Faculty
About Raina Pang, PhD
Dr. Pang’s research interest lies in understanding sex/gender differences and women-specific factors in substance use and other health risk behaviors (e.g., eating). Dr. Pang completed a postdoctoral fellowship for mentored training in behavioral pharmacology and laboratory-based menstrual cycle studies and mentored K01 with training in Ecological Momentary Assessment. Currently, Dr. Pang is PI on projects investigating perinatal tobacco use, adolescent eating behavior, and alcohol use across the menstrual cycle.
Raina Pang, Ph.D.
Director
Associate Professor of Research
- rpang@usc.edu
- 323-442-7251
- Soto Street Building 312E
Dr. Pang is an Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a member of the USC Norris Cancer Center. She earned her B.S. in Psychology at the University of Oregon, PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, and completed a TRDRP postdoctoral fellowship at the Health, Emotion, and Addiction Laboratory at the University of Southern California.
Dr. Pang’s interdisciplinary psychosocialbiology research program utilizes human behavioral pharmacology and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods to investigate mechanisms underlying tobacco related health disparities (e.g., sex/gender differences, female-specific factors, psychiatric comorbidity). This interdisciplinary research carries direct clinical relevance because it will improve our understanding of tobacco addiction in females and individuals with co-morbid psychiatric disorders, and also bears translational relevance to the development of neuroendocrine-based pharmacotherapies to reduce smoking.
Staff & Volunteers
Project Specialist
About Hannah Ruck
Hannah Ruck graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a certificate in pre-medicine. Her undergraduate research includes studying the Latino Health Paradox and its outcomes on the Latina population in Texas. She is passionate about women’s health and health equity. Her lifetime goal is to become a licensed physician. In her free time, she loves to read, go to the beach, watch sports, and spend time with family and friends.

Volunteer Research Assistant
About Katrina Huynh
Katrina Huynh is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California studying Biology and Spanish. Her research interests include women’s health, addiction science, and the social determinants of substance use. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, spending time outdoors, and creating Spotify playlists. She hopes to attend medical school and become an Emergency Medicine physician.

About Evelyn Lee
Evelyn Lee is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California studying Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Her research interests include women’s health, environmental health, and health equity. In her free time, Evelyn likes to try out new recipes, spend time outdoors, and crochet. She hopes to attend physician assistant school in the future.
About Jasmine Alagoz
Jasmine Alagoz is an undergraduate at the University of Southern California studying Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Her research interests include socioeconomic disparities in women’s health, infertility, and healthcare accessibility in Los Angeles. In her free time, Jasmine loves to spend time with her family and friends, travel, cook, and write. In the future, Jasmine hopes to become a physician and work in underserved communities. physician assistant school in the future.
Frequent Collaborators
Matthew Kirkpatrick, PhD mgkirkpa@usc.edu
Associate Professor of Research Population and Public Health Sciences
Casey Guillot, PhD
Casey.Guillot@unt.edu
Assistant Professor