UC Davis Bircwh-IWHR Scholars-2006
Lesley M. Butler, M.S.P.H., Ph.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor
Public Health Sciences, Division of Epidemiology, School of Medicine
Mentor: Ellen Gold
Dr. Butler received an M.S.P.H. in 1998 and Ph.D. in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following completion of her Ph.D. degree, she served as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She was appointed an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Services, Division of Epidemiology, at UC Davis in 2003. Dr. Butler is pursuing research in inflammation, inflammatory mediators and mammographic density during the menopausal transition.
Diana Cassady, Ph.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor
Public Health Sciences, Division of Epidemiology, School of Medicine
Mentor: Ellen Gold
Dr. Cassady earned an M.P.H. in 1989 and a Ph.D. in 1994 in Health Education at the University of California, Berkeley, following completion of her M.A. degree in Communication in 1987 at Stanford University. In 1994 she accepted a position as an evaluation specialist in the Cardiovascular Disease Outreach program with UC San Francisco and the Department of Health Services, becoming Acting Director in 1997 and Associate Director in 1999. In 2001, she was appointed Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Health Services, Division of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, at UC Davis. Dr. Cassady will focus her research on the dietary predictors of menopausal symptoms.
Donna DeFreitas, M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine
Lead Mentor: Edward Callahan
Co-Mentor: Jill Joseph
Dr. DeFreitas received her M.P.H. from the University of California at Davis and her M.D. from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. Following the completion of her M.D. degree, she completed a residency in internal medicine at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. After serving as a staff physician at the Veterans Hospital in Phoenix and as an associate physician with the UC Davis Health System, Dr. DeFreitas was appointed Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, at UC Davis. The focus of her research is the identification of risk factors for HIV infection in African-American females to tailor and adapt existing prevention interventions to maximize their impact on this population.
Lorena Garcia, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Chicano Studies
College of Letters and Science
Lead Mentor: Adela de la Torre
Co-Mentor: Ellen Gold
After receiving her M.P.H. in Epidemiology/Biostatistics at Boston University, M.A., in 1995, Dr. Garcia earned her Ph.D. degree in 2002 in Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. After serving as a postdoctoral scholar for one year, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Chicano Studies at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Garcia will study obesity, diabetes, and health related complications among Mexican American women.
Marjorie Solomon, Ph.D., M.B.A., Assistant Clinical Professor
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the MIND Institute
Mentor: Cameron Carter
Dr. Solomon received her M.B.A. degree in 1985 from Stanford University. After working in business and finance for a number of years, she enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley and completed her Ph.D. in 1999 in Psychology. She served as a Psychology Fellow at the UC Davis Medical Center and was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the MIND Center at the University of California, Davis, in 2003. Dr. Solomon will examine autism spectrum disorders in girls aged 8 to 18.
Wei Yao, M.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor
Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Mentor: Nancy Lane
Co-Mentor: Judith Turgeon
Dr. Yao received her M.D. degree from Hunan Medical University in 1992. She subsequently completed her residency at the Beihai Hospital, and served as a Clinical Fellow in internal medicine at the 2nd Afflict Hospital of Xianya Medical University in China. In 1997, Dr. Yao accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah. In 2001, she was appointed a research associate in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco and in 2004 was appointed as a research scientist in the VA Palo Also Health Care System. In 2005, Dr. Yao was appointed Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, at the University of California, Davis. She plans to continue her research in osteoporosis, more specifically on wingless signaling and its relationship with the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.