People

Dr. Engelman earned her MS in Public Health (2002) and PhD in Epidemiology (2006) from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and has been a faculty member in Population Health Sciences at UW-Madison since 2007. Her research focuses on the study design and data analysis of genetic, demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, physiological and environmental factors of complex diseases, especially biomarkers and preclinical traits related to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Engelman’s group uses epidemiological, statistical, and bioinformatic approaches to analyze large-scale ‘omic data, including that from whole genome array genotyping; whole-genome sequencing; and metabolomic, lipidomic, and proteomic mass spectrometry. Her research integrates ‘omic and questionnaire data to understand, predict, prevent, and/or treat health conditions. Dr. Engelman is especially interested in identifying interactions with modifiable factors (e.g., social, behavioral, and environmental) to inform precision medicine and health.

Briana Rocha-Gregg is a computational biologist by training who received her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at The University of California, Davis. Following graduate school, she did her post doctoral training with Dr. Anna Huttenlocher in the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Her graduate and post-graduate work focused on immune-cell migration and signal processing.

Diandra Denier Fields earned her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences with a Minor in Epidemiology from UW-Madison in 2023, focusing on the links between lifestyle, dietary patterns, and plasma metabolomics, particularly in relation to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Cerebral Vascular Disease (CBVD). As a Post-Doctoral researcher at UW-Madison, her current research centers on mediation analysis to elucidate the relationship between diet or lifestyle exposure, plasma and CSF metabolomics, and brain health outcomes, encompassing CBVD, cognitive decline, and AD.

Jarett enjoys analyzing large datasets and applying the methods the lab uses to predict, prevent and treat disease – specifically in rural populations.

Jordan is interested in understanding how metabolic differences between different racial groups relate to racial disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease risk and outcomes.

Sofia is interested in investigating the interplay between molecular, genetic, and modifiable risk factors in the etiology and recurrence of cancers, with a focus on breast, cervical, ovarian, lung, and prostate cancers. Her research goals include applying advanced epidemiologic approaches, such as molecular and genetic epidemiology, causal inference, and survival analysis, to identify determinants of cancer risk, recurrence, and long-term survivorship. In addition, she aims to evaluate and develop innovative, evidence-based intervention strategies implemented in clinical and public health settings to reduce recurrence risk and improve survivorship outcomes.

Shihui is interested in integrating multi-omics data with phenotypic and modifiable factors to better understand complex diseases and to improve the disease prevention and diagnosis.