UCLA Fielding School of Public Health welcomes new faculty members
The Fielding School is proud to announce Roch A. Nianogo, Hilary Aralis, Ilan Meyer and Elizabeth Yzquierdo as new faculty members.
As the new school year approaches, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH) is proud to announce the following new faculty appointments:
Roch A. Nianogo, assistant professor of epidemiology
Dr. Nianogo earned an MPH in community health sciences and a PhD in epidemiology from the Fielding School. He also holds an MD from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Dr. Nianogo’s combined public health and medicine expertise inform his research, which focuses on preventing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, both globally and in the U.S. His research interests include applying causal inference methods and creating computational and simulation tools that help translate research evidence into information that aids in clinical, public health and policy decision-making.
Hilary Aralis, adjunct assistant professor of biostatistics
Aralis, who holds a PhD in biostatistics from FSPH, applies sophisticated methodological approaches to studying a wide variety of public health issues. These issues include psychological and behavioral health, HIV/AIDS, aging and Alzheimer’s disease, military health, family- and community-based interventions and environmental effects on maternal and child health.
Ilan Meyer, adjunct professor of community health sciences
Meyer, who holds a PhD in sociomedical sciences/social psychology, studies public health issues related to sexual and gender minorities. He is the principal investigator of two large population health studies. For one of these studies, the Generations Study, he and colleagues are investigating stress, identity, health and health care utilization across three cohorts of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the U.S. The aim of the second study, the TransPop Study, is to describe health and stressors of transgender people in the U.S. using a national probability sample. In addition to his FSPH appointment, Meyer is distinguished senior scholar for public policy at the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and public policy at UCLA’s School of Law.
Elizabeth Yzquierdo, adjunct assistant professor of community health sciences
Yzquierdo holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a MPH from California State University Northridge. She has served as the Fielding School’s assistant dean of student affairs since 2016, overseeing academic, admissions and financial aid services. Yzquierdo has worked for over 16 years to identify, support, recruit and retain promising individuals from diverse educational and socio economic backgrounds who are interested in health careers. As a first-generation student herself, she has overseen programs at various educational institutions that have assisted in guiding students from under-resourced backgrounds through the educational pipeline and into health professions.
The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, founded in 1961, is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The school has more than 600 students from more than 25 nations engaged in carrying out the vision of building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation and the world.
Faculty Referenced by this Article

Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences

Dr. Joseph Davey is an infectious disease epidemiologist with over 20 years' experience leading research on HIV/STI services for women and children.

Automated and accessible artificial intelligence methods and software for biomedical data science.

Assistant Dean for Research & Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences

Director of Field Studies and Applied Professional Training

Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research

Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences