Public Health & Service
Public health is where my interests in science, policy, and people actually connect. I am drawn to the spaces where outcomes are affected long before a crisis happens: who has access to food, who feels safe asking for help, who is prepared, and who is left to figure it out alone. I have sought out a few community service projects that focus on helping others have access to wellness. I have learned health is rarely about individual choices, but about systems, access to education, resources, and trust. This page highlights the service projects that first pulled me toward public health and continue to guide what I want to study.
I did not come to public health through a single class or textbook. I came to it by noticing patterns. I noticed how nutrition is discussed differently depending on who you are and what you can afford. I noticed how people blame themselves for health outcomes that were shaped by cost, availability, or lack of information. I noticed how preparation and prevention are often invisible until they are missing. Through volunteer work, research, and clinical exposure, I began to understand health as something built quietly. When systems work, people rarely notice. When they fail, the consequences are immediate. Public health gives me a framework to study those systems and improve them instead of reacting after harm has already occurred.
Research and Focus Areas
My academic interest in public health is grounded in research that looks at access, prevention, and equity. Below are areas I am actively exploring through independent projects and ongoing learning.
1. Nutrition Access and Food Equity
I have conducted independent research examining how pricing, labeling, and distribution affect consistent access to nutrition. This work focuses on understanding barriers rather than blaming individual behavior.
2. Prevention and Emergency Readiness
Through community preparedness training, I have learned how early intervention, clear education, and accessible resources can prevent harm before it escalates.
3. Communication and Public Trust
I am interested in how information is shared and received, especially in moments involving health, safety, or trauma. Clear communication can change outcomes.
4. Artificial Intelligence and Early Detection in Dermatology
Through academic research, I examined how artificial intelligence can support early detection and prevention in healthcare. I authored a research-based paper through Johns Hopkins University analyzing the use of AI in early skin cancer detection, with a focus on the FDA-approved DermaSensor device. This work evaluated clinical trial data, diagnostic accuracy, and public health implications related to access, prevention, and early intervention in dermatologic care. The full paper is available here.
Looking Ahead
In college, I hope to study public health alongside biological and social sciences. I am especially interested in how policy, environment, and education shape risk and recovery. I want to learn how data can guide prevention strategies and how research can be translated into real-world action. My goal is to work in spaces where care is proactive, not reactive, and where systems are designed to support people before they reach a breaking point.
Community Service
Have Heart Donate Dollars Inc. was established as a charity founded by a surgeon in Maryland to improve the lives of those in need. With Homelessness on the rise, the goal of this charity is to identify the essentials that are needed by the homeless in our population and community, gather these resources, and provide them to those in need. I have been appointed to take over, manage the website, and continue the legacy. The website also takes donations, which are provided to various homeless shelters.
Due to my involvement with Stellar Labs Nutrition, Stellar Labs has now partnered with this company to give excess inventory of protein shakes and electrolytes to Have Heart Donate Dollars. Have Heart Donate Dollars now donates these shakes to homeless shelters in the area.
Belize Mission Trip
I went to Belize during the summer of 2024 for a week with my dad and brother to the Liberty Children’s Home and helped restore the preschool by painting tables. We stayed on the grounds the whole time, helped prepare food, and played with the children, who ranged in age from 1 to 18. I was very humbled, as this was a very different way of life than I had ever seen. There was no air conditioning, and the conditions were very hot. It was a wonderful experience, and I feel like I made a big impact on a community outside of the United States.
Riverside Varsity Club
As a member of the Riverside Varsity Club, I had to select a community service project for the year. I selected volunteering at a local elementary school. This is my third year, and I go every week to help the students with their work and help the teachers manage their classroom. This has been so much fun and a very special experience for me.