
The Team

Mark Kuo
Mark is a Junior in the College majoring in Biology (BMCDB) with a minor in Public Health. His interests in environmental health originate in pollution, toxicology, and health promotion. He is a liver cancer researcher at the Lombardi Cancer Center Chung Lab, quantifying damage from carcinogenic exposure in DNA. He is also involved in GREEN, Alpha Phi Omega, and the Carroll Fellows Initiative. He is an avid amateur cook, singer, gardener, and violinist.

Ursula Gately
Ursula is a Senior in the College majoring in Biology of Global Health. Her interest in environmental health stems from her upbringing in Phoenix, Arizona and her work with Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action. She is a genetics teaching assistant, volunteer in George Washington’s emergency department, and the director of Cura Terra, Georgetown’s Undergraduate Research Journal of the Environment. In her free time, Ursula enjoys reading, meditating, rock climbing, and playing guitar.

Minoli Ediriweera
Minoli is a Sophomore in the College planning on majoring in Biology of Global Health with a minor in Journalism. Her interests in environmental health stem from epidemiology, including food/water-borne illnesses and zoonotic diseases, and her love for community service. She is currently a special projects/research assistant at the Center for Metabolomic Studies at the Lombardi Cancer Center, and is also the City Desk Editor of The Hoya. Minoli enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time outdoors with friends and family.

Amber Mickelson
Amber is a Sophomore in the College majoring in Neurobiology. Her main interest in environmental health lies with the effect of pollution on neuroepidemiology. She is currently a research assistant with the Ries Lab of Butterfly Informatics at Georgetown University, where she studies the effects of climate change on butterfly development. She is also the Director of Communications for the Georgetown Scientific Research Journal and is a Student Academic Advisor for Foundations of Biology 1. She loves to write, bake, and listen to podcasts.

Alex Bamford
Alex is a Senior in the College majoring in Environmental Biology with a minor in French. Environmental Health is a perfect intersection of her two primary academic interests, environmental studies and human medicine. Alex is also part of the DeCandia Lab, which focuses on mammalian microbiology and health, and has worked as a SAA in both Ecology and Foundations of Biology. In her free time, Alex enjoys hiking with her dogs or friends, cooking, and making ceramics.

Urooj Ahmed
Urooj is a junior in the College majoring in Biology of Global Health. Her interest in environmental health stems from observing how policy shapes one’s wellbeing. Currently, she is a research assistant under the DeCandia and Wimp Lab in which they study the effects of climate science on both mammalian and salt marsh microbiomes. In her free time, Urooj loves to read, crochet, and go on hikes.

Shreya Kalra
Shreya is a Sophomore in the School of Health majoring in Health Care Policy and Management. Her interest in environmental health is centered around the disproportionate impact of the climate crises on vulnerable populations, and how this relationship consequently further aggravates health disparities. At Georgetown, she is conducting research through GUROP to explore how the policy shaping the Select Agent Regulations has, as a consequence of its flawed execution, altered the course of scientific research. She is involved in student advocacy through her position as the Director of External Activism for the Georgetown Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and is a member of Project RISHI, which works to provide access to menstruation products to women in India. Beyond clubs, Shreya loves skiing, running, hiking, exploring/being in nature, and spending quality time with friends.

Shreya Kalra
Shreya is a Sophomore in the School of Health majoring in Health Care Policy and Management. Her interest in environmental health is centered around the disproportionate impact of the climate crises on vulnerable populations, and how this relationship consequently further aggravates health disparities. At Georgetown, she is conducting research through GUROP to explore how the policy shaping the Select Agent Regulations has, as a consequence of its flawed execution, altered the course of scientific research. She is involved in student advocacy through her position as the Director of External Activism for the Georgetown Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and is a member of Project RISHI, which works to provide access to menstruation products to women in India. Beyond clubs, Shreya loves skiing, running, hiking, exploring/being in nature, and spending quality time with friends.