Postdoctoral fellows | Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis

Learn about postdoctoral fellow openings at the school on the careers page.

Current

Since the school’s 2009 founding, more than 20 postdoctoral alumni earned faculty positions educating new nurses in schools across the country.

	Rebecca Howe, M.D. Specialty: Caregiver engagement in advance care planning Becca Howe is a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow. She receives mentorship through both the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis and the UC Davis Health Department of Family and Community Medicine. Her research focuses on caregiver engagement in advance care planning (ACP). She is currently conducting a mixed methods study of readiness, barriers and facilitators of ACP engagement among Black older adults with serious illness and their caregivers.
	Everlyne G. Ogugu, Ph.D., R.N. Specialty: Sleep health in older adults and their family caregivers Everlyne G. Ogugu is a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She is mentored by Professor Janice F. Bell. Ogugu’s research work has focused on human caring, gender issues, cardiovascular health and sleep health. Her current research is on individual, social and societal factors that influence sleep in older adults and their family caregivers, as well as dyadic and family-centered interventions for improving sleep health.
	Orly Tonkikh, Ph.D., R.N. Specialty: Nurse staffing and family caregiving Orly Tonkikh is a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow and Fulbright Scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She is mentored by Professor Heather M. Young and by Associate Professor Emeritus Elena O. Siegel. Tonkikh’s research focuses on nurse staffing and family caregiving in acute care settings for older adult

