Olivia "Liv" McCollum is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at the UW, where she received her MPH in epidemiology in 2024 and her B.S. in medical anthropology in 2022. As a 2023-2024 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Diversity in Health Science Research Supplement recipient, Olivia completed her master's research under the guidance of her mentors, Dr. Patricia Pavlinac and Dr. Jennifer Slyler at the Global Center for Integrated Health of Women, Adolescents, and Children (Global WACh). Her research primarily focuses on pediatric enteric disease and the use of biomarkers to understand chronic enteric dysfunction in children under 5 years old living in low income countries. She is also proud to be working alongside her colleagues at the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program this academic year as a research assistant assessing community firearm violence prevention programs. As a woman with an invisible disability, Olivia is a strong advocate for supporting and including disabled women in STEM, specifically in epidemiology and public health. Olivia is always open to meeting with other students and discussing graduate school, career options, or just chatting about pets and hobbies!
