Laveda Chan
Laveda Chan is a dental student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine where she is pursuing her doctorate degree in Dental Medicine. She graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Writing. Over her undergraduate career, Chan engaged in research in both wet and dry lab spaces. At Harvard Medical School, she spearheaded a novel sequencing pipeline that simultaneously captured the transcriptome, proteome, and time of proliferation of single cells. At Northeastern University, she applied qualitative research methods to design human-computer interaction technology that centered the well-being of BIPOC students attending predominantly white institutions.
Through her research experiences, Chan is garnering an appreciation for data and statistical analysis in implementing practical, evidence-based solutions, especially for initiatives that are critical to health equity but are historically difficult to address, such as optimizing insurance. As an LDI Research Fellow, Chan is working with Dr. Alexander Olssen to analyze Medicare Part D formulary data and identifying drug exclusion patterns in therapeutic classes with frequent coverage changes. The project aims to understand how often drugs are excluded and reinstated, providing insight on the stability of prescription drug access for patients over time.
At Penn Dental Medicine, Chan served as the D1 Representative and Referral Liaison for American Association of Public Health Dentistry and Oral Health Outreach Program and Education, respectively. As a future dental provider, she plans to merge her passion for research with clinical practice to address challenges of social determinants of health.