Spencer Willow Riddell

MPH Candidate ’26, B.Sc (Honours) ’24
Email: · Phone: 2264485067 · Pronouns: she/her/elle
GitHub: https://github.com/spencer-w-riddell · LinkedIn: replace with your URL

EDUCATION

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Master of Public Health — Epidemiology

GPA: 3.90
Certificate: Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science
Coursework: Statistics, Epidemiological Theory, Cancer Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology, Data Science

09/2024 – 05/2026 · New York City, NY, USA

McGill University

Honours Bachelor of Science — Pharmacology and Therapeutics

GPA: 3.88
Coursework: Drug Design and Development, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Physiology, Human Anatomy, Organic Chemistry, Statistics and Calculus
Graduated with First Class Honours and Distinction.
VP Internal of Pharmacology Integrative League of Students (PILS).

09/2020 – 05/2024 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health — Teaching Assistant, Research Methods and Applications

08/2025 – Present · New York City, NY, USA

  • Teach weekly lab sessions that serve as the primary instruction and hands-on synthesis section of the ReMA course.
  • Pilot homeworks and labs.
  • Grade 24 students’ weekly homeworks and labs, as well as midterms and finals.
  • Skills: Teaching, Statistics

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene — HRTP Intern, Data Communications Unit (Bureau of Epidemiological Services)

06/2025 – Present · New York City, NY, USA

  • Prepare large survey datasets (YRBS 2021, 2023) for publication on EpiQuery for public epidemiological use.
  • Streamline data processing through modernized SAS macros and Python programs.
  • Attend weekly professional development seminars in broad public health and career development topics.
  • Skills: SAS, SUDAAN, R, Python, SQL, GitHub, Statistics, Data Architecture

ICAP at Columbia University — Bronx Prevention Site — Student Researcher, HPTN094

01/2025 – Present · New York City, NY, USA

  • Evaluate role of housing status on outcomes measured in the HPTN094 multi-site study.
  • Work under Dr. Ellen Morrison and Dr. Rashaunna Redd.
  • Skills: SAS, Manuscript Writing, Literature Review, Statistics

Columbia University Department of Pharmacology — Lab Administrator, Cory Abate-Shen Lab

01/2025 – 04/2025 · New York City, NY, USA

  • Handled administrative tasks for Dr. Abate-Shen.
  • Organized and updated lab order forms.
  • Managed student and PI travel requests and reimbursements.
  • Participated in grant writing.
  • Skills: Grant Writing, Organization, Administration, Microsoft Office

McGill University Health Centre — Honours Student Researcher, TAKE IT TOO

08/2023 – 05/2024 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Project: Challenges in Small Sample Size Pediatric Clinical Trials — Lessons Learned from the TAKE IT TOO Study.
  • Analyzed results through different models using SAS to calculate ICC and observed effect size.
  • Cleaned and summarized repeated measures data using MATLAB and R.
  • Wrote manuscript detailing statistical methods for small sample size clinical trials in rare populations.
  • Worked under Dr. Bethany Joy Foster.
  • Skills: SAS, R, MATLAB, Manuscript Writing, Literature Review, Statistics, Clinical Trials

McGill University — Department of Physiology — Student Researcher, Reza Sharif Lab

09/2023 – 08/2024 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Autonomously studied cryopreservation of the nervous system in collaboration with BioChoric (Summer 2024).
  • Employed machine-learning tools such as DeepLabCut to study mouse gait patterns in osteoarthritis (Fall 2023).
  • Developed lab website.
  • Worked under Dr. Reza Sharif (Summer 2024, Fall 2023) and Dr. Alice Gilbert (Fall 2023).
  • Skills: Wet Lab, Human Sample Handling, Mouse Dissection, Front-End Web Design, UX, Machine Learning

Jewish General Hospital — Lady Davis Institute — Student Researcher, Ivan Topisirovic Lab

01/2023 – 07/2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Designed CRISPR-Cas9 edited cell lines for experimentation.
  • Prepared cell cultures of U2-OS cells for CK2 inhibitor testing.
  • Skills: Wet Lab

