McKayla Smith, MPH is currently applying to Medical School. As part of her time with iSTRIVE, she was a Research Data Analyst in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, at University of California San Diego. She received her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Nutrition from Arizona State University and her Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from San Diego State University. She worked with Dr. Jamila K. Stockman on The ESSENCE Project and Dr. Richard Garfein on the V-MALT and TBESC studies.

McKayla’s interests include working with infectious diseases in marginalized populations, including HIV, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis C, in injection drug users, homeless, and other vulnerable groups. She is also interested in chronic diseases and is currently working on a study assessing the effect of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women on coronary artery calcium.

McKayla’s master’s thesis assessed a Fentanyl pathway for pain control in the Rady Children’s Emergency Department and its effect on length of stay and other quality metrics. Her specialties include data management and cleaning, and she has experience in advanced biostatistical methods.