This spring, 7 students who worked with SIG completed their Masters of Public Health, Masters of Social Work, and doctoral degrees. In their time working with SIG, they contributed to our research on a wide range of topics across numerous studies and projects. They will be going on to impressive futures, including pursing PhDs, tenure-track faculty roles, continuing their research on important topics, and so much more.
Hear from our graduates in their own words:
Ohshue Gatanaga, MPH, MS
My experience at SIG increased my passion for addressing the root causes of syndemics (synergistic epidemics) through a community-driven approach, especially around co-occurring health outcomes related to substance use, HIV, and intimate partner violence. Working alongside mentors such as Dawn and Louisa, I gained an appreciation for an explicitly social work lens in understanding emerging and existing epidemics. Specifically, I want to continue incorporating harm reduction not only in practice but also as a fundamental principle to uplifting communities and conducting research with the ethos, "nothing about us without us."
This fall, I will be pursuing a PhD at the University of Washington School of Public Health, Department of Health Systems and Population Health, under a NIDA T32 training grant focused on equity and structural solutions to addictions. Concurrently, I will be pursuing an associate social work licensure in the state of Washington in hopes of becoming a fully licensed clinical social worker providing psychotherapeutic services to underserved communities in the Pacific Northwest. I am extremely grateful for the mentorship and opportunities provided by SIG and hope to continue collaborating with the wonderful researchers and practitioners I met during my time at Columbia.
Jenny Hartmann, PhD
As a doctoral student and candidate, I worked as a Departmental Research Assistant at SIG from 2018 to 2023 on Women ASPIRE and UNICEF projects, under the mentorship of Dr. Nabila El-Bassel. I am immensely grateful for the rich learning experience and relationships I built during my time at SIG. Dr. El-Bassel and so many more SIG mentors provided me with a solid appreciation for collaborative intervention research on pressing social issues locally and globally. I apply the knowledge and skills I gained at SIG to my research on women's involvement with child welfare systems, intimate partner violence, and forced displacement.
Thanks in large part to the incredible education I received at SIG, I am now a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at CUNY York College in Jamaica, Queens. Thank you, SIG family!
Bethany Medley, PhD
While at CSSW and SIG, I especially enjoyed learning with and from other social work students in the classroom and in the community—united by a commitment to “nothing about us, without us,” we uplifted the voices of those harmed by the devastating War on Drugs. In the fall, I will continue to work with my co-researchers from the Peer Network of New York on their photovoice project, “Labor of Love,” to promote equity and inclusivity of peer workers in harm reduction programs, policies, and research.
Jahlisiah Scott, MSW
My experience at SIG has given me the application and perspective needed for me to see myself doing social work research, and increasing my want to work on the interprofessional levels and in interprofessional spaces to further positive and equitable social change. Postgrad, I wanted to go into community organizing with a focus on social work research to conduct participatory action research in the BIPOC communities of NY, and as a result of interning at SIG, I will embark on this journey and work with the BIPOC residents of Harlem, Brooklyn, and Long Beach City as a research assistant in SIG's PrEP for WINGS study this summer! Afterward, I will be taking steps to work on other research studies full-time/part-time while pursuing other creative passions.
Ajita Singh, PhD
I am beyond grateful to have worked with and been trained by scholars and mentors at SIG/ASPIRE, particularly Drs. Nabila El-Bassel and Anindita Dasgupta, to advance economic and social policy solutions and research for women and women refugees in the Middle-East and East Asia. It has been an absolute pleasure to partner with academic institutions, multilateral organizations, and governments.
At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, I will continue to work on sustainable policy solutions to promote human development and gender equity and address humanitarian crises and polarization globally. At present, my research and practice aims to examine the economic, political, social, and environmental implications of digital transformation and artificial intelligence on the labor market, social protection, governance, democracy, social norms, climate change, and human insecurity using human capabilities, human agency, and human rights approaches.
Gisselle Reyes, MPH
While working on the SIG team as a PrEP for WINGS Research Assistant, I felt like I learned a lot from the team members and team in terms of how their research and work translates to working and serving the greater community. I also could apply much of what I have learned in my MPH program as a research assistant when developing Qualtrics surveys and a user manual, assisting in literature reviews, and team meetings. I am thankful to have been part of this team and worked with such outstanding individuals! Thank you all for such a fantastic year in research and furthering health equity!
Our final graduate, Sara Landers, graduated with a PhD from Columbia School of Social work.
Congratulations to all of this year's fantastic graduates, and we at SIG wish you all the best in your future endeavors.