Layan Ibrahim

About Layan

Layan Ibrahim is a first-generation Ethiopian-American born in Columbia, Maryland. She lived in Ethiopia and Kenya for 10 years prior to attending Emory University. In 2020, Layan graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory. At Emory, Layan was a research assistant at the Department of Neurosurgery studying epilepsy and an undergraduate scholar in the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program, which seeks to increase the diversity of the scientific workforce. Layan is currently a second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student, David Satcher Public Health Scholar, and Charles E. Shepard Scholar on the Global Health track at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. At Vanderbilt, Layan serves as the MPH Class of 2023 Representative and as a Graduate Area Coordinator. Currently, Layan is working on her MPH thesis, which explores epilepsy knowledge and trust in providers for participants enrolled in the Bridging the Childhood Epilepsy Treatment Gap in Africa (BRIDGE) study in Northern Nigeria. This summer, Layan was selected as an NIH T37 recipient for the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training (MHRT) Program through the University of Miami, where she conducted health disparities research in Jamaica in collaboration with faculty at the University of West Indies. Through this experience, Layan is currently working on a first-author manuscript investigating pandemic-related stress by cannabis use status. Additionally, she is working on starting up a study in Jamaica in collaboration with the CHARES clinic exploring anxiety and depression by cannabis use status among people living with HIV in Jamaica. In addition to her research experiences in global health disparities and in epilepsy, Layan has had other research experiences in different fields such as neuroscience, hematology, and public health education. In fact, Layan collaborated on a peer-reviewed research paper published in Annals of Global Health, which examined the impact of COVID-19 on global health education programs. Outside of research, Layan is passionate about mentoring underrepresented students in STEM. Due to her work in mentorship, Layan has gone on to be selected as one of the Graduating Women of Excellence at Emory and receive the 4th Year People’s Choice Award through the Emory NAACP. Ultimately, Layan plans to pursue an MD-PhD, with hopes of reducing global neurological health disparities. As a Luce Scholar, Layan is excited to work in the public health sphere and learn from public health leaders and researchers in Asia.