Mentor Shelton Lo comes from an underrepresented background and is the first in his family to attend college. He grew up without the academic or financial advantages many of his peers had - no legacy networks, no specialized prep schools, and no early exposure to elite academic programs. What he did have was an unshakable belief that health and medicine could be transformative, not just for individuals, but for entire communities. From a young age, Mentor Lo became fascinated with how health systems, prevention, and education could alter life outcomes, particularly for marginalized populations like the ones he grew up among. That curiosity fueled an unrelenting work ethic and a determination to create opportunities where none seemed possible.
Because of this foundation, every scholarship and award Mentor Shelton Lo received has been not just a recognition of academic excellence, but a testament to resilience, perseverance, and leadership in the face of systemic barriers. He was awarded the highly competitive Harvard NIOSH Pilot Project Grant in 2021 for designing an independent project on the impact of occupational exposures on lung cancer recurrence and progression. While many peers came from research-rich backgrounds, Mentor Lo relied on his lived experience as the child of working-class parents to frame occupational exposures not as abstract risks, but as everyday realities shaping the health of families, which gave his proposal originality and urgency. Mentor Lo's work was twice recognized at the American Thoracic Society for advancing knowledge in respiratory and population health sciences, and he was also selected for the NORA Young/New Investigators Symposium for bringing both scientific rigor and a human lens to occupational health research.
Equally meaningful have been honors tied to teaching and mentorship. In 2024 Mentor Lo received the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Teaching Fellow Award for his dedication to supporting students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, and for creating classrooms that were rigorous yet inclusive. In 2025 Mentor Lo received the NIH Mentor Award for his commitment to guiding interns and ensuring they felt supported in ways he once lacked himself. That same year he was selected for NIH's Grant Writing Training Fellowship, chosen to lead Journal Club, and admitted into the Bridge to Leadership Program - signaling his transition from trainee to trusted leader, responsible for shaping the future of biomedical research and public health.
What makes Mentor Shelton Lo's journey compelling is not a perfect transcript or privileged upbringing, but the fact that he has persisted and excelled despite the odds. He had no blueprint for higher education, yet he navigated each step: from being a first-generation undergraduate at UC San Diego, to earning a Master of Public Health, to completing a Ph.D. at Harvard, and now serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Every recognition - every grant, award, and fellowship - is proof that hard work, resilience, and a passion for medicine and public health can carve a path where none existed before. Mentor Shelton Lo's story is not one of advantage, but of determination. And that is why his scholarships and honors are not just accolades - they are milestones in a journey that demonstrates what it means to rise, to serve, and to lead.
Harvard University - T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D), Population Health Sciences
University of California, San Diego, CA
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Population Health
Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH)
- Pilot Project Grant Funding Award - NIOSH Harvard T.H. Chan Education and Research Center (ERC) 2021: “The Impact of Occupational Exposures on Lung Cancer Recurrence and Progression”
- American Thoracic Society 2022 - Abstract Presentation
- 19th Annual Regional National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Young/New Investigators Symposium 2021 - Poster Presentation
- American Thoracic Society 2024 - Abstract Presentation
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - Teaching Fellow Award (2024)
- Mentor Award Summer Intern (2025) National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
- Grant Writing Training & Mentoring Program (2024-2025) - National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
- Journal Club Lead (2025) - National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
- Bridge to Leadership Program (2025) - National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
- Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health
- Research Admissions Mentor, Solomon Admissions Consulting
- Lead Instructor, Harvard University
- Residential Life Advisor, Harvard University
- PhD Student/Candidate, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Teaching Fellow, Harvard University
- Social Media Assistant, Harvard University
- Public Health Administrative Specialist, County of San Diego Public Health Services Administration
- Residential Life Advisor, University of California San Diego
- Graduate Research Lead, University of California San Diego
- Grant Writing - Lead Classroom Instructor, University of California San Diego
- Research and Study Clinical Coordinator, University of California San Francisco
- Speech and Psychology - Behavioral Therapist, GOALS FOR AUTISM INC
- Lead Paraprofessional, San Francisco Unified School District
- Health Promotion and Marketing Assistant Director, University of California San Diego - Health Promotion Services
- College Transitional Mentor, University of California San Diego
- Teaching Fellow, University of California San Diego
- Research Assistant, University of California San Diego
- Office Manager, University of California San Diego - Office of Student Life
- Student Secretary, University of California San Diego
- Lead Manager, Jamba Juice Inc
- Lead Team Coordinator - Assistant Director, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- Math and Science Programs - Instructional Classroom Director, Star Learning Center Inc
- Administrative Reports Assistant, San Francisco Department of Child Support Services
- Inspection Auditor's Assistant, San Francisco Department of Public Health
- Math/English/Science Tutor, Youth Employment Services Program
- Clinical Intern, University of California San Francisco
- Lo, S., Mbanze, I., Orr, J. E., DeYoung, P., Checkoway, H., Govo, V., Jessen, N., Damasceno, A., Malhotra, A. (2023). The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing and associated risk factors in patients with decompensated congestive heart failure in Mozambique. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: JCSM: official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 19(6), 1103-1110.
- De Guzman, K., Stone, G., Yang, A. R., Schaffer, K. E., Lo, S., Kojok, R., Kirkpatrick, C. R., Del Pozo, A. G., Le, T. T., DePledge, L., Frost, E. L., & Kayser, G. L. (2023). Drinking water and the implications for gender equity and empowerment: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative evidence. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 247, 114044.
- Lo, S. and Christiani, D. (2021). Is "enough" really enough? how protected are our most vulnerable workers-those that support our country's economy and infrastructure? HPHR (Harvard Public Health Review), 33.
Other Mentors
