Meet the Team
A. Susana Ramírez, PhD, MPH
Principal Investigator
As an infodemiologist, Dr. Susana Ramírez applies communication science to advance public health goals for rural and Latino populations. Communication inequalities – differences in access, comprehension, and use of health information across social groups – exacerbate rather than reduce health disparities. The science of communication plays an important role in understanding where those communication failures occur, how they affect health, and how to harness the power of communication to improve health.
Dr. Ramírez is a nationally recognized expert on media, inequality and dietary health, and Latinx culture. She has provided expert testimony for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on communicating about obesity and chronic disease and is frequently invited to discuss communication and public health challenges facing rural and Latino populations. Her research has been published in top interdisciplinary journals and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Buoy Health, and the Hellman Family Foundation. Dr. Ramírez’ research has been featured in regional and national news including NPR, ABC News, Univisión, and the Huffington Post.
Currently Dr. Ramírez is an Associate Professor of Public Health Communication at the University of California in Merced. In 2019-20, she was Visiting Professor at the Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), through the University of California Education Abroad Programs.
Dr. Ramírez earned a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Santa Clara University. Professor Ramírez completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention in the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. She has 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating strategic, culturally-appropriate communications in multinational organizations.
Dr. Ramírez is a nationally recognized expert on media, inequality and dietary health, and Latinx culture. She has provided expert testimony for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on communicating about obesity and chronic disease and is frequently invited to discuss communication and public health challenges facing rural and Latino populations. Her research has been published in top interdisciplinary journals and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Buoy Health, and the Hellman Family Foundation. Dr. Ramírez’ research has been featured in regional and national news including NPR, ABC News, Univisión, and the Huffington Post.
Currently Dr. Ramírez is an Associate Professor of Public Health Communication at the University of California in Merced. In 2019-20, she was Visiting Professor at the Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), through the University of California Education Abroad Programs.
Dr. Ramírez earned a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Santa Clara University. Professor Ramírez completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention in the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. She has 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating strategic, culturally-appropriate communications in multinational organizations.
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Deepti Chittamuru, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cancer Prevention and Latina Health
Dr. Chittamuru is a behavioral scientist and mixed methods researcher whose research is at the intersection of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) and public health with an emphasis on social justice and health equity. Her current research examines how technology might be leveraged to improve health outcomes for marginalized and underserved populations both globally and locally. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Program for Sexuality, Technology, and Action Research (PSTAR) in the Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Chittamuru earned a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, a Masters in Information Management and Systems from the School of Information, University of California Berkeley and a Bachelors in Computer Science and Systems Engineering from Andhra University. She has extensive experience in designing, deploying and evaluating technology-based interventions in a wide variety of contexts such as public health, public education and agriculture.
Mi Zhou, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Media and Health
Dr. Zhou is a behavior and community research scientist whose research interests build on developing and testing innovative and interdisciplinary research questions related to public health. Her current research explores the effects of different communication media and technologies on health outcomes for underserved populations. Dr. Zhou earned a PhD in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. Her dissertation research examined food and nutrition marketing practices and policy interventions. Dr. Zhou earned a Master's degree in linguistics at Beijing Forestry University in China and a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in health education from Virginia Tech. Prior to starting her doctoral degree, Dr. Zhou worked with Hokie Wellness at Virginia Tech to improve campus-wide employee health. Her work involved researching, planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion programs designed to promote diabetes prevention, mindful eating, and work-life balance among diverse demographic populations. Before studying in the U.S., Dr. Zhou was involved in public health work regarding breast cancer prevention and iodine deficiency education in China.
PhD Students
Kimberly Arellano Carmona, M.P.H., C.H.E.S.
Kimberly is a doctoral student in Public Health at UC Merced. Prior to joining UC Merced, she worked as a Clinical Research Assistant at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from California State University, Northridge. Kimberly’s research interests reflect the shifting demographics of the United States and focus on Latino health. She is particularly interested in how access to health care and health information contribute to Latino cancer health disparities.
Kimberly Sanchez, MPH
Kim is a doctoral student in Public Health at UC Merced. She earned a B.A. in Public Health from UC Merced and a Master of Public Health from Cal State Long Beach. Her primary research interests are related to Latino immigrant health.
Kesia Garibay, MSPH
Kesia is a doctoral student in Public Health at UC Merced. She received her B.A. and a Master of Science in Public Health from UC Merced. Her research interests include the impact of health policy on underserved communities and understanding how policy addresses health disparities. She is currently working to develop a state obesity policy database with the Health Policy Research Group (PI: Dr. Denise Payán). Kesia joined the team in Summer 2020 to conduct an analysis of the media advocacy strategies used to pass Mexico's junk food labeling law. Kesia is the 2020 recipient of the Future History Makers Award from Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE).
Undergraduate Student Research Assistants
Stephanie Reyes, B.A. (2020)
Stephanie earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Public Health from UC Merced. Growing up in the Central Valley gave her an awareness of the lack of health care and the stigma that creates unwillingness to seek mental health care among the Latino community. Thus, Stephanie plans to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology to focus on improving overall health, access to mental health care among underrepresented communities, and reduce negative perceptions associated with seeking help. Stephanie is a 2019-20 Student Success Intern.
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Michael Vang, B.A. (Public Health, 2020)
Michael earned a B.A. in Public Health with a minor in Psychology at UC Merced. He grew up in Fresno and plans to obtain a PhD in Health Psychology. His research interests include health behavior and outcomes. Michael joined the team in 2020 to help with understanding how health information seeking from a website influences health decision-making.
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Yolanda Merino Salmeron (Public Health, 2021)
Yolanda majored in Public Health. She aspires to become a physician and serve in the Central Valley. Her interests are in Latino health, health disparities, health communication, and health policy making. She hopes to combine her passion for public health and medicine to decrease the gap in health disparities among disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. Through a 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, she contributed to our project examining media advocacy strategies used to pass Mexico's junk food label law. She is currently serving as a Project Assistant on the CDC/CDPH funded effort to understand structural barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among vulnerable populations in Merced and Madera Counties.
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Victoria Campos Gatica, BA (Public Health, 2022)
Victoria is an undergraduate double majoring in Public Health and Spanish at UC Merced. Victoria is interested in addressing health disparities among Latinos and minorities. She is focused on improving the overall health of populations who are underrepresented. Her research interests include health disparities, diabetes, and immigrant policies. Through a 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, she is examining media advocacy strategies used to pass Mexico's junk food label law.
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