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
Andrew McLeod, PhD, MS, RD
Research Interests: Discovering diets and dietary components that may prevent or decrease cancer-related cognitive impairment and examining the potential mechanisms that connect diet with cancer-related cognitive impairment.
Email: amcleo2@uic.edu
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
Natalicio Serrano, PhD
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: serranon@uic.edu
Predoctoral Fellows Heading link
Nyahne Bergeron, MPH
Community Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health
Dissertation Focus: Understanding and leveraging health information sharing among the social networks of African American women for health promotion and cancer risk reduction.
Email: nberge1@uic.edu
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