Upstream Fellowship Awardees
Rebecca Mendez, MPH
UCSF
My previous work examined the effects of racialized stress on health in young adults from diverse racial backgrounds. In my doctoral studies, I focus on molecular epidemiology, investigating how racial discrimination affects biological pathways related to cancer outcomes in vulnerable populations. Using advanced epidemiological methods, I aim to inform public health strategies that reduce health disparities and improve cancer outcomes.
James Dickerson, MD, MS
Stanford University
Dr. Dickerson is a medical oncologist in the Division of Medical Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine, specializing in treating patients with breast cancer. His research studies how health policy can improve health equity and eliminate cancer disparities. To achieve this goal, his research group pursues three key objectives: (1) developing financially sustainable breast cancer care programs, (2) analyzing large databases to identify health policies that can improve equity, and (3) conducting clinical research to discover the most effective ways to deliver high-quality care.
April Vang, MS
UC Davis
April is a PhD Student in Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on anti-poverty policies that influence cancer outcomes among disaggregated populations, with an emphasis on advancing early detection and prevention for underserved communities. Specifically, her work examines colorectal cancer screening rates in high-poverty areas and in Hmong populations. April received her M.S. and B.S. in Statistical Data Science from UC Davis. At the same time, April was a researcher at the UC Davis Genome Center where she led projects on polygenic risk score modeling for colorectal and gastric cancers, analyzed cancer registry data, and contributed to studies aimed at increasing research participation from marginalized populations.
