CIIS Fellows

Meet the Fellows!

2023 Fellow Cohort

Mei Elansary MD, MPhil is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, and a health services researcher. Dr. Elansary’s research investigates maternal mental health and child development. She has specific interests in parenting interventions for trauma-exposed families, with a focus on the prevention of child psychopathology. She aims to use implementation science to increase the availability of evidence-based parenting training interventions in the pediatric medical home and address barriers to access, engagement, and retention in parent training interventions among highly vulnerable dyads.

Katherine “Katie” Rizzolo, MD is a clinician-investigator and instructor in the Department of Nephrology at Boston Medical Center. Her research interests center on advocacy for underserved communities disproportionately by kidney disease, especially Latinx and immigrant populations. Her current research aims to utilize implementation strategies to improve access to, and uptake in, patient-centered dialysis education for Latinx populations with kidney failure.

Rebecca Rudel, DrPH, RD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the section for Infectious Diseases at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is a former clinical Registered Dietitian and is formally trained in program implementation and evaluation. Her research aims to improve access to clinical and community-based services for populations traditionally marginalized by the healthcare system.

2022 Fellow Cohort

Kirsten Austad MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at BUSM and a hospitalist and family planning provider in the Department of Family Medicine at BMC. Her research seeks to promote health equity in local and global contexts through implementation science. Her CIIS Fellowship research project focuses on improving the hospital discharge process for populations with limited English proficiency (LEP). She was awarded a K23 from NIMHD in October 2023 and transitioned into her current role as CIIS faculty. She leads the CIIS monthly methods seminars and coordinate fellowship didactics.

Shana Burrowes, PhD, CPH is an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the section for Infectious Diseases at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. Burrowes is a highly trained quantitative researcher and completed post-doctoral training at Boston University where she gained qualitative and mixed methods research skills. Her research covers a breadth of topics but is centered on addressing inequitable access to and receipt of healthcare in racial and ethnic minorities with a special focus on antibiotic use and clinical outcomes in the Latin American Caribbean Immigrant community.

2021 Fellow Cohort

Kathryn Fantasia, MD, MSc is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at BUSM and an endocrinologist in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at BMC. She received her medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed IM residency, chief residency year & endocrinology fellowship at BMC. During her fellowship she received a MS degree in HSSR at BUSPH. Her CIIS Fellowship research project focused on improving access to care and improving outcomes for underserved populations with diabetes.

Gabriela (Gaby) Cordova Ramos, MD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at BUSM and a neonatologist at BMC. Dr. Cordova Ramos’s research investigates racial/ethnic and linguistic disparities in neonatal-perinatal delivery of care. Her focus is on adapting evidence-base interventions for diverse populations in safety-net settings to increase their uptake, scale-up and sustainability over time. Her CIIS Fellowship research project examined the adaptation and implementation of standardized SDoH screening and referral in a safety-net NICU setting.