The University of California Global Health Institute (UCGHI) Center for Planetary Health is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the Water and Health Research Fellowship, a new paid fellowship designed to support emerging researchers from the University of California focused on the intersection of water and public health in California and globally, with UC faculty mentors from two different UC campuses. From unsafe drinking water to climate-driven droughts and floods, water issues are a significant global health issue that impacts everyone.

The UCGHI CPH Water and Health Research Fellowship, led by UCGHI Center for Planetary Health Associate Director, Dr. Georgia Kayser, was launched to support UC graduate students working to tackle these urgent issues through interdisciplinary, community-informed research focused on water quality, access, sanitation, and related health impacts alongside UC faculty mentors. This year’s fellows represent UC Berkeley, UC Merced, and UC San Diego, each bringing unique expertise and a shared passion for promoting health equity through improved water systems. UCGHI is thrilled to introduce the 2025 UCGHI CPH Water and Health Research Fellows:

Douglas Kramer is a first-year MPH student in the Global Health and Environment program at UC Berkeley. With a background in computer science, he brings a technical mindset to public health, focusing on infectious diseases and their disproportionate burden on low- and middle- income communities. He has collaborated on ethical computing projects and nonprofit initiatives to improve healthcare access. This summer, he will apply a One Health approach to investigate antimicrobial resistance patterns associated with industrial poultry facilities in Quito, Ecuador.

Elizabeth Frost is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health at University of California San Diego and San Diego State University. She has developed menstrual health education curricula for young refugee women in the U.S. and conducted water quality testing along the U.S.-Mexico border in underserved communities. Elizabeth is committed to generating evidence that informs equitable health policies and interventions, particularly for women and girls in low-resource settings.

Felix Agyemang Opoku is a first-year Ph.D. student in Public Health at the University of California Merced. Felix’s professional background includes clinical work as a biomedical scientist and research focused on occupational and environmental exposures and their association with injury and disease risks in Ghana. His current research interests center on environmental health, particularly investigating the aerosolization of cyanotoxins from harmful algal blooms, air pollution, and related health outcomes. 

Each fellow will receive faculty mentorship from two University of California faculty mentors from two different UC campuses, funding to support their research, and unique opportunities to engage with local and global community partners. We spoke with Douglas and Felix about their summer research fellowships. Douglas’ opportunity will afford him the opportunity to get real-world experiences in water sampling and microbial analysis techniques. “Antimicrobial resistance is increasing and expected to be a serious health concern in the coming years, so it is my goal that this project both spreads the word and improves our understanding of the topic,” said Douglas.

Felix will focus his research on harmful algal blooms (HABs), which are increasingly prevalent in freshwater and marine environments around the world, posing serious risks to humans and animals through exposure routes such as drinking, recreation, and seafood consumption. Opoku will spend the summer researching HAB causes, toxicity, and global mitigation strategies.

“The program presents me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of environmental health research and develop relevant skills through mentorship and team science while equipping me to lead an independent and collaborative research project aimed at addressing environmental exposures and public health challenges,” said Felix.

The UC Global Health Institute extends our congratulations to these impressive fellows and gratitude to the UC faculty mentors for their cross-campus mentorship! We look forward to seeing the impact of their research across California and globally.

To learn more about the UCGHI Center for Planetary Health’s work to improve water and sanitation, read our recent news article and check out our recent publications.