Our team is made up of individuals from various lived experiences that contribute to building a support system for students in the Graduate Division. We collectively work to create key initiatives and learning opportunities to develop students as leaders and scientists.
D'Anne Duncan, PhD
D'Anne Duncan, PhD is UCSF’s first assistant dean for graduate student affairs in the Graduate Division and is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She has advocated for and worked closely with students to advance institutional change at UCSF since 2017. In 2020-21, Dr. Duncan conceived of, designed, and launched the first-ever Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Academic Leadership course, aimed at educating and training students on the value and implications of centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in education and research. Dr. Duncan’s research at UCSF transforms the student experience – with an emphasis on supporting graduate students from historically marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds – through institutional interventions founded upon personal and professional identity alignment, and principles of mentorship, community building and belonging.
Dr. Duncan earned her PhD in neuroscience from Northwestern University and pursued her postdoctoral training in visual neuroscience at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Duncan has an established history of designing and offering professional development opportunities to advance PhD education and training for biomedical scientists. Dr. Duncan draws on her training in neuroscience and expertise in academic administration to identify the intersections of biological systems and apply them in an academic administrative capacity, with a goal of creating tangible and deliberate systemic changes capable of improving the student experience at UCSF and throughout academia. She specifically utilizes the science of how to cultivate relationships with students in order to advocate for and train a new generation of leaders, and to challenge academia’s status quo. Dr. Duncan is the 2021 recipient of the ImmunoDiverse Community Award. She is nationally recognized for her work at UCSF, and has been featured in Science Careers “A Day in the Life of an Assistant Dean.”
Yvonne Garcia, MS
Since April 2024 Yvonne has served as the outreach program manager. Yvonne hails from East Los Angeles, where she grew up alongside her six siblings. She is currently completing her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; her research delves into the dynamics between epistemic injustice and graduate student socialization. Prior to completing her doctoral studies, she worked at and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).
In her role as outreach program manager, Yvonne works closely with members of the Student Affairs team in the development and delivery of programs to recruit diverse students, and to ensure success and promote well-being for current students. Yvonne manages our Summer Research Training Program (SRTP), UC’s Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) program, SACNAS and ABRCMS logistics, and the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program. She also actively assists in the development, execution, and expansion of new programs, initiatives, and courses that enhance equity, inclusion, and social justice in the Graduate Division.
Yvonne is excited to join the JEDI team where she hopes to bring in her extensive background in designing and facilitating programs tailored to serve minoritized communities, particularly those racially marginalized. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out at her local playground creating precious moments with her daughter.
Abou Ibrahim-Biangoro, MPH
Abou is a Rosenberg-Hill Fellow in the Graduate Division Dean's Office. She is a doctoral candidate in the Sociology PhD program, working with faculty mentor Jennifer James, PhD. Abou’s hometown is Santa Clara, CA. She received a bachelor’s degree (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from UC Davis, as well as an MPH (Environmental Health Sciences) from UCLA.
In her research here at UCSF, Abou is looking at the mental health of second-generation West African immigrants (U.S.-born adults with at least one West African parent). The goal of her research is to apply an African philosophical lens and understand its influence on how individuals relate to their Black identity in America, and if/how it affects their mental health. Her aim is to utilize this research to improve healthcare for the Black immigrant population and change policies related to minority health and wellbeing.
Geremy Lowe, MPH
Geremy is a graduate student researcher in the Graduate Division Dean's Office. He is a doctoral candidate in the History of Health Sciences program, working with faculty mentors Drs. Dorothy Porter and Aimee Medeiros. Geremy’s hometown is Chicago, IL (South Side). He earned a bachelor’s degree (Ethnic Studies) at UC Berkeley, an MPH from University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a Master of Studies in Law from UC Law San Francisco.
In his dissertation research at UCSF, Geremy is examining how public health initiatives from the post-1980 period not only pathologized and criminalized certain youth groups but also marginalized youth groups and framed youth health as a societal threat. Consequently, the messaging around youth health became centered on protecting specific experiences, inadvertently placing all youth at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.
