Our Team
Elizabeth Vickers is a research program manager for the Margerison Research Group. She is passionate about health equity, increasing quality and efficiency of research, and translating scientific results to policymakers and the general public. Her experience in public health ranges includes working on grant-funded research, on clinical trials, and within the state health department.
Grace Joachim is an informational and statistical analyst for the Margerison Research Group, joining in May 2023. She has conducted epidemiology research in a variety of areas including vaccine hesitancy, women’s health, and cognitive health. Grace received her Master of Public Health in General Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, and her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology with minors in Global Public Health and Epidemiology and Bioethics from Michigan State University.
Laura Drew is a postdoctoral research associate with the Margerison Research Group. She received her PhD in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health and completed her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Interdisciplinary Specialization in Global Health at The Ohio State University. Conceptually, her research is informed by the life course perspective and applies population-based methodologies to identify strategies to improve women’s health, and in doing so, the health of their families and future generations. Laura’s primary research interests focus on the intersection of human rights and reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes.
Tim Michling is a doctoral student in epidemiology and research assistant with the Margerison Research Group at Michigan State University. His research interests include health disparities in mental and behavioral health, state and local public health funding and services, and the impact of public policies on health beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes.
Prior to doctoral study, Tim worked as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives and as the Research Associate for Health Policy at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Tim earned his MPH in urban public health and MPA in health policy and administration from Wayne State University after completing his undergraduate study at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
An accomplished musician, Tim is principal oboe of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, second oboe/English horn of the Flint Symphony Orchestra, and instructor of oboe at Oakland University. He previously earned his Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and his Artist’s Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
Xueshi Wang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at Michigan State University. She joined the Margerison research group in the summer of 2022. Her research focuses on the policy impacts on health inequalities, reproductive health, and children’s health.
Meredith Cahill is a Ph.D. student in epidemiology and a research assistant with the Margerison Research Group at Michigan State University. She received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and her bachelor’s degree in public health sciences from the University of Louisville School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Margerison Research Group in 2024, Meredith worked as an applied behavioral health epidemiologist for a small research and consulting firm and as a biostatistics associate in the University of Louisville Division of Infectious Diseases. Her research interests include women’s health, reproductive epidemiology, and infectious disease epidemiology, all approached through a health equity framework. Meredith is committed to advancing health equity through evidence-based research and believes in the power of data to enhance population health, inform policy, and improve public health decision-making.
Nadia Blake is a junior majoring in Human Biology with a minor in Global Public Health at Michigan State University. She is primarily interested in researching women’s health disparities and aspires to become a physician.
Collaborators
Candice Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on work as a structural determinant of pregnancy-related health and on epidemiologic methods related to studying work and pregnancy. Prior to her academic career, she was an epidemiologist at CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Johnson earned her PhD in Epidemiology from Emory University and MSc in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa.
Yasi Zamani-Hank is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Director of the MSU Primary Care Research Collaborative. She completed her PhD in Epidemiology under Dr. Claire Margerison in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She joined the Margerison Research Group in 2017 and continues to be a collaborator. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between adverse life experiences, racial and socioeconomic disparities in preterm delivery, and potential protective factors using health equity and lifecourse frameworks. She is also a collaborator on current projects to study the impacts of national policies such as the ACA and the Child Tax Credit on maternal and infant health outcomes. Yasi received her MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and her Bachelor of Science in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan.
Danielle R. Gartner (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) is a mother, sister, daughter, auntie, and relative. As an academic, she identifies as a population health scientist whose work recognizes and supports Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and resurgence. Dr. Gartner’s projects have been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the Administration for Children and Families. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University.
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