Past

	Dian Baker, Ph.D., R.N., A.P.R.N.-B.C., P.N.P. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2011 Dian Baker served for two years at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as a postdoctoral scholar. She now serves as consulting faculty for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She is also a member of the CSU, Sacramento, School of Nursing faculty. During her time as a fellow at UC Davis, Baker worked to translate her research and experience into health policy. Baker earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing in fall 2009. During the span of her 30-year nursing career, Baker’s work supported highly vulnerable and underserved populations, such as children and families experiencing developmental disabilities, victims of hate crimes, communities experiencing significant gang violence, and rural communities lacking access to health care.
	Debra Bakerjian, Ph.D., F.N.P., R.N., F.A.A.N.P. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2010 Debra Bakerjian served for one year as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, where she now works as senior director for nurse practitioner and physician assistant clinical education and practice as well as assistant adjunct professor for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. Prior to her postdoctoral scholar position, Bakerjian completed a John A. Hartford Foundation, Claire M. Fagin Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC San Francisco in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Policy and Gerontology in 2006 and a Master in Science of Nursing in 1992, both from UC San Francisco School of Nursing. Her research primarily focuses on wound care and quality improvement issues in Northern California nursing homes; the transitions between health-care facilities, home and assisted living centers; chronic disease management; quality of care and life; and teaching.
	Sarah Brown Blake, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2017 - September 2018 Sarah Brown Blake served for a year as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as a postdoctoral scholar. She is now an associate professor at the School of Nursing at California State University, Chico. While a postdoctoral scholar, she was mentored by Jill G. Joseph, professor emerita and former associate dean for research at the school. Blake’s professional nursing experience is rooted in community and public health with a focus on maternal child and adolescent health. Blake earned both a master’s degree and doctorate at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She was one of the first recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholarship.
	Brandon Berry, Ph.D. Length of service: September 2013 – August 2016 Brandon Berry served for three years as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing under the mentorship of Associate Professor Esther Carolina Apesoa-Varano. Specializing in medical sociology, social psychology, cognition and memory, he conducted research in the social consequences of new medical technology, the social psychology of scientific work, and the social psychology of forgetfulness and cognitive decline.
	Monique Bouvier, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2017- May 2018 Monique Bouvier served as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis for nine months. She left UC Davis to take a research nurse scientist position at Stanford Health Care. While at UC Davis, she was mentored by Associate Professor Katherine Kim and worked in several research areas including health innovation, Kawasaki disease, cancer care and heart disease.
	Yong K. Choi, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: February 2019 – August 2020 Yong K. Choi served for nearly two years as a postdoctoral scholar in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, mentored by Assistant Professor Katherine Kim. His research focused on the design and evaluation of patient-and consumer-focused health technologies that empower older adults to better manage their health and well-being. He is now an assistant adjunct professor in the UC Davis School of Medicine Public Health Sciences Department.
	Andra Davis, Ph.D. Length of service: February 2014 - July 2015 Andra Davis was a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow. She provided research support to Associate Dean for Research and Professor Jill G. Joseph in the area of patient-centered cancer care to improve quality and cost. She completed her service in July of 2015.
	Michelle Fennessy, Ph.D., A.P.R.N.-B.C. Length of service: September 2011 - September 2013 Michelle Fennessy served for two years as a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow. She conducted research in the area of secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease. Her research focuses on secondary prevention, health behaviors and comparative effectiveness models to evaluate the care of patients with chronic illness. After completing her postdoctoral service, Fennessy was appointed an assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. Read more about how the school prepares nurse faculty.
	Sakib Jalil, Ph.D., M.Sc. Specialty: Human-computer interaction, user-centered design and evaluation of health informatics Sakib Jalil is a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. He conducts patient-centered technology research in projects about children with Kawasaki disease and people with cancer, along with his mentor, Assistant Professor Katherine Kim.
	Samira Jones, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2011 Samira Jones worked for two years at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She specialized in gerontology under the mentorship of Associate Vice Chancellor of Nursing and Dean Heather M. Young. Jones’ research is based on population health with an emphasis in nutrition, an interest area developed while working toward a Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis in 2009. Her dissertation research was directed toward the development and evaluation of an educational program that promotes eating more foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as fish among African-American women. Jones now teaches food service management courses as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University, Sacramento.
	Tina Kilaberia, Ph.D., M.S.W. Length of service: October 15, 2019 - August 31, 2022 Tina Kilaberia served three years as a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, mentored by Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell. During that time, Kilaberia was involved in the statewide evaluation of new technology implementation at 11 caregiver resource centers in California, a multiyear partnership project with the Family Caregiver Alliance in San Francisco.
	Satish Mahajan, Ph.D., M.Stat., M.Eng., R.N. Length of service: September 2015 - September 2016 Satish Mahajan was a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. He is interested in health analytics and investigated methods of optimization of risk stratification and cross validation in large cohorts of patients with chronic diseases, using common data models.
	Schola Matovu, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2019 - July 21 Schola Matovu served for two years as an inaugural Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She was mentored by Professor and Dean Emerita Heather M. Young. Matovu’s research was focused on the promotion of health, overall well-being and quality of life of older family caregivers.
	Lori Miller, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2011 - September 2013 Lori Miller served for two years as a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow working under the mentorship of Associate Dean for Academics and Clinical Professor Deborah Ward. Miller conducted research in the area of Healthy Systems, with emphasis on childhood obesity prevention and related ethnic and racial health disparities. She developed a fitness curriculum for girls as part of her research project, Ultimate Fitness Inspiring Tweens and Teens (UFITT). The project was a combination of school health-related physical education and home economics courses, including beauty and fashion courses.
	Susan Miller, Ph.D. Length of service: September 2020 – August 2022 Susan Miller served two years as a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. With mentors Associate Professor Carolina Apesoa-Varano and Professor Sheryl Catz, she conducted research related to systems of care for older adults. Miller’s research focused on the growth and function of health care and social services organizations, primarily using ethnographic and historical methods.
