Congratulations to the New Hudson Fellows in Public Health

The Hudson Fellows in Public Health program offers prestigious fellowships to graduate students who are excelling in their fields at the Hudson College of Public Health. Established in 2015 by Dr. Leslie Hudson and Mr. Clifford Hudson, this program aims to build a strong network of scholars, educators, and practitioners dedicated to advancing public health practices and outcomes for our state, nation, and the world.

Please join the Hudson College of Public Health faculty and staff in congratulating our newest Hudson Fellows: David Bolade, Paul Grunsted, Gargi Deshpande

David Bolade, MPH 

David Bolade is a third-year doctoral student and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2016 and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria in 2011. His research interests focus on environmental exposure assessment, workplace safety, indoor air quality, and respiratory protection. He is currently developing a novel desorption technology using photothermal desorption and sorbents fabricated from single-walled carbon nanotubes to assess exposure to volatile organic compounds in both workplace and indoor environments. His research findings have been presented through oral and poster presentations at various professional conferences. David is strongly involved in student advocacy and leadership. 

He is the current Treasurer of the Graduate Student Association, serving two terms as a Senator of the Hudson College of Public Health Student Association and is a past Community Liaison Chair for the OUHSC Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Council. His dedication to student engagement was recognized with the “HSC Senator of the Year” and “Campus Life” awards at the 2024 HSC Campus Award Ceremony. As a committed member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), David contributes significantly to the professional body through his involvement in various committees, including the Student and Early Career Professional Committee, Exposure Assessment Strategies Committee, and Indoor Air Quality Committee. Additionally, he has served as a peer reviewer for the Journal for the International Society for Respiratory Protection (JISRP). David is deeply dedicated to community service through volunteerism, seeing it as a means of giving back to society. In his free time, he enjoys watching soccer and spending quality time with his wife and two children.

Gargi Deshpande, MPH

Gargi received her Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery in India and her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Texas A&M University. She is currently a third-year PhD Epidemiology student and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Before joining the PhD program, she worked on clinical trials for breast cancer screenings in India. Over the past two years, Gargi has focused her research on examining early outbreak warnings for infectious diseases through wastewater surveillance. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of key determinants of emerging vector-borne diseases, such as climate change, landscape and vegetation changes, and the complex interactions between host animals and humans. Her recent work has centered on investigating the determinants of tick-borne and mosquito-borne diseases prevalent in the US and incorporating a One Health approach to design effective surveillance strategies. In her free time she enjoys running, reading and talking to family and friends.

Paul Grunsted, MPH

Paul Grunsted received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Oklahoma and his Master’s of Public Health degree in Epidemiology at the OU Hudson College of Public Health. He is a fourth year PhD candidate in Epidemiology and has been a GRA since 2019. His role has involved data collection, data analysis, and manuscript preparation on several projects representing multiple departments on the Health Sciences Center campus including the department of neurology and the department of cancer research. Throughout his studies he has focused on genetic research and the influence of genetics within epidemiology. During his time in the program, Paul has had the opportunity to deliver lectures on epidemiology and biostatistics to medical residents, as well as serve as a judge for residents’ oral presentations and research projects. Paul has also been able to contribute directly to the college of public health by giving guest lectures for multiple epidemiological courses and serving as a teaching assistant for a biostatistics course. Paul is intent on expanding his research in genetic epidemiology to help contribute to the growing field of genetic research.