People

Dr. Tato received a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied host-pathogen interactions and the transcription factor families involved in cytokine production in response to infection.

Emma is a data analyst and data manager at the Institute for Health & Aging, where she manages data, conducts analyses for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods projects, and coordinates research projects. Her research background is primarily in sexual and reproductive health, with a focus on contraception and HIV among adolescent girls and young women.

Glenda Baguso is a nurse scientist whose research focuses on HIV prevention and care among populations experiencing disproportionate HIV burden. Her work examines how trauma, mental health, substance use, and structural and healthcare barriers influence engagement in HIV prevention and sustained care. She uses epidemiologic, implementation, and community-engaged approaches to develop and evaluate interventions that improve access to and engagement in HIV prevention and care.

Karen Chan Barrett, PhD, is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed at the Institute for Health & Aging (UCSF School of Nursing) and the Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery (UCSF School of Medicine). As an Auditory Cognitive Neuroscientist, Dr. Barrett’s research bridges neuroscience, music, and health to uncover the intricate relationships between artistic creativity, music perception, and cognitive aging.

Matthew Beld, MPH is a data manager in the Institute for Health & Aging at the UCSF School of Nursing.

Dr. Brennan’s research focuses on aging and health, with emphasis on three substantive areas: (1) the course, predictors, and outcomes of late-life drinking behavior, (2) the influence of physical and social environmental stressors on older adults' immediate experience and long-term course of pain, and (3) long-term care and clinical treatment environments that that improve patient-centered care for older adults.

Sneha Challa is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Challa obtained her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University. In her work, she aims to mitigate stigma and create an enabling environment for people to freely discuss and make choices about sex, contraception, and reproductive wellbeing throughout the life course. Dr.

JiWon Choi, PhD, RN, is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Health & Aging and the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences in the UCSF School of Nursing. Her research program focuses on developing innovative strategies to improve lifestyle health behaviors (e.g., physical activity) among vulnerable populations, including Asian immigrants and family caregivers of persons living with dementia. Dr. Choi received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed her post-doctoral training in the UCSF School of Nursing.

Sutina is a Project Coordinator at the Institute for Health & Aging. Her work involves supporting research protocol design and implementation as well as data collection and analysis across qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods projects. She has worked across substantive areas, including sexual and reproductive health, patient preference and health service delivery, and labour in academic medicine. Sutina is also a Sociology PhD Candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UCSF. 

Aaron's postdoctoral work includes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a music-based intervention for the UCSF Age-Friendly Emergency Department, community-based music interventions for older adults living with and without cognitive impairments, and the study of musical rhythm production in the brains of healthy and cognitively impaired older adults.