Current Doctoral Students
Doris Duran Napolitano (Belinda Nicolau, Co-Advisor) [2020]
Doris Durán is a Ph.D. student in Epidemiology at McGill University. She received her DDS in Finis Terrae University and her MSc in Public Health at the University of Chile. She is an adjunct researcher at the Centre of Population Health in San Sebastián University in Chile and an Oral Public Health instructor at University of Chile. Previously her work focused on health policies, specifically in cancer, from a social epidemiology framework. Her PhD thesis focuses on vital statistics methods for tracking cause-specific mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Colombia, Canada and Switzerland. She will begin a post-doctoral fellowship at University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in Fall 2025.
Doris Durán is a Ph.D. student in Epidemiology at McGill University. She received her DDS in Finis Terrae University and her MSc in Public Health at the University of Chile. She is an adjunct researcher at the Centre of Population Health in San Sebastián University in Chile and an Oral Public Health instructor at University of Chile. Previously her work focused on health policies, specifically in cancer, from a social epidemiology framework. Her PhD thesis focuses on vital statistics methods for tracking cause-specific mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Colombia, Canada and Switzerland. She will begin a post-doctoral fellowship at University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in Fall 2025.
Juwel Rana (Scott Weichenthal, Co-Advisor) [2021]
Juwel Rana is a PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill Epidemiology, focused on machine learning, causal inference, epidemiologic methods, and environmental epidemiology. He has studied previously at the Ecole des hautes études en santé publique (2018-2019), The University of Sheffield (2017-2018) and The University of Dhaka (2012-2014).
His PhD thesis is a causal analysis of air pollution data in Canada with a focus on mixtures. Juwel also established the SAIST Foundation to support the development of evidence-based policies and promote a sustainable environment, health, and education in Bangladesh.
Juwel Rana is a PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill Epidemiology, focused on machine learning, causal inference, epidemiologic methods, and environmental epidemiology. He has studied previously at the Ecole des hautes études en santé publique (2018-2019), The University of Sheffield (2017-2018) and The University of Dhaka (2012-2014).
His PhD thesis is a causal analysis of air pollution data in Canada with a focus on mixtures. Juwel also established the SAIST Foundation to support the development of evidence-based policies and promote a sustainable environment, health, and education in Bangladesh.
Céline Goulart (Mabel Carabali, Co-Advisor) [2022]
Céline has an MPH from University of Toronto (2018) and is a current PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill. Her thesis focuses on the effect of inequalities on the risk and severity of Zika virus infection and congenital Zika syndrome in 20 Zika-endemic countries and territories. She investigates ethnic and racial inequalities in the disease, and assesses the presence and magnitude of social inequalities, identifying which socioeconomic factors contribute the most to these inequalities. She will also evaluate the extent to which misclassification of infection or the congenital syndrome have impacted Zika surveillance across countries, studies and racial groups.
Céline has an MPH from University of Toronto (2018) and is a current PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill. Her thesis focuses on the effect of inequalities on the risk and severity of Zika virus infection and congenital Zika syndrome in 20 Zika-endemic countries and territories. She investigates ethnic and racial inequalities in the disease, and assesses the presence and magnitude of social inequalities, identifying which socioeconomic factors contribute the most to these inequalities. She will also evaluate the extent to which misclassification of infection or the congenital syndrome have impacted Zika surveillance across countries, studies and racial groups.
Andrés González Santa Cruz (Álvaro Castillo, Co-Advisor) [2022]
Andrés González is a PhD student in Public Health at the Universidad de Chile. He received his degree in Psychology and holds a Master's degree in Social Research Methods, along with diplomas in Human Resources management and quantitative research methods. Previously, he worked in human resources and organizational development within the public sector and served as technical staff on several research projects addressing occupational health and substance use disorders. His PhD thesis focuses on Chilean substance use treatment policy, specifically examining how baseline treatment length and outcomes predict the risk and timing of first readmission and all-cause mortality using a 12-year nationwide retrospective cohort study.
Andrés González is a PhD student in Public Health at the Universidad de Chile. He received his degree in Psychology and holds a Master's degree in Social Research Methods, along with diplomas in Human Resources management and quantitative research methods. Previously, he worked in human resources and organizational development within the public sector and served as technical staff on several research projects addressing occupational health and substance use disorders. His PhD thesis focuses on Chilean substance use treatment policy, specifically examining how baseline treatment length and outcomes predict the risk and timing of first readmission and all-cause mortality using a 12-year nationwide retrospective cohort study.
Lichi Zhang (Ariane Marelli, Co-Advisor) [2023]
Lichi Zhang is a Ph.D. student in Epidemiology at McGill University. He received his MPH at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2019-2021). His previous work focused on hypertension and cognitive impairment in the elderly people, using Mendelian randomization. His Ph.D. thesis investigates the effect of radiation from imaging procedures on hematopoietic cancer in congenital heart disease patients in Canada. He will also evaluate whether policy changes affect the amount of radiation congenital heart disease patients receive over the past several decades using a large pan-Canadian longitudinal cohort.
Lichi Zhang is a Ph.D. student in Epidemiology at McGill University. He received his MPH at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2019-2021). His previous work focused on hypertension and cognitive impairment in the elderly people, using Mendelian randomization. His Ph.D. thesis investigates the effect of radiation from imaging procedures on hematopoietic cancer in congenital heart disease patients in Canada. He will also evaluate whether policy changes affect the amount of radiation congenital heart disease patients receive over the past several decades using a large pan-Canadian longitudinal cohort.
Adrien Saucier [2025]