Obinna and his GDB journey below: 

Melanie Gallegos-Campos completed her GDB Practicum Project on the "Study on the Establishment of Bifidobacterium breve SC95 in the Presence in 2’-fucosyllactose Using Stepwise Fecal Fermentations". Learn about Melanie’s research experience in Episode 18 of the GDB Office's Practicum Pod!

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