Meet with our BSPH Students: The BSPH Program Ambassadors

Below are the current student ambassadors for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program in Biostatistics. These students are happy to answer questions you may have about the application process, the program, or student life in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, so feel free to reach out through the email addresses posted. Like you, these students are busy with a full schedule of classes and other activities. Not every ambassador can respond to every interested student. We ask that you please contact only one ambassador.

Gargi Mehul Dixit

Gargi Mehul Dixit

Class of 2024 | gmdixit@email.unc.edu

Gargi is a biostatistics major from Morrisville, NC. She is currently a research assistant at the Pecot Lab at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is involved with various reading groups at UNC, and organizations like Carolina Scientific and ACM at Carolina. Following her BSPH degree, Gargi hopes to pursue a career in a clinical or research setting. Outside of academics, she enjoys reading, yoga, and classical music.

Advice for a prospective student: “Talk to the incredible professors in the BIOS department to get a feel for the major before you apply. They are a valuable resource for mentorship and advice!”

Favorite part of the Bios BSPH program: “My favorite part of the BIOS program is my peers in the program. The close-knit community and collaborative nature of the program make it special.”

Sneha Mishra

Sneha Mishra

Class of 2022 | sneham@live.unc.edu

About: Sneha is biostatistics major from Charlotte, NC and will be applying to the dual BSPH / MS Program this year. She has had the opportunity to work with the Institute of Environmental Health Services in their research on the effects of environmental exposures on human development where she analyzed and studied big data from the experiments, using R. Her goal is to eventually become a biostatistician in a health or pharmaceutical company. Outside of academics, Sneha is on UNC’s Indian Classical Dance team, Ektaal.

Brian Richardson

Brian Richardson

Class of 2022 | brichson@ad.unc.edu

About: Brian is a biostatistics and math double major from Chapel Hill, NC and is currently a candidate for the dual BSPH/MS program. He has worked for several years as a research assistant at the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders. He also tutors high school students in Math. Following the completion of his BSPH,  he hopes to get a graduate degree in Biostatistics and eventually work in a research setting. Outside of academics, he loves backpacking, baking bread, solving and creating crossword puzzles, cycling, and rock climbing.

Advice for a prospective student: “Don’t be afraid to reach out to students or professors if you have questions or need help. There are lots of friendly people in the department!”

Favorite part of the Bios BSPH program: “BIOS 650 is a neat introduction to mathematical probability and statistics. Math 521 is also a great (and challenging) class.”

Tarek Zikry

Tarek Zikry

BSPH alumnus, class of 2019 | tarek@live.unc.edu

About: Tarek graduated with a BSPH in biostatistics in May of 2019. He is currently pursuing a PhD in biostatistics here at Gillings. His research at the Purvis Lab in the Department of Genetics alongside Dr. Michael Kosorok is centered around using machine learning to improve the efficiency of biological analysis. He is interested in the use of Convolutional Neural Networks to automate cellular imaging and using statistical learning techniques to analyze cellular lineages and behaviors. He was recently awarded the F31 Fellowship Award from the NIH to enhance his research work.

Advice for a prospective student: “Get involved in undergraduate research. There are many opportunities across a variety of disciplines with the great biostatistics faculty in our department. You’ll get to work on awesome projects and learn a ton on the way!”

Favorite part of the Bios BSPH program: “Staying with the same cohort of BSPH students over the two years was really fun. It’s not something you get from departments with larger amounts of undergraduates and it really makes each class more enjoyable.”