Sora Park Tanjasiri, MPH, DrPH
Professor, Department of Health, Society & Behavior
Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health

Dr. Tanjasiri’s research focuses on community health promotion to reduce cancer health disparities among diverse populations, particularly Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her work applies community-based participatory research to tobacco prevention and cessation, cancer early detection, and survivorship, and she has served as PI or Co-PI on over two dozen extramurally funded cancer-related studies. Dr. Tanjasiri also serves or has served as advisor to numerous organizations, including the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance, Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership, Orange County Women’s Health Project, and the St. Joseph Health System Community Partnership Fund.

Tetyana (Tanya) Vasylyeva, MSc, MPH, DPhil
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention
Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health

Dr. Vasylyeva is an expert in molecular and socio-behavioral epidemiology studies, with a particular focus on generalizing HIV epidemics and the effect of migration and displacement on HIV transmission dynamics. Her research integrates phylodynamics, social network analysis, and behavioral epidemiology methods to describe transmission patterns and design preventive interventions in understudied and vulnerable populations, such as forcibly displaced populations and those at elevated risk for HIV. Dr. Vasylyeva conducts global health research in countries affected by conflict, economic and other crises, including Ukraine, Colombia, and Madagascar. 

Munjal M. Acharya, MSc, PhD
Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology
Associate Professor (Joint Appointment), Radiation Oncology
School of Medicine

Alexandre Chan, PharmD, MPH
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Founding Chair, Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice
School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Drs. Acharya and Chan’s collaborative research is focused on advancing boundaries in understanding neurobiological mechanisms and mechanism-based mitigation strategies to alleviate cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) – a major quality of life (QOL) – issue faced by millions of cancer survivors. Their clinical and pre-clinical research has shown successful synergy in collaboration with leading ORUs at UCI. Their efforts have promoted the bench-to-bedside and from bedside-to-bench research initiatives supported by intramural (ICTS, CFCCC, COHS) and extramural (NIH) awards, including an ongoing human trial to alleviate CRCI (NCT06580002).

Michelle A. Fortier, PhD
Professor
Co-Director, UCI Center on Stress & Health
Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing

Michael A. Hoyt, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention
Principal Investigator, UCI Center on Stress & Health
Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health

Zeev N. Kain, MD, MBA
Distinguished Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care
Executive Director, UCI Center on Stress & Health
School of Medicine

The UCI Center on Stress & Health, led by Drs. Kain, Fortier and Hoyt, is a multidisciplinary hub focused on improving health outcomes across diverse populations. The team has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and serves as co-investigators on externally funded projects totaling over $15 million from the NIH, DOD, foundations, and internal sources. Their collaborative research has led to scalable, culturally adapted interventions using health information and mobile health technologies to address disparities in pediatric surgical pain, cancer-related pain and quality of life, emergency department distress, and biopsychosocial outcomes in youth with cancer or asthma.