	Victoria Ngo, Ph.D. Specialty: Health informatics, user-centered design, participatory research, community health Victoria Ngo is a Health Systems and Community Leadership Postdoctoral Fellow, co-mentored by Associate Clinical Professor Jann Murray-García and Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and CEO David Lubarsky. Her research focuses on health equity, population health, the provision of high-quality care to underserved communities, and the optimization of information technology to improve the delivery and coordination of care in the community.
	Tasha Peart, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: October 2012 - August 2014 Tasha Peart served as a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow for two years. She conducted research in the area of health policy for vulnerable populations under the guidance of Professor Mary Lou de Leon Siantz. Peart’s research during her postdoctoral fellowship focused on obesity-prevention initiatives to promote the health of Hispanic families. Prior to joining the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Peart completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley’s Dr. Robert C. & Veronica Atkins Center for Weight & Health. After completing her fellowship at UC Davis, Peart was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at Agustana College in Moline, Illinois.
	Susan Perez, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2014 – August 2016 Susan Perez served for two years as a Quality, Safety and Comparative Effectiveness Research Training Postdoctoral Fellow at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. In that role, Perez managed a research project supported by the Agency for Health-care Quality and Research that emphasizes leadership development in surgical, trauma and urgent/emergency care outcomes. She is now an assistant professor at California State University, Sacramento, teaching Community Health and Introduction to U.S. Healthcare in the Kinesiology and Health Science Department.
	Janet S. Pohl, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2018 – October 2019 Janet S. Pohl is a postdoctoral scholar for the Family Caregiving Institute at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. With a passion for moving the science of social isolation and caregiving forward, Janet focuses her research on the older adult, their caregivers and how social isolation is associated with the health and well-being of each in this relationship. She is mentored by Terri Harvath, institute director and executive associate dean for the school and Janice Bell, the associate dean for research.
	Hermine Poghosyan, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2012 - September 2013 Hermine Poghosyan was a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow for one year. She conducted interprofessional health-services research focused on access to high quality and safe care under the guidance of Associate Dean for Research and Professor Jill G. Joseph. During her postdoctoral fellowship, Poghosyan collaborated with an interprofessional team to strengthen access to high-quality chronic disease care for under-resourced and disadvantaged individuals. After completing her postdoctoral service, Poghosyan was appointed assistant professor at University of Massachusetts at Boston College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Read more about how the school prepares nurse faculty.
	Sarah Reed, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2018 - December 2019 Sarah Reed was a postdoctoral scholar in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, mentored by Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell. Her research focused on vulnerable populations and issues of health inequality, including the effect of health transitions on mental health, particularly in cancer survivors.
	Ronit Ridberg, Ph.D., M.S. Length of service: September 2018 - July 2022 Ronit Ridberg served for four years as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She is now a research assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. While a postdoctoral scholar, she was mentored by Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell as well as Fred Meyers, director for the UC Davis Health Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences, where Ridberg managed the center’s Precision Nutrition Program. Her research includes evaluation of programs in and outside the clinical setting which aim to address food insecurity, improve dietary consumption and manage chronic disease. This body of work builds on her doctoral dissertation, which she completed at the School of Nursing in 2018.
	Tina L. Rylee, Ph.D. Specialty: Nursing innovation and education Tina L. Rylee is a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She is mentored by Dean Stephen Cavanagh. Together, their work explores and expands upon nursing innovation from a theoretical perspective and uses the findings to inform scale development to measure a person’s innovative behavior.
	Tara Sharpp, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2008 - October 2011 Tara Sharpp was a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow for three years. Sharpp was a project manager for one of the school's research grants, the Influence of Social Support and Networks on Caregiver Mental and Physical Health. Previously, Sharpp was a Claire M. Fagin Fellow from 2008 to 2010, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation. As a postdoctoral fellow, her research focused on the care older adults with dementia receive in assisted living facilities. Sharpp received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Twin Cities School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota in 2001 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Gerontological Nursing degree from UC San Francisco. In January 2014, Sharpp was appointed to a tenure-track position at California State University, Sacramento, where she previously served as a part-time faculty member prior to the appointment.
	Casey Shillam, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2010 - May 2012 Casey Shillam served as a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Heather M. Young. Shillam’s research emphasis as a fellow examined gerontological nursing with a focus on persistent pain in older adults and referral for pain management. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 2008, a Master of Science in Nursing in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2002, all from Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing. Prior to joining the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Shillam was an assistant professor at the University of Portland School of Nursing and worked in chronic-care management for assisted living facilities in Portland. Following her UC Davis postdoctoral fellowship, Shillam was appointed assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She now serves as the dean for the University of Portland School of Nursing, where she first launched her academic nursing career in 2006.
	Ji Won Shin, Ph.D., R.N. Specialty: Communication and family engagement in the intensive care unit, family outcomes in critical illness Ji Won Shin is a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She is mentored by Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell and Assistant Professor in the Family Caregiving Institute Julie Bidwell. Her research is focused on family engagement in the intensive care unit (ICU) and family outcomes in acute-critical illness.
	Priyanka Shrestha, Ph.D., M.G.S., R.N. Length of service: September 2021 – September 2022 Priyanka Shrestha served a year as a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She was mentored by Clinical Professor Deb Bakerjian and Family Caregiving Institute Director and Clinical Professor Theresa A. Harvath. Her research is focused on family engagement, family outcomes, and development of therapeutic family interventions associated with caregiving for older adults with delirium and delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD).
	Mai See Yang, Ph.D. Length of service: October 2020 – October 2021 Mai See Yang served one year as a postdoctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She was mentored by former Associate Professor Katherine Kim. While there, she worked on the Accountability, Coordination, and Telehealth in the Valley to Achieve Transformation and Equity (ACTIVATE) project to improve health outcomes through the use of digital health. Now, she is a data modeler specialist for Heluna Health, which provides program and support services to optimize population health.