neeti patel [she/her] – President
Neeti is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Originally from Houston, Texas, Neeti completed her undergrad at The University of Texas at Austin where she received a Bachelor of Science & Arts in Biology with a Minor in Business Foundations and a focus in Spanish. Neeti became interested in Public Health after working in hospitals during COVID-19, when she learned that much of the change she wanted to make in medicine/healthcare stemmed from public health initiatives. After going through the headache of applying and interviewing for medical school, Neeti realized that rather than spending years and years studying medicine, she instead wanted to pursue Public Health and work towards policy changes, research, and advocacy.
Neeti’s Email | Neeti’s LinkedIn
Hannah morris [she/her] – vice president of internal affairs
Hannah is a second-year MPH student in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology concentration. She grew up in rural Illinois and attended the University of Notre Dame for her undergraduate degree in Science Preprofessional Studies and her Master of Education. Following undergrad, Hannah taught middle school math and science in California. Through her academic journey, Hannah has become interested in the many external factors that impact population health. While at Cornell, she has enjoyed engaging in research related to environmental, healthcare, and policy impacts on communities’ health experiences. Moving forward, Hannah hopes to pursue a PhD focused on the role schools can play in people’s health outcomes. In her free time, Hannah enjoys running, swimming, biking, and reading.
Hannah’s Email | Hannah’s LinkedIn
alyssa morse [she/her] – Vice President of financial affairs
Alyssa’s Email | Alyssa’s LinkedIn
avery sirwatka [he/him] – vice president of external affairs
Avery is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Food Systems & Health. Originally from a rural county in Western New York, Avery gained early experience in the food systems space through work in agriculture, food retail, and food distribution. He started conducting formal research on food systems during his undergraduate coursework at the University at Buffalo, where he graduated with degrees in Public Policy and Psychology with minors in Urban Planning and Public Health. Avery brings an interdisciplinary social science lens to his work, and is interested in understanding how laws and policies impact population and planetary health across both the built and natural environments, particularly the effects of climate change and natural disasters on resource access (e.g. food, water), infrastructure, and migration. Avery pursues such work through research across various departments at Cornell, as well as in collaboration with other domestic and international institutions. He is currently a Public Health Law Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and plans to pursue a JD in Environmental Law after graduating from the MPH program. In his free time, Avery enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with his wonderful partner and pets.
Avery’s Email | Avery’s LinkedIn
chase bernier [he/him] – merchandise and fundraising Chair
Chase is a second-year Food Systems and Health student in the MPH program. Originally from Bedminster, New Jersey (about an hour from NYC), he received his bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s University where he majored in Food Marketing. While in undergrad, Chase was a part of Relay for Life where he assisted in planning multiple fundraisers to raise money for breast cancer. Chase’s future career goals for when he finishes the MPH program are working in the public health nutrition field within the government sector for either the USDA or the FDA.
Chase’s Email | Chase’s LinkedIn
nia clements [she/her] – community service chair
Nia is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Before attending Cornell, Nia completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and minored in Ethics at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. While in undergrad, Nia enjoyed conducting research in a supramolecular chemistry lab, but her community-oriented work and philosophy coursework inspired her to apply her scientific skills in a more interdisciplinary fashion to improve health outcomes for all. While at Cornell, Nia has developed an interest in environmental epidemiology through the lens of health equity and the mathematical modeling of social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. For fun, Nia enjoys birding, crocheting, vegan cooking, swooning over rats, and spending time outside.
isabella fegley [she/her] – social chair
Isabella is a second-year MPH student in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology concentration. Before beginning at Cornell, Isabella completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at Shenandoah University in Northern Virginia. In her undergraduate, Isabella conducted research on how specific bacteria influence the disease severity of the chronic illness cystic fibrosis. This research inspired her to pursue a Laboratory Assistant position at Schipher Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, where she had the opportunity to work for a precision medicine company specializing in rheumatoid arthritis treatments. Isabella was drawn to Cornell for its unique One Health Approach to develop a deeper understanding of Microbial Ecology. While at Cornell, Isabella has enjoyed research on some of Earth’s most vital species and the microorganisms affecting their health. In her free time, Isabella enjoys exploring Ithaca’s many GORGEous hikes, kayaking, wine touring, and walking her Shih Tzu (Bentley) in his stroller.
Isabella’s Email | Isabella’s LinkedIn
joy westercamp [she/her] – media chair
Joy is a second-year MPH student in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology concentration. Originally from Farmington, Iowa, she attended Iowa State University and graduated from the University Honors Program with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in Economics and Insect Science. Joy originally wanted to become an entomologist, but wanted a human connection component in her research and became interested in Public Health to bridge the gap between her interests in human health and insects. Before starting the MPH program, Joy worked in a mosquito surveillance lab that partnered with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which cemented her interest in vector-borne disease. After her MPH, Joy hopes to enroll in a Ph.D. in either Epidemiology or Social & Behavioral Sciences to explore Public Health research and promote health equity.