CHET Trainees

Email: Marisa.booty@uky.edu

Bright Amuzu is an undergraduate a student at Hampton University studying psychology on the pre-med track. He is a member of CHET primary faculty member Justin Moore's lab, and his research interests center on neurology, cancer biology, and the intersection between neurological disorders and disease pathology (Neuro-Oncology). He has a growing focus on translational and community-engaged research, and is particularly interested in bridging laboratory research with real-world health outcomes in underserved communities and diverse populations. He plans to pursue an MD/PHD integrating clinical practice with scientific investigation.

bright.amuzu@my.hamptonu.edu

Tyler Balfour is a first-year graduate student at the University of Kentucky enrolled in the Sport and Exercise Psychology Master’s program. He currently works as a graduate research assistant as a member of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) working as a part of the Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team (AppalTruST) and the Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco (CRST). Through studying Sport and Exercise Psychology, Tyler hopes to combine his passions of understanding human behavior and esports to advance sport psychology literature.

Email: Tyler.Balfour@uky.edu

Gaby Beharry is a third-year medical student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and a member of CHET primary faculty member Dr. Justin's Moore's lab. Her research interests include dermatologic health disparities, particularly how race and skin-tone complexion shape melanoma risk perception and prevention behaviors. She has pursued this interest through a recent study, "Exploring the relationship between race and skin-tone complexion with the perception of melanoma skin cancer risk along with the mediating effects of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors."

Gabriella.Beharry@uky.edu

Madelyn Blakey is a freshman volleyball player at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, majoring in biology on the pre-med track. She is a member of CHET primary faculty member Dr. Justin Moore's lab, and her current research project examines historical redlining and its relation to the outcomes of colorectal cancer patients in Kentucky. She is interested in pursuing a career in clinical oncology. 

madelyn.blakey@uky.edu

Email: Jessica.amezcua@uky.edu

Dr. Saber Feizy, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scholar with the College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Health, Engagement, and Transformation (CHET). His research focuses on health economics and marketing, aiming to explore the links between policy initiatives, marketing strategies, and patterns of tobacco-related product use. His work underscores the pivotal role of policy and marketing in shaping a healthier and more equitable society.

Email: Saberfeizy@uky.edu

Email: Caitlyn.grunert@uky.edu

Carleigh Litteral, MS, is a third-year PhD student in Experimental Psychology – Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Kentucky. Her interest in addiction research is shaped by both scientific training and lived experience, including her own recovery, and she continues to work as a patient engagement specialist in a substance use treatment center—experience that keeps her research grounded in real-world recovery and strengthens her commitment to bridging neuroscience with community-relevant prevention and intervention.

Her research focuses on why substance use problems cluster within families and how social stressors shape risk, onset, and persistence over time. Using large datasets and advanced quantitative methods, she examines how family history density predicts substance use initiation and duration, as well as broader familial patterns in substance use disorders—including shared vulnerability, comorbidity, substance preferences, and treatment-seeking. She also investigates the role of discrimination and chronic stress physiology in alcohol use disorder risk, explores how anxiety may influence the link between impulsivity and substance use across the menstrual cycle, and studies how discrimination and LGBTQ+ community belongingness relate to substance use among sexual and gender minority adults. Carleigh aims to build a translational research program that identifies actionable targets for prevention and earlier intervention.

Email: Carleigh.litteral@uky.edu

Email: Meera.marji@uky.edu

Valeria Miranda is a second-year medical student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine - Northern Kentucky Campus who works in CHET primary faculty member Justin Moore's lab. She is originally from New York City and outside of school loves spending time with her family and cooking. Her research interests focus on health disparities and community engaged work. She is currently working on a community based participatory research project with a fellow medical student that examines the relationship between skin complexion and perceived risk of melanoma among people of color.

Valeria.Miranda@uky.edu

Tristan Ntego is a graduate student earning his masters in Health Administration from the College of Public Health and is a member of CHET primary faculty member Dr. Justin Moore's lab. His research focuses on health disparities, substance use, mental health, and health communication, with a particular emphasis on the lived experiences of marginalized populations. He examines how structural factors such as racism, stigma, discrimination, and socioeconomic instability shape health behaviors, treatment engagement, and health outcomes. Several of his projects explore psychosocial mechanisms, including existential wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, and perceived stigma, that influence barriers to care and recovery. He also conducts applied public health research evaluating population-level interventions and health communication strategies. 

Tristan.ntego@uky.edu

Kanyitochi Orazulike is a first-year undergraduate Product Design major in the College of Design at the University of Kentucky, born in Virginia and raised in Nigeria. He recently joined the Center for Health, Engagement and Transformation (CHET) as an Undergraduate Student Assistant. He has experience working for the International Oil Consulting firm Spectrum Global Marine Services Limited located in Nigeria, as well as interning under Union Systems Limited. Kanyitochi hopes to become an industrial designer working under athletic brands to develop apparel and equipment that help support injuries and common problems. He plans to focus on using sustainable materials and making the equipment readily available to consumers. He hopes to use this experience here to grow and diversify his knowledge about health issues while supporting CHET using his personal experience. 

kcor223@uky.edu

Dr. Ray’s research interests include maternal-child environmental health with a focus on tobacco policy and infant feeding practices.

Email: Robin.ray@uky.edu

Michelle Roberts, MS, is a third-year PhD student in anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Michelle graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor of arts in anthropology and political science with a Spanish minor. She then graduated from Duke University with a master’s of science in global health. At Duke, she investigated the experiences of families with loved ones in intensive care after stroke or traumatic brain injury in Argentina, emphasizing the critical role family plays during and after an acute illness or injury. After graduation from Duke, Michelle worked as a research coordinator at the University of Washington, working first with people with PTSD, and then with people with multiple sclerosis. Michelle’s research experiences have underscored the importance of understanding health in the context of family, community, and health system. Through work with CHET, Michelle hopes to gain experience in community-based participatory research and partner with communities to solve health challenges. She is excited to engage critically in transdisciplinary research and shares CHET’s commitment to health equity and mentorship. In her future research, she hopes to study chronic disease, disability, and caregiving and address challenges experienced by individuals and their families managing chronic health issues within communities with high rates of disease or disparate access to care in the southeastern United States.  

Email: Michelle.Roberts@uky.edu

Email: Gabrielle.romines@uky.edu

Fidelis Y. Sesenu, is a third-year doctoral student in the communication studies department at the University of Kentucky. He holds an M.Phil. degree in communication from the University of Ghana. He has aggregated over eight years' professional experience across diverse sectors like academia, communication, non-profit project management, and development research. Here at UK, his research interests revolve around understanding communication audiences, practitioners, strategies, information, education, and motivation within the contexts of health outcomes. His own background as an international student from a developing country like Ghana continues to shape his acute awareness of and interest in health equity problems and populations that are simultaneously understudied and underserved. Some of his past and current projects focus on digital media and obesity, media coverage of Black women’s maternal health disparities, suicide behavior, online medical crowdfunding, and social norms about sports gambling/betting behavior among vulnerable populations. Fidelis hopes to feed off the rich interdisciplinary research culture at CHET to contribute to research and community work that support the mission and work of CHET.  

Email: Fidelis.sesenu@uky.edu

Email: Haily.traxler@uky.edu

Breyanna is an aspiring physician who currently works as a Markey STRONG Post-baccalaureate fellow within the Markey Cancer Center. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Breyanna attended the University of Kentucky where she earned her B.S. in Human Health Sciences in. As an undergraduate, she worked under Dr. Samuel Awuah where she focused on the chemical synthesis of cyclometalated Au (III) dithiocarbamate complexes while trying to understand their anticancer activity. Currently Breyanna works within Dr. Justin Moore’s research group focusing on how factors like race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status on health outcomes, particularly in the context of cancer. With a specific interest in studying health disparities facing women and women of color.

Email: Breyanna.walker@uky.edu