Our Team-Divi
Originally from: West Milford, NJ – Where we have the largest bear population east of the Mississippi
Interests: Anything outdoors – hiking, skiing, camping, boating; Travel; and Sports – anything Univ of Michigan (Go Blue!) and Cornell hockey!
What drives your work? The synergy of working in communities, involving students in research, and examining the impact of innovative approaches on improving health of children and families, drives my commitment and passion for public health and behavioral research.
Little Background: I moved to Ithaca in 2020 after spending 20 years in Colorado – living in Boulder, working for Colorado State University. I am enjoying being back on the east coast and exploring Upstate New York with my husband (Ryan), son (Colin) and two Bernese Mountain Dogs (Kitty and Diogi).
Meghan Orman, MA, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Originally from: Rochester, NY but was raised in Aurora, NY – just outside of Ithaca and in the heart of the Finger Lakes.
Education:
BA, Philosophy, Politics, and Law, SUNY Binghamton
MA, Practical Philosophy and Applied Ethics, University of North Florida
PhD, Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
Interests: Learning, sports (Go Bills and Go Sabres!), running, and nature – especially beekeeping, bugs, and gardening.
What made you come to Cornell: Having grown up in the area, I always admired Cornell and, in particular, the College of Human Ecology. As an applied philosopher and psychologist interested in the ecology of human development, I have followed CHE through my entire higher education career. When applying for postdocs, this position happened to be open and was a great fit for me in terms of my research interests in early childhood health and development, and in terms of the lab culture, which is interdisciplinary and inclusive. I am so happy to have found this position and to be at Cornell!
Email: meghan.orman@cornell.edu
Hear from our students!
Graduate Students:
What made you choose Cornell?
Beatriz: “Before applying, I loved reading about the wonderful things the faculty were doing and opportunities that graduate students were afforded while here. Now that I’m here, I absolutely love the ability to reach out to these same esteemed faculty (they’re just down the hall!) and the ability to custom-build my own curriculum to best fit my interests.”
Shariwa: “First and foremost, I was drawn to Cornell’s faculty because of how closely their community-oriented research interests aligned with my own. Then I learned about the freedom in the curriculum to create my own path and felt like the world was my oyster!”
Undergraduate Students:
What made you choose Health Behaviors Lab?
Alyssa: “I was inspired to join this lab, because of how this lab values physical activity. Physical activity
has always been a subject of interest to me, and I wanted to do my part to help research this
subject matter.”
Caleb: ” I really enjoyed NS 4500, Public Health Nutrition, with Dr. Laura Bellows. I wanted to take what I learned from class to help research and improve the health of teachers in NYS.”
Nuray: “I wanted to join this lab because I love learning about nutrition and its impact on different populations, and I wanted to learn more about research in the research space and how technology can be leveraged to make it more efficient.”
Graduate Students
Beatriz Carmona, BS
PhD Candidate
Originally from: Baton Rouge, Louisiana (I love a good beignet!), but I’ve moved just short of a dozen times around the country.
Education: BS, Nutrition/Dietetics (Minor: Statistics), Auburn University
Interests: Crocheting, baking, running, and spending time with those I love
Email: bac237@cornell.edu
Saori Mikami, MS
PhD Student
Originally from: Hokkaido, Japan (famous for its high quality of snow!)
Education: BS, International Agricultural Development, Tokyo University of Agriculture
MS, Nutrition Interventions, Communication, and Behavior Change, Tufts University
Interests: Cooking, skiing, surfing, driving, home vegetable gardening, collecting tasty teas & coffee beans, spending time with family and friends.
Email: sm2886@cornell.edu
Shariwa Oke, MS
PhD Candidate
Originally from: near Mumbai, India, but grew up in Chandler, AZ, one with the cacti.
Education: BS, Physiology and Nutritional Science (Minors: Spanish, Studio Art, Biochemistry), University of Arizona;
MS, Biomedical Visualization, University of Illinois at Chicago
Interests: Reading, painting, finding new paddleboard launch points, cooking, eating, singing and dancing, having my apartment overrun by houseplants, long walks in the gorges
Email: sao52@cornell.edu
Lauren Spiegel, BS
MS Student
Originally from: Ballston Lake, New York, just outside of Saratoga Springs.
Education: BS, Health Sciences, Wells College
Interests: Reading, lacrosse and field hockey, spending time on Cayuga Lake, being with friends
Email: lms424@cornell.edu
Cynthia Su, BS
MS/DI Student
Originally from: Xi’an, China, a city famous for its various delicious noodles (Try Xi’an Street Food in Collegetown, Ithaca! It’s good).
Education: BS, Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University
Interests: I love Japanese anime and playing video games on my Nintendo Switch (I can speak fluent Japanese). I also enjoyed skiing, hiking, baking, indoor climbing, etc. I look forward to trying more outdoor activities in Ithaca!
Email: rs2625@cornell.edu
Rujia Xie, BA
PhD Student
Originally from: Guangdong, China and I moved to San Diego, CA a couple of years ago.
Education: BA, Public Policy and Global Health (Minor: Sexuality Studies), Duke University
Interests: Hiking the lovely gorges and rims around the Finger Lakes, collecting brightly colored patterned shirts from thrift stores, driving between different cities and towns, and attempting to improve my perpetually beginner-level guitar skills while getting back into running again
Email: rx62@cornell.edu
Undergraduate Students
Misha Caternor
Global and Public Health Sciences (Health Policy and Inequality Studies) Class of ’25
Originally from: Columbia, Maryland
Email: mkc97@cornell.edu
Kareena Cheruvu
Human Biology, Health, and Society (Healthcare Policy) Class of ’26
Originally from: Buffalo, New York
Email:kac397@cornell.edu
Ella Freimuth
Human Biology, Health and Society (Business – Applied Economics and Management) Class of ’25
Originally from: Denver, Colorado
Email: emf229@cornell.edu
Rachel Friedland
Human Biology, Health, & Society (Business) Class of ’25
Originally from:New York City!
Email: ref78@cornell.edu
Derek Liang
Human Biology, Health, and Society Class of ’27
Originally from: Norwood, New Jersey
Email: djl358@cornell.edu
Zachary Meyerson
Global and Public Health Sciences (Health Policy) Class of ’25
Originally from: Danbury, Connecticut
Email: zgm3@cornell.edu
Sydney O’Connor
Human Biology Health and Society (Human Development) Class of ’25
Originally from: Greenwich, Connecticut
Email: sko37@cornell.edu
Brenda Tecum
Global & Public Health Sciences (Business for Life Sciences) Class of ’26
Originally from: Los Angelas, California
Email: blt48@cornell.edu