Meet Our Class of 2026
The Arnold School is proud of our 2026 graduates, who will go on to change the world locally and globally. Learn about some of the other outstanding individuals who completed one of our 34 programs this year.
August 28, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Gazi Sakir Mohammad Pritom and Samiya Huda Antora came to USC so Pritom could pursue his Ph.D., but they both left with Arnold School degrees. Physicians by training, the married couple moved to the U.S. from Bangladesh to pursue careers in public health, and both walked across the stage at this year’s hooding ceremony.
They were accompanied at the ceremony by their daughter, Sanaa, who graduated from kindergarten the same month. Now the trio is off to Virigina, where Pritom is an assistant professor of health sciences at James Madison University, and Antora is a Presidential Fellow in the Ph.D. in Kinesiology program at the University of Virginia.
“My interest in public health started during medical school,” Pritom says. “We had a great professor who helped us see the importance of public health, so, at a time when all my friends were planning to focus on clinical medicine, I chose public health as my specialization.”
Antora was one of those clinically-focused medical school peers, and she decided to
specialize in pediatrics. She became interested in public health while working in
the ICU of a tertiary hospital. Her interest grew as a result of learning about the
field from her husband, who had recently completed a master of public health (MPH)
degree and was gaining experience in the field of infectious disease prevention, particularly
HIV, as a researcher. Antora decided to pursue her own MPH (with a focus on reproductive
health and childhood obesity), followed by a second master’s degree in international
health development.
Choosing USC
When Pritom decided to pursue a doctoral degree, he knew he wanted to study in the U.S., where most of the cutting-edge research in his field was being done. He had already been following the HIV, substance use, and big data research led by health promotion, education, and behavior (HPEB) professor Xiaoming Li. The Ph.D. in HPEB program, opportunity to work with Li, and Columbia’s affordability made USC the perfect fit.
Because she was focused on their young daughter, Antora was not initially planning to pursue her own degree. However, after looking into the Arnold School’s master’s programs, she couldn’t resist beginning her third master’s degree.
“I had previously served as a volunteer researcher for epidemiology professor Angela Liese’s SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth project, where I rediscovered my passion for physical activity among adolescents and children,” Antora says. “Then I connected with Dr. Michael Beets through the Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative (AHKI) and found the M.S. in Exercise Science to be the perfect next steps for me to pursue training and become an independent researcher in this field.”
During their programs, Pritom gained research experience as a member of Li’s SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality – developing interests in the gene-environment interaction in stimulant use disorder
and how that informs vulnerability and health-seeking behaviors. In addition to SEARCH
and AHKI, Antora expanded her experience as a graduate research assistant with the
USC Prevention Research Center. With a focus on adolescent health, she is interested in physical activity and nutrition
as well as the role they play in special diseases like psoriatic arthritis.
Reflecting on the experience
Pritom’s career in teaching and conducting research in academia has now begun, and Antora has moved into the final phase of her training to pursue a similar path. They both state that the Arnold School provided an exceptional foundation, rich mentorship and lifelong connections for this work.
In addition to Li, Pritom found mentors in Shan Qiao, Xueying Yang, George Tam, Bankole Olatosi, Pieter Baker, and Fanghui Shi. For Antora, those key role models have been Liese and Beets along with Sara Wilcox and Jennifer O’Neill. They agree that finding the right advisor is one of the most important considerations in choosing a graduate program.
“Don’t doubt yourself and ask the question or make the request,” Antora adds to this advice. “And try establishing a working relationship with the lab or professor by working on projects in small roles so you understand the academic culture. Finally, if you are coming back to school after some time working, it may take a while to get in the rhythm.”
The entire family is thrilled that they chose to spend the last five years at USC. Back when Pritom was pitching Columbia for their move to America, he had told Antora, “Two hours to the beach and two hours to the mountains!”
USC’s centralized location paid off in