Current Fellows
Pursuing Their Career Goals With Our Support
The UIC Cancer Health Equity and Career Development Program supports up to six postdoctoral and predoctoral fellows each year. We accept applicants from a wide spectrum of academic backgrounds — from the biological and medical sciences, to sociology, statistics, economics, math, and more. We particularly welcome fellows from ethnic and racial backgrounds that are underrepresented in cancer research.
Postdoctoral Fellows Heading link
Lucille Ray, PhD
Research Interests: Understanding the impact of the microbiome on the circulation of sex hormones, and how it impacts cancer disease states both in the gut, and throughout the rest of the body.
Email: lray5@uic.edu
Cecily Byrne, PhD, RDN
Research Interests: Promoting equitable and sustainable strategies for cancer prevention by contributing evidence on the influence of the neighborhood and policy environments on physical activity and other cancer-related outcomes.
Email: cbyrne7@uic.edu
Abdi Gudina, PhD, MS, MPH, MSc
Research Interests: Understanding health disparities with an emphasis on lung cancer screening among underserved racial/ethnic minorities.
Email: agudina@uic.edu
Predoctoral Fellows Heading link
Manoela Lima Oliveira, MS, RD, LDN
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences
Dissertations Focus: Feasibility and acceptability of weight loss and stress reduction interventions to reduce the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer among young adults.
Email: mlimao2@uic.edu
Rebecca Denson
Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dissertations Focus: Developing behavioral health interventions to reduce tobacco and cannabis use, and examining mood, social, and cognitive factors that contribute to harmful tobacco and cannabis use.
Email: rdenso3@uic.edu
Marilyn Barragan
Department of Medicine
School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Dissertation Focus: Understanding the racial and ethnic disparities in gynecological cancers of Latina women from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Email: mbarra7@uic.edu