Our Team Members

Nhung Nguyen, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Nguyen is a behavioral scientist and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF. She founded and leads the HEARTY lab. Her research program employs innovative methods to address critical questions related to substance use, including the use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for real-time data collection and human-centered design to develop smartphone-based interventions. Her current projects harness mobile health (mHealth) technologies, wearable devices, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and implementation science to create and test interventions aimed at helping young people quit vaping and reduce co-use of tobacco and cannabis. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services, and the Hellman Fellowship Program. 

A dedicated mentor, Dr. Nguyen has guided trainees across all levels, including high school students, undergraduates, master and PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows.

Maria Tolentino

Research Coordinator

Maria Tolentino received her BS in Biological Sciences from Dominican University of California. She is interested in women's health and making health information accessible for people of all backgrounds. She is passionate about research because it produces data that can help others make informed decisions about their health. In her free time, she loves exploring the Bay Area's food scene. If you see her around, feel free to share your favorite places with her!

Deanna Halliday, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Deanna M. Halliday, PhD, received her doctorate in Psychological Sciences (Health Psychology) from the University of California, Merced. Prior to joining the UCSF, she was awarded a TRDRP pre-doctoral fellowship for her dissertation work on tobacco and cannabis co-use. Her work examines the multi-level factors that contribute to tobacco and cannabis use spanning from internal psychological factors to social and community-level factors. Dr. Halliday hopes to further explore the phenomena of co-use in under-resourced, rural, or otherwise vulnerable communities.

Vuong Do, PhD 

Postdoctoral Scholar 

Vuong Do received his doctorate in Public Health (Epidemiology) from the School of Public Health, Georgia State University. As a postdoctoral fellow at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Vuong examines tobacco and cannabis co-use patterns among young adults, risk perceptions, and contextual factors to inform cessation programs. In addition, he is interested in studying tobacco and cannabis use and health disparities among racial/ethnic minority groups. 

Allison A. Temourian, PhD 

Postdoctoral Scholar 

Dr. Allison A. Temourian received her doctorate in Psychological Sciences (Health Psychology) from the University of California, Merced. Her current research examines 1) cognitions as they relate to addictive behavior and 2) antecedents to health risk behaviors. Specifically, her work aims to address the psychosocial factors that may put youth and young adults at risk of using tobacco and/or cannabis products. During her postdoctoral training, Dr. Temourian will continue her work examining perceptions of nicotine addiction and their overlap with the clinical dimensions of tobacco use disorder.

Isha Sen

Research Intern 

Isha Sen is an interdisciplinary researcher and clinician from India with a background in clinical psychology and human-centered product development. She holds an MRes in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology from University College London and Yale University. She was awarded the Bridge Prize for her thesis exploring impulsivity and alcohol consumption. She continued her training at Yale’s Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science focused on adolescent e-cigarette use and policy. Isha has also led product strategy for digital wellness platforms, translating clinical evidence into scalable, user-focused interventions. She is passionate about leveraging technology for effective mental health solutions and completed her Executive MBA at the Indian School of Business.

Grace Cho 

Student intern

Grace is a Cupertino High School student. As part of the Santa Clara County Peer Advocate Advisory Council and the California Youth Advocacy Network Youth Board, she is dedicated to spreading awareness of the issue of tobacco and vape addiction and the manipulative tactics the tobacco industry uses to target youth. She has presented at the Teens Tackle Tobacco Conference and the Stanford Cannabis Conference and worked on a handbook educating tobacco retailers on state policies restricting sales to youth. She is also interested in building technology-based intervention tools for adolescents addicted to tobacco and vapes. 

Vincent Cao

Undergraduate Student

Vincent is a Human Biology and Society B.S. student studying at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Well versed in graphing multivariable nonlinear systems for populations and behaviors using Python and Sagemath, he supports students with mathematical modeling as a Learning Assistant. He also conducts hypertension screenings for underserved populations in Orange County and plays piano for senior homes nearby UCLA. On the fun side of things, Vincent is part of UCLA Fencing, enjoys oil/acrylic painting, practicing martial arts, arranging music on the piano by ear, and writing novels in his spare time.