Sumiya Naksi

Sumiya Naksi is an immigrant and first-generation college graduate based in Los Angeles, California. She earned a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Gerontology: Science, Health, and Aging from the University of Southern California. Her research interests lie in computational and systemic factors that shape health, well-being, and disease progression across the lifespan. Sumiya has contributed to projects spanning from cognitive and aging research to the analysis of clinical trial data to assess safety and efficacy.  

Currently, she works for the LA City in the Economic Development Department and as a Research Assistant at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science at the Center for Biomedical Informatics. Her work focuses on leveraging AI and machine learning by integrating clinical data with social determinants of health to address poor continuity of care and improve access to healthcare for communities historically underrepresented in healthcare systems.

Looking forward, Sumiya hopes to build an academic and scientific career at the intersection of public health informatics and data science to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes as she applies to graduate school. Outside of work, she enjoys taking long walks down the LA coastline and volunteering at local farmers' markets.