History of Health Sciences Students

  • John Elia

    M.A. Student, Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of American Education (University of California, Davis), M.A. in History and B.S. in Kinesiology (San Francisco State University)

    John Elia is an Associate Dean in the College of Health & Social Sciences at San Francisco State University. He teaches courses on the history of public health in the United States, contemporary sexuality, health in society, and health and social movements in the United States in the 20th century. He received the Sarlo Award for excellence in teaching in 2010. His expertise is in history and education, and his current research interest include the history of public health in San Francisco, school-based sexuality education, and historical and philosophical aspects of U.S.

  • Hsinyi Hsieh

    Ph.D. Candidate; M.A. in Sociology (National Taiwan University); B.A. in Sociology & Chinese Literature (National Chengchi University)

    My goal is to produce and mobilize knowledge as the basis for further health reform in Asian countries. By examining the historical trajectory of the growing commercialization in healthcare, I am eager to make the public more aware of commercialized medicine, which can emphasize profits over patients. After completing the doctoral program, I plan to pursue a career in academia that will allow me to bring fresh East Asian perspectives to countries across the world. My academic interests lie at the intersections of the social history of science, medicine, and knowledge.

  • Aaron Jackson

    Ph.D. Candidate, M.A. in History (California State University, Sacramento) and B.A. in History (Metropolitan State University, Denver)

    I'm studying the history of the largest and only fully-nationalized healthcare system in the United States: the Veterans Health Administration. Roughly established in 1921, the VA has evolved into one of the most successful healthcare systems by practically any measure--health outcomes, patient satisfaction, cost of care delivery, and so on. It is also fundamental to the success of medical training and research. Yet, in some ways, it is a fundamentally broken system, with its tiered access and a bureaucracy that prioritizes economic efficiency over patients' health.

  • Joelynn Lee

    Ph.D. Student, M.A. and B.A. in History (Sonoma State University)

    My M.A. thesis focused on reproductive healthcare on the second-largest federal healthcare system: the military health system. Through the lens of active-duty women and military wives, my thesis examines the historical changes in the military health system prompted by social, political, and medical changes and demonstrates how these changes were both detrimental and beneficial to military families.

  • Geremy Lowe

    Ph.D. Student, B.A. in Ethnic Studies (University of California, Berkeley) and A.A. in Journalism (Laney College)

    Social advocacy has been the center of creating access to housing, jobs, pharmaceutical drugs, and other human rights for folks living with HIV/AIDS. For the past two decades, advocacy for HIV/AIDS medications focuses on international regions, particularly countries in Africa. The narrative of those within the Americas living with HIV/AIDS is on the verge of erasure.

  • Alexzandria Simon

    Ph.D. Student, M.A. in History (California State University, Sacramento)

    How do you envision your research having a real-world impact that will promote health?
    The experiences and lives of the LGBTQ community are essential to understanding any history, and the medical experiences of LGBTQ individuals will only add to the growing queer narrative. I want to examine the connection between medicine, science, and the queer community. I want to understand how American medicine shaped and impacted queer lives, and the role science played in shaping gender and sexual identity.

History of Health Sciences Alumni