Principal Investigator

Joshua Jeong, ScD, ScM

Dr. Jeong is the Rollins Distinguished Assistant Professor in Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He is a developmental scientist focused on understanding how parents influence early child development in low-resource settings. He applies his expertise in mixed-methods, intervention research, and implementation science to design father-inclusive and gender-transformative parenting interventions that strengthen family caregiving dynamics and support children’s early development. His projects are primarily based in Tanzania and Kenya and conducted in collaboration with local and international NGOs. He completed his BS in human development at Cornell University and his ScM, ScD, and postdoctoral fellowship in global health at Harvard University. During his graduate studies, he was a multi-year recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship in Swahili and was awarded a dissertation fellowship from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child. He has received several early career scientific awards for his research on parenting and ECD, including from NIH, Society for Research in Child Development, and the Jacobs Foundation. His last name is pronounced “Jung” (one syllable), like the first part of “jungle.”

Research Staff

Valencia J. Lambert, ScM

Data Analyst

Valencia Lambert is a Data Analyst at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Over the years, she has accumulated research experience in various research areas including family planning, infectious disease epidemiology, social determinants of health and neglected tropical diseases in the East African context. Through her work in Dr. Jeong’s team, she has pivoted into the field of early childhood development where she leverages her lived and professional experiences to contribute to revising the parenting intervention curriculum, coordinating monitoring and evaluation activities, and conducting mixed-methods analyses. Valencia was born and raised in Tanzania, and is fluent in both English and Swahili. She earned her BSc in Global and Public Health Sciences from Cornell University, and her ScM in Global Health and Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Alina Bhojani, ScM

Research Assistant

Alina Bhojani is a Research Assistant at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Her work, focused on early child development, employs mixed-methods research and implementation science. Her research interests include monitoring and evaluation of parenting programs, enhancing early childhood care and education, and conducting costing analyses of parenting interventions. Alina completed her BS in Public Health at the University of Texas at Austin and her ScM. in Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Nathan Yang, MPH

Project Coordinator

Nathan Yang is a Project Coordinator at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. His work involves supporting data collection, qualitative analysis, and coordinating program activities. He earned his BA in Human Health from Emory University and his MPH in Global Health from Rollins School of Public Health.

Graduate Students

Bindu Edupulapati

Bindu is a second-year MPH student studying Global Health at Emory, Rollins School of Public Health. She received her B.S. in chemistry and molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On the team, she is involved in quantitative and qualitative data management and analysis.

Yi-Tien Hsu

Yi-Tien is a second-year MSPH student in Global Epidemiology at Emory University, where she studies how structural inequities and cultural contexts shape health outcomes. Trained in nutrition and international health, she has conducted fieldwork in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Tanzania. On the team, she is involved in data management and quantitative analysis. The pronunciation of her first name sounds like “she” in English

Daniel Katebalila

Daniel is second-year MPH student in the Department of Global Health at Emory, Rollins School of Public Health. Daniel also holds a master’s in project planning and management, BA in Sociology and has experience in project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and community engagement. His research interests center on social and behavioral determinants of health and strengthening health systems to reduce maternal mortality. In the lab, he has been involved in qualitative coding on for the Tanzania project, as well as translating data from Kiswahili to English.

Kaushiki Ravi

Kaushiki is a first-year MPH student in the Department of Behavioral, Social, & Health Education Sciences who holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and Psychology at Emory. At the lab, she works on qualitative coding and analysis.

Rey Shankar

Rey is a second-year MPH student in the Department of Health Policy and Management, pursuing a certificate in Data Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public health, data science, and sociology from UC Berkeley. As a member of Dr. Jeong’s research team, Rey primarily supports qualitative data analysis, currently focusing on understanding caregivers’ experiences within parenting programs. Across her academic and professional roles, her work centers on improving the quality of health services at the community, clinical, and policy levels.

Nailah Wheeler

Nailah is a 2^nd Year MPH student in the Global Health Department at Emory University. She is also pursuing the Maternal and Child Health certificate. Nailah’s research interests center on strengthening health systems to reduce adverse health outcomes for women and children globally. She has experience in children’s behavioral health, childbirth education, and immunization service delivery. On the team, she is involved in monitoring and evaluation and data management.

Undergraduate Students

Khushi Agarwal

Khushi is a sophomore at Emory University double majoring in Biology and Psychology. She is passionate about public health and developmental psychology, with a focus on biological and social factors of health and behavior. In the lab, she contributes to qualitative coding and data management and analysis.

Liliana Copeland

Liliana is a junior at Emory on the pre-med track, majoring in Psychology and minoring in music. In the lab, she has been involved in qualitative coding, and data analysis. Her research interests include pediatrics, psychology, neurology, and music.

Anusha Gupta

Anusha is a sophomore on the pre-med track with a concentration on chemistry and psychology. She has been analyzing data and summarizing interviews.

Avi Kumar

Avi is a third-year student at Emory University, majoring in Anthropology and Human Biology. In the lab, Avi has been working on qualitative coding and analysis.

Becki M’mari

Becki is a third-year undergraduate student at Emory University majoring in Human Health and African Studies on the pre-med track. She is passionate about global health, health equity, and culturally grounded care as they relate to women’s and children’s health and social determinants that shape well-being. As a research assistant in the lab, Becki works on qualitative data analysis.

Selina Tariq

Selina is a third-year undergraduate student at Emory University double majoring in Anthropology & Human Biology and Spanish on the pre-med track. She is passionate about health equity and helping underserved populations.