Fellows for 2025 – 2026

Jia Elworth

Jia Elworth is a second-year nursing student at UConn from Chicago. On campus, she is an active member of the Student Nurses Association and America Reads, a volunteer program devoted to improving literacy for K-5 students around Connecticut. Jia has always had a passion for healthcare, so she is excited to explore how innovative technologies can be applied to address real-world healthcare issues.

Joshua Barnes

Joshua Barnes is a sophomore at UConn, who is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a part of the Scholars Learning Community and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). The summer before his sophomore year, Josh took part in the Sophomore Summer Bridge Program here at UConn and was a part of the NavyStem practicum, in which he, along with a group of other students, constructed and tested Underwater Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs). Josh is skilled in using power tools and techniques such as soldering and 3D Computer Aided Design (3D CAD) and he is excited to perfect those skills and learn new skills throughout his time as part of the NursEng Innovation Fellowship.

Muzan Ali

Muzan is a nursing student at the University of Connecticut with a passion for health equity, innovation, and patient advocacy. As a certified nursing assistant, she provides direct care and support to patients and their families. At UConn, she actively engages with communities that uplift underrepresented voices in healthcare, including the African American Cultural Center, the Black Student Nurses Union, and Minorities in Medicine. She is also pursuing a minor in Human Development and Family Studies to deepen her understanding of holistic care.
She is especially interested in how technology, including machine learning, can be used to improve patient care and reduce healthcare disparities. In the future, Muzan hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in nursing to advance research, education, and leadership in the field.

Jeanne Badiane

Jeanne Maria Badiane is a sophomore double-majoring in Robotics Engineering and Computer Science. She has a strong passion for robotics design, programming, and integrating technology to solve real-world problems. Throughout her academic journey, Jeanne has served as a mathematics tutor. Beyond academics, she is an active member of the Husky Ambassadors program, where she enjoys connecting with prospective students and sharing her enthusiasm for her university community. Jeanne’s interests extend to innovation in healthcare technology, where she hopes to apply her engineering and computer science background to create tools that promote equity, accessibility, and improved patient care.

Miyu Hasegawa

Miyu Hasegawa is a first-year nursing student at the University of Connecticut. She has a strong passion for patient education and health equity as well as healthcare innovation and research. Additionally, she is planning on pursuing a minor in either Human Development and Family Sciences or Biomedical Engineering. She is looking forward to being involved in clubs on campus where she can help others. Beyond her nursing education, Miyu hopes to advance her experience and understanding of technological innovation. She is interested in using this as a pathway to advocate for patients and how their treatments work. Miyu also hopes to advance her education in the future by pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree in the field of nursing.

Kyle Kamay

Kyle Kamay is a freshman pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Connecticut with a strong interest in healthcare technology and innovation. He participated in UConn’s BRIDGE program, where he strengthened his foundation in calculus, physics, and Python. Kyle is passionate about using engineering to create solutions that are affordable, efficient, and improve lives. Beyond academics, Kyle is committed to leadership, service, and developing technologies that advance health equity. In the future, he hopes to combine his engineering background with business expertise to launch his own med-tech company. 

Isabella Yuzon

Isabella Yuzon, who goes by Isa, is a second-year Honors Nursing student at UConn with a big passion for healthcare, entrepreneurship, and community service. She co-founded Sisu Organization Philippines, a nonprofit that helps underprivileged communities back home, and she’s really excited to build on that experience in the Nurse-Engineering Fellowship. What she’s most looking forward to is collaborating with other nurses and engineers to find creative ways to make healthcare more accessible and impactful. She also hopes that in the future, she can use what she learns here to start her own business.

Priya Whitley

Priya Whitley is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut College of Engineering, majoring in Civil Engineering with minors in Construction Engineering and Management and Environmental Engineering. She serves as the Vice President of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) and as the Public Relations Chair and Recruitment Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She works for the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion at UConn to help plan and organize the Northeast Regional Science Bowl. This past summer, she conducted wind research at the University of Florida through the NSF NHERI REU, where she developed a MATLAB-based correction algorithm for coastal hurricane weather stations. The goal of this research project was to adjust wind data distorted by mast tilt using rotation matrices and wind tunnel validation. She comes from a family full of nurses: her mom, aunts, cousins, and soon her younger sister. Although she chose a different path by majoring in engineering, she has grown up with nurses and has always admired their hard work and dedication. She is excited to get the chance to work with nursing majors and help create an innovative solution together to benefit society.