Hi fellow Aggies! I’m Laurel Denyer, class of 2021. I found Global Disease Biology out of a desire for the scientific classes I was taking for my original major in Cell Biology to be complemented with a more comprehensive view of how environments impact health. I loved the flexibility of the major, which allowed me to explore classes on vector-borne diseases and climate change, as well as health policy and population health. It also allowed me to enjoy my time as president of a UC Davis dance club team and working as a research assistant in Dr. Falbe’s lab.

Hello fellow aggies! My name is Lucia, and I am from South San Francisco. I’m a proud GDB alumna currently pursuing a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program in Clovis (Central California), with a growing passion for Family Medicine. Back when I was in UC Davis, I loved volunteering in service and community outreach through clubs like the American Red Cross, as well as the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

Hello everyone! My name is Olivia (she/her/hers), I graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in Global Disease Biology and a B.A. in Art History. I was fortunate enough to be at UC Davis when the GDB major was first introduced, and it has made a significant impact on my life and career.  It was here that I first learned about One Health, and became interested in the connection between human, animal and environmental health. There are many skills I gained from various GDB courses, especially collaboration via group projects.

Global Disease Biology shaped the way I see health—not as isolated human symptoms, but as an interconnected system involving people, animals, plants, and the environment. That perspective gave me a strong scientific foundation in microbiology, epidemiology, and the One Health framework, helping me understand how diseases emerge, spread, and affect populations. It trained me to think analytically about complex biological problems and to consider root causes rather than just outcomes.

Hi GDB! My name is Andrew, and I graduated from UC Davis in Spring 2019. Currently, I am a medical student at the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to joining the Global Disease Biology major, I started out as an undeclared life sciences major. I was uncertain which major would best suit my interests and wanted time to explore my options. During this period, I found that I enjoyed thinking about health and biological systems from a broader perspective.

Hi! My name is Ellen and I am part of GDB’s 2018 graduating class. I transferred into the GDB program from my local community college in Fall 2016 excited to get my first research experience, and it was a huge encouragement that all of my peers in GDB were also pursuing research. It felt like I was part of a diverse, interdisciplinary research community in GDB, a community bolstered by the program’s leadership’s enthusiasm for student research (s/o Dr. Rizzo and Dr. Leveau).

Hi GDB! 

Hello fellow Aggies! My name is Claire Meunier and I graduated from UC Davis in Spring 2017 with a BS in Global Disease Biology (GDB).  I grew up in Oregon, in a college town not too different from Davis, so I felt right at home the moment I arrived on campus.

Hi there! My name is Miranda, and I graduated in the class of 2017. I changed majors a few times before finding Global Disease Biology, and honestly it was one of the best decisions I made at UC Davis. I was fascinated with the material and finally felt confident that I would be set up for success after graduating. The major gave me a deep understanding of the complex connections between human, animal, and environmental health which opened my eyes to the importance of interdisciplinary thinking in real-world issues. 

Hello everyone! My name is Crystal Ngo Diaz (she/her), and I’m a proud GDB alumna! I completed my degree in three years, graduating in spring 2022. Currently, I’m a first-year physician assistant student at Stanford School of Medicine.