McGill University — Department of Physics — TEAM Member, PHYS101

2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Taught 15–20 student tutorial sessions that synthesized weekly course material through a multi-question problem set.
  • Worked under Prof. Lilian Childress.
  • Skills: Teaching, Physics (Mechanics)

McGill University Sport Medicine Clinic — Front Desk Receptionist

12/2022 – 08/2024 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Coordinated scheduling for physiotherapists, doctors, surgeons, osteopaths, and massage therapists in a fast-paced, client-oriented atmosphere.
  • Helped organize varsity medical services.
  • Handled client payments and face-to-face interactions, phone calls, and patient questionnaires.
  • Skills: Organization, Administration, Customer Service, Teamwork, HIPAA

McGill University — Department of Physics — TEAM Member, PHYS102

2022 – 2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Taught 15–20 student tutorial sessions that synthesized weekly course material through a multi-question problem set.
  • Presented at SALTISE 2022 about tutorial efficacy in large courses with Dr. Nik Provotas, Dr. Ken Ragan, and Rebecca Brosseau.
  • Worked under Dr. Nik Provotas.
  • Skills: Teaching, Physics (Electrophysics)

McGill University — Department of Physiology — Student Researcher, Reza Sharif Lab

06/2021 – 05/2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Conducted behavioural assays to study the role of TACAN ion channel in osteoarthritis pain.
  • Performed surgeries and dissections on mice.
  • Sliced and stained samples through immunohistochemistry.
  • Worked under Dr. Reza Sharif and Dr. Lise Rabiller.
  • Skills: Wet Lab, Mouse Handling, Behavioural Assays, Mouse Surgeries, Mouse Dissection

Schulich School of Music of McGill University — Event Staffer

06/2021 – 01/2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Worked with back-of-house staff to host concerts and events at SSoM halls.
  • Handled public-facing responsibilities such as ticket checks, coat checking, ushering, and accessibility.
  • Skills: Customer Service, Organization, Teamwork

Schulich School of Music of McGill University — Communications Assistant

06/2021 – 05/2023 · Montréal, Québec, Canada

  • Managed Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn for SSoM.
  • Designed graphics for social media and brochures.
  • Wrote news and biographical articles for the SSoM website.
  • Updated SSoM website and calendars.
  • Skills: Graphic Design, Microsoft Office, Teamwork, Front-End Web Design, UX, Journalism, Social Media

AWARDS

  • Columbia Public Health Scholar — Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (2024)
    Highest-level merit scholarship. Awarded for dedication to and past achievement in public health.
  • Best Oral Presentation — Pharmacology Undergraduate Research Expo 2024 — McGill Department of Pharmacology (2024)
    “Challenges in Small Sample Size Cluster Randomized Trials focused on Medication Adherence in Pediatric Transplantation: Insights from the TAKE-IT-TOO Study”
  • Undergraduate Student Research Award — Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR), McGill University (2024)
    Funded Summer 2024 BioChoric project in the Reza Sharif Lab.
  • Executive of the Year — Science Undergraduate Society of McGill University (2024)
    VP Internal of PILS; won Best Social Event and Best Collaborative Event.
  • National Japan Bowl Winner — Japan International Cooperation Centre (JICE) (2019)
    2019 National Japan Bowl Winner in London, Ontario, Canada. Kakehashi delegate to Japan (Summer 2019).

PUBLICATIONS

  • Challenges in Small Sample Size Cluster Randomized Trials focused on Medication Adherence in Pediatric Transplantation: Insights from the TAKE-IT-TOO Study
    Pediatric Transplantation — First draft accepted for revisions in September 2025.
    Authors: Spencer W. Riddell, Robert Platt, Mary Amanda Dew, Annette DeVito Dabbs, Vikas R. Dharnidharka, Bärbel Knäuper, Gillian Mayersohn, Chia Wei Teoh, Véronique Phan, Tom Blydt-Hansen, Jodi Smith, Bethany J. Foster

LANGUAGES

  • English — Native
  • French — Native