OU Public Health | Fall 2018 9 Kathleen “Kae” Aithinne is a doc- toral student in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. With parents in the mili- tary, Aithinne moved about every four years. Although she was born at Yakota Air Force Base in Japan, she considers herself an Oklahoma na- tive because she has lived here the longest. Her research interests cen- ter on bacteria or viruses that can be suspended in liquids or aerosolized. She hopes to uncover new informa- tion that will lead to better ways to reduce infection or re-infection. Aithinne said the Hudson fellow- ship helps ease the financial burden of her continued education for her and her family. She plans to have a career working in biosafety and en- vironmental microbiology as a Certi- fied Industrial Hygienist at a national laboratory before returning to aca- demiatoteachandmentorfutureoc- cupational safety and health industry professionals. June Dao is a doctoral student in epidemiology. The Vietnam native combines a love for both numbers and biology in her doctoral work at the OU College of Public Health. With a strong interest in cancer pre- vention, she currently is involved in research that aims to better under- stand the effect of environmental exposures on cancer. Dao said the Hudson fellowship provides her with a great opportunity to focus on her education and to get the re- search experience necessary for her future as an epidemiologist. Ngoc Quyen Duong is a doctoral stu- dentinbiostatistics.BorninVietnam, she grew up in Minnesota where she first conquered English as a second language, then quickly learned she also had a knack for numbers. Du- ong’s research involves developing models to predict infants at risk for severe bleeding in the brain. Cur- rently, there are no effective methods of prevention. Her work aims to bet- ter predict at-risk infants utilizing measures taken from special near- infrared headbands. Born in Oklahoma City, Kaitlin McGrew is a doctoral student in epidemiology. McGrew’s interest in public health research stems from her work as a nursing assistant at a children’s rehabilitation and long- term care center. She noticed a lot of big-picture problems in her community that were contributing to the development of preventable health issues. Seeking to make a larger impact on public health in Oklahoma, McGrew’s research fo- cuses on quantifying health dispar- ities and decreasing the burden of stigmatized illnesses such as Hepa- titis C virus and substance-use dis- orders. After earning her doctor- ate, she plans to build a career that combines teaching and mentoring students with research aimed at improving health and quality of life for underserved populations. Wei-Jen Chen is a doctoral student in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. A native of Tai- wan, Chen saw his love for public health ignite as an undergraduate student when a professor challenged students to apply their textbook learning to research. Chen said the experience changed his think- ing about public health. He real- ized public health can improve the promotion of good health as well as disease prevention and reduce the burden of disease on the health care system. Chen said the Hudson fellowship has been instrumental in helping him achieve his goals to help expand knowledge and en- hance the field of epidemiology for future generations. The five current Hudson Fellows are: Kathleen “Kae” Aithinne June Dao Ngoc Quyen Duong Kaitlin McGrew Wei-Jen Chen