Faculty
Jason Nagata, MD, MSc
Principal Investigator
Dr. Nagata is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and affiliated faculty with the Institute for Global Health Sciences. He researches health consequences of adolescent and young adult behaviors and is an expert in body image and eating disorders in boys and men. He has published over 300 articles in academic journals including The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Pediatrics. He is Co-Founder of the International Association for Adolescent Health Young Professionals Network. He serves as Senior Editor of the Journal of Eating Disorders, on the International Advisory Board of The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Adolescent Health. He is the recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics Emerging Leader in Adolescent Health Award, the International Association for Adolescent Health Young Professionals Prize, and the Western Society for Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award. He completed a BA in Health and Societies from the University of Pennsylvania, MSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of Oxford, MD and Adolescent Medicine Fellowship from UCSF, and Pediatrics Residency at Stanford University.
Kyle Ganson, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ganson is an Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. His research interests include men's health, male eating disorders, and performance-enhancing substances.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Anita Chaphekar, DO
Fellow Physician
Dr. Chaphekar is a fellow in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and a research fellow in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. She earned her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center and completed her pediatric residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She is a member of the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). Her clinical and research interests include the overlap seen with eating disorders and gender diverse youth.
Julia Raney, MD
Fellow Physician
Dr. Raney is a fellow in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. She earned her medical degree from Yale School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. Her research interests include health disparities, adverse childhood experiences, resiliency, and adolescent health.
Abubakr Al-shoaibi, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Al-shoaibi is a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. He earned his masters and doctoral degrees in public health from the Graduate School of Medicine at Nagoya University, Japan. His research interests include adolescent health, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
Christopher D. Otmar, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Christopher D. Otmar, PhD (University of California, Santa Barbara, 2024) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. His research investigates how close relationships and social behavior are linked to health during adolescence, with his current work focused on social exclusion and binge eating symptoms. He also examines the social health of LGBTQIA+ adults and studies how interpersonal experiences in adolescence may affect health and well-being across the lifespan.
Dr. Otmar specializes in psychometrics and longitudinal structural equation modeling. He has received multiple Top Paper Awards from the National Communication Association and the James J. Bradac Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research. His research has been funded by the University of California’s Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research, and he is currently supported on an NIH-funded project examining longitudinal associations between social media use and binge eating symptoms among adolescents. His research has been published in Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, International Journal of Eating Disorders, and JAMA Network Open.
Kirk Fergus, MD, MAS
Resident Physician
Dr. Fergus is a surgery resident physician at the University of California San Francisco, where he completed medical school and a masters degree in clinical research. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in social studies. He studies young adult risk behaviors in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.
Chloe Cattle, MD
Resident Physician
Dr. Cattle is an internal medicine resident physician at the University of California San Francisco, where she completed medical school. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Psychobiology. Her research examines eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia in sexual and gender minority populations in The PRIDE Study.
Colbey Ricklefs, MD
Fellow Physician
Dr. Ricklefs is a clinical fellow in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. He earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri, his MPH from Boston University, and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Washington Harborview Family Medicine Clinic. He is the trainee delegate on the Board of Directors and member of the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). His clinical and research interests include optimizing care for sexual and gender minority adolescents and young adults, including implementation of PrEP.
Leana King, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. King is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research examines the interplay between brain development, genetics, and behavior in adolescents, leveraging data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. She earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley, where she specialized in human neuroimaging approaches applied to transcriptomics and neuroanatomy.
Dr. King was also an inaugural graduate fellow at the Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public, where she contributed to multiple interdisciplinary projects with a particular focus on ethical challenges surrounding population-level neuroimaging and genetic datasets. She is currently affiliated with the UCSF Bioethics Program as she continues her postdoctoral research.
Data Analysts
Christiane Helmer, MPH
Christiane has been a data analyst with the lab since 2024 and will begin medical school in the fall. She earned her BAs in Molecular and Cell Biology & Public Health and her MPH in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health from UC Berkeley. Her research interests include adolescent mental health and social epidemiology, and she particularly enjoys mentoring students in research.
Jennifer Wong, MPH
Jennifer is a data analyst who recently received her MPH in epidemiology/biostatistics from UC Berkeley. She interned at the lab in the summer of 2024 and has been working with the lab since. Her research interests include social media and screen time, cognition, and cardiovascular outcomes.
Kristen Kim, MPH
Kristen Kim is a consultant data analyst for the Nagata Lab. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health, minor in Data Science, and an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from UC Berkeley. Her research interests include adolescent smartphone and screen time use.
Medical Students
Jacqueline Hur
Medical Student
Jackie is a medical student at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of California, Berkely with a degree in Psychology and Public Policy. Her research interests include nutrition, eating disorders, and lifestyle medicine, as well as improving the dissemination of Nagata Lab's research through infographics and media.
Elizabeth Li
Medical Student
Elizabeth is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. She completed her undergraduate degree in Public Health, Media Studies, and Public Policy, as well as her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley. With a background in health innovation and youth mental health, she is particularly interested in adolescent health, screen use and social media, sleep, and bridging research and practice.
Omar Sajjad, MS
Medical Student
Omar is a medical student at Dartmouth College. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Biology and Global Health. He later received his M.S. in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco. His research focuses on screen time and alcohol use in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Derek Sportsman
Medical Student
Derek Sportsman is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. They graduated from UCLA with a degree in Human Biology and Society, then taught high school science in Boston for three years while earning their Masters in Education (Ed.M.) from Boston University. Derek's research and clinical interests include Pediatrics, Urology, Fertility Care, Adolescent Health, and Genetics. Through their work, Derek hopes to improve quality-of-life healthcare outcomes for children and teens.
Shayna Weinstein, BA
MPH Practicum Student
Shayna is a 4+1 Master of Public Health student at the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated from her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Public Health and a minor in Nutritional Sciences. She plans to attend medical school. Her research examines ACE’s, nutrition, cardiovascular risk, and mental health among adolescents for the advancement of clinical guidelines.
Gabriel Zamora, BA
Medical Student
Gabriel is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a degree in psychology. His overarching goal is to carry out research to improve the mental health of children, adolescents, and their families. His research examines adolescent screen time and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Graduate Students
Char Potes
MPH Student
Char Potes is a Masters of Public Health student at UC Berkeley, concentrating in Food, Nutrition, and Population Health. Previously, he got his BA in Rhetoric, also from UC Berkeley. He is a research assistant specializing in research writing, and his research interests include nutrition and mental health, eating disorders, screen time, and LGBT+ populations.
Racquel Richardson
MPH Student
Racquel is a current MPH student at UC Berkeley with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics. She graduated with a B.A. in psychology with a minor in global public health from UC Berkeley. Her research interests include clinical epidemiology, mental health/psychopharmacology, and screen use.
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistants
Hasan Alsamman
Hasan graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Cognitive Science and plans to attend medical school. His research interests include ACEs, health disparities, and the impact of technology on adolescent health. He also creates infographics to share research findings with broader audiences on social media.
Samuel Benabou
Sam is a student at Stanford University studying Human Biology. His research examines concussions in adolescents and young adults and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adults.
Eli Vasen
Eli is a Master of Public Health graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research interests include adolescent development, screen use, and supportive interventions for sexual and gender diverse youth.
Undergraduate Students
Alexander Heuer
Undergraduate Student
Alexander is an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University, studying kinesiology and biology. His research interests include physical activity, cardiovascular disease, substance use, and social determinants of health. Alexander aspires to become a physician dedicated to improving the health and well-being of underserved communities.
Oliver Huang
Undergraduate Student
Oliver is a sophomore at Duke University majoring in Public Policy. In the lab, he studies adolescent and young adult screen use, particularly in boys and men. Outside of the lab, he is a teen advisor for #HalfTheStory, where he works on advancing digital wellness for youth.
Cynthia Li
Undergraduate Student
Cynthia Li is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, studying Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. She has a strong interest in pediatrics and mental health, with a focus on early development, preventive care, and improving access to healthcare for children and adolescents.
Sahana Nayak
Undergraduate Student
Sahana is an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz studying psychology. She is deeply committed to advancing eating disorder awareness and prevention. Her research further explores topics including screen use, cognition, and mental health outcomes.
Jonanne Talebloo
Undergraduate Student
Jonanne is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology. Her interests include health education outreach as well as research in cardiovascular disease risk, mental health, and screen use.
Claire Tsai
Undergraduate Student
Claire is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley studying Cognitive Science and Neuroscience. Her interests include developmental psychology, as well as research in neurotechnology, molecular neuroscience, and science communication.
Lab Alumni
Deepika Parmar, MD, MPH
Dr. Parmar is a physician at Kaiser Permanente and was a fellow in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Parmar earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri and completed her pediatric residency training at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. She completed her Masters at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP) and a member of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). She has a passion for serving sexual and gender minority youth and this has become her area of focus for research.
Jonathan Chu, MD
Medical Student
Jonathan is a medical student at the University of California San Francisco. He graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. His research examines weight control behaviors and body mass index trajectories in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.
Lynhea Anicete, MS
Graduate Student
Lynhea is a recent graduate of the masters in global health sciences program at the University of California, San Francisco. She studies household composition and mental health among HIV-affected households in the Shamba Maisha study.
Paola Bojorquez-Ramirez, MPH
Graduate Student Epidemiology Program
Paola is a Master of Public Health graduate at the Yale School of Public Health in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Her overarching goal is to carry out epidemiological research to improve the health of women, infants, children, and adolescents. Her research examines gender differences in medical complications of eating disorders among adolescents and young adults.
Natalia Smith, MPH
MPH Student
Natalia is a second-year Master of Public Health student at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a clinical dietitian, who graduated from the Universidad Ibero, Mexico City. Her interests lie in data driven solutions to improve maternal, child, and adolescent health. Her research examines longitudinal data on adolescent mental health, physical activity, nutrition, and screen time use.
Catherine Cortez, MPH
Graduate Student Epidemiology Program
Catherine is a Master of Public Health graduate at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Epidemiology. She graduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Her research examines adolescent screen time, physical activity, and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Karen Li, BA
MPH Student
Karen is a 4+1 MPH student at Berkeley with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics. She graduated with her BA in Public Health from UC Berkeley and plans to attend medical school in the future. Her research interests include clinical epidemiology, nutrition, and cardiovascular disease.
Sana Alsamman, BA
Medical Student
Sana is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. She graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. Her research examines physical activity, Fitbit steps, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.
Christopher Lee, BA
Medical Student
Chris is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Biology. His research examines screen time, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as sexual orientation health disparities in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.
Anthony Nguyen, BS
Medical Student
Anthony is a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Biological Sciences and additionally dived deep into the joys of research through the American Chemical Society and biochemistry laboratories at the University of the Pacific. Today, he holds paramount interest in utilizing the skills he's learned in pursuit of clinical research that can improve human health. His research examines gender differences in medical complications of eating disorders among adolescents and young adults.
Gurbinder Singh, BS
Medical Student
Gary is a medical student at the University of California San Francisco. He graduated from University of California, Merced with a degree in Microbiology and Immunology. His research examines screen-associated behaviors and various outcomes in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.
Priya Balasubramanian, BA
MPH Student
Priya is a current MPH student at UC Berkeley specializing in Infectious Disease and Vaccinology with a focus on Biostatistics. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Her research interests include developing mathematical models and predictive analytics to study socio-behavioral trends and disease surveillance.
Ammal Bashir, BS
Dual MPH/DO Student
Ammal is a dual MPH/DO student concurrently pursuing her DO at the University of New England and her MPH in Epidemiology at the Icahn School of Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Her research interests include nutritional disparities in adolescents, chronic disease implications of epidemiological studies, and sociobehavioral health in minority youth.
Ashley Saldana
Undergraduate Student
Ashley is an undergraduate premedical student studying Chemistry and Music at the University of San Francisco with a background in mental health and disability rights advocacy. Her research interests include eating disorders and mental health, specifically in child and adolescent populations.