Biography
I was born and raised in the beautiful Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. My experience working in limited-resource and high-resource settings has guided my research interests. My research program is therfore united by a commitment to addressing disparities in breast cancer incidence and outcomes through a comprehensive approach that combines computational methods, community engagement, and health policy analysis. By focusing on the continuum of care—from understanding risk factors to improving access to treatment and assessing economic implications—I aim to bridge gaps in precision health and promote health equity globally. My research program has three key areas:
1. Understanding Environmental Drivers of Breast Cancer Risk. We aim to investigate how cumulative environmental exposures at work and at home contribute to disparities in breast cancer risk using machine learning.
2. Economic Implications of Breast Cancer Screening. We aim to analyze the costs of different age-based and risk-based breast cancer screening algorithms in the USA to inform policy and ensure sustainable, equitable screening interventions.
3. Implement Programs and Tools to Reduce Cancer Treatment Disparities in the Caribbean. We aim to implement and evaluate cancer patient navigation, and diagnostic AI tools to improve cancer management. This research is done through the Caribbean Cancer Research Institute, an NGO I founded in 2016, and in collaboration with various hospitals and NGOs in the Caribbean.
1. Understanding Environmental Drivers of Breast Cancer Risk. We aim to investigate how cumulative environmental exposures at work and at home contribute to disparities in breast cancer risk using machine learning.
2. Economic Implications of Breast Cancer Screening. We aim to analyze the costs of different age-based and risk-based breast cancer screening algorithms in the USA to inform policy and ensure sustainable, equitable screening interventions.
3. Implement Programs and Tools to Reduce Cancer Treatment Disparities in the Caribbean. We aim to implement and evaluate cancer patient navigation, and diagnostic AI tools to improve cancer management. This research is done through the Caribbean Cancer Research Institute, an NGO I founded in 2016, and in collaboration with various hospitals and NGOs in the Caribbean.
Awards & Honors
Award | Conferred By | Date |
---|---|---|
Environmental Justice Bootcamp Travel Award | Columbia University | 2023/2023 |
Breast Oncology Program Research Development Award | University of California San Francisco | 2023/2023 |
Cancer Cell Map Initiative Cancer Systems Biology Training Program Award | University of California San Francisco | 2023/2023 |
EaRTH Centre Postdoctoral Mentorship Award | University of California San Francisco | 2023/2023 |
"One to Watch" Alumni Award | York University, Toronto, ON | 2019/2019 |
Scientist <-> Survivor Program Scholarship | American Association for Cancer Research | 2018/2018 |
Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Fellowship | US Department of State | 2017/2017 |
Radboud Scholarship Program & StudyFund Scholarship | Radbound University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands | 2012/2012 |
National Additional Scholarship | Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago | 2008/2008 |
Shezan Al Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Achievement | St. Joseph's Convent, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago | 2008/2008 |
International Circle of Scholars Scholarship | York University, Toronto, ON | 2008/2008 |
International Internship Award | York University, Toronto, ON | 2008/2008 |
Education
Institution | Degree | Dept or School | End Date |
---|---|---|---|
The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago | Doctor of Philosophy (with High Commendation) | Molecular Genetics | 2022 |
St. Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands | Master of Science | Biomedical Science; Specialization in Infectious Disease | 2014 |
York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Bachelor of Science | Biomedical Science (Honors) | 2012 |
Grants and Funding
- WISDOM: A platform to optimize subtype-specific screening and prevention | NIH/NCI | 2024-08-01 - 2029-07-31 | Role: Co-Investigator
- Leveraging the WISDOM cohort to improve genetic, epigenetic, and environmental contributions to breast cancer risk assessment | Department of Defense | 2024-04-01 - 2028-03-31 | Role: Project Lead
- Investigating the relationship between chemical exposures, DNA methylation, and breast cancer risk. | California Breast Cancer Research Program | 2024-03-01 - 2027-03-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
- Characterizing the chemical exposome and examining its role in breast cancer risk prediction using the Athena Breast Health Network cohor | NIH/NCI, UCSF Breast Oncology Program | 2023-11-01 - 2024-10-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
- Elucidating the epigenomic alterations associated with toxic environmental chemical exposures and breast cancer risk in the Athena Breast Health Network using machine learning | NIH/NCI, UC San Francisco-UC San Diego Cancer Cell Map Initiative | 2023-11-01 - 2024-10-31 | Role: Mentored Postdoctoral Scolar Award
- A pilot study of non-targeted chemical screening analysis in archived blood samples from participants in the Athena Breast Health Network | NIH/NIEHS, UCSF Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) | 2023-07-01 - 2024-02-29 | Role: Mentored Postdoctoral Scolar Award
Publications
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 13
- National yearly cost of breast cancer screening in the USA and projected cost of advocated guidelines: a simulation study with life table modelling.| | PubMed
- Guiding principles for the responsible development of artificial intelligence tools for healthcare.| | PubMed
- Falling down the biological rabbit hole: Epstein-Barr virus, biography, and multiple sclerosis.| | PubMed
- The Repository for Caribbean Cancer Publications (ReCCaP): Database Development and Publication Trends 2004-2019.| | PubMed
- Factors associated with breast cancer recurrence and survival at Sangre Grande Hospital, Trinidad.| | PubMed
- Developing a patient navigation training program for the Caribbean context| | UCSF Research Profile
- Stabilization of the V2 loop improves the presentation of V2 loop-associated broadly neutralizing antibody epitopes on HIV-1 envelope trimers.| | PubMed
- Cancer incidence and mortality rates and trends in Trinidad and Tobago.| | PubMed
- Xenin is a novel anorexigen in goldfish (Carassius auratus).| | PubMed
- The burden of prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago: one of the highest mortality rates in the world.| | PubMed
- A situational analysis of breast cancer early detection services in Trinidad and Tobago.| | PubMed
- Perspectives in Bioethics: Precision Medicine a Threat to Health Equity| | UCSF Research Profile
- Molecular Characterisation of Chikungunya Virus Infections in Trinidad and Comparison of Clinical and Laboratory Features with Dengue and Other Acute Febrile Cases.| | PubMed