About me

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan, based jointly in the departments of Health Management and Policy (HMP) & Political Science. I study social policy and governance in authoritarian settings, with particular interests in food regulation and One Health science. I have a specific regional focus in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, where I was based for two years conducting fieldwork meeting and interviewing traders, food safety specialists, managers, and international experts. I especially enjoyed visiting as many traditional markets (chợ truyền thống) as possible to learn about cultural and historical aspects of food trade. Besides my research in Vietnam I also have interests in studying the political economy of health and food in the Southern U.S. I am a member of the HMP Governance Lab at the University of Michigan.

My dissertation research has been supported by a Boren Award for International Study, FLAS, the Menakka and Essel Bailey fellowship, and the Rackham Graduate School, among others. Prior to moving to Michigan, I taught social sciences at a magnet high school in Sejong City, South Korea and helped develop community partnerships and programs at the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research. I received my master's degree in International Health Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and my bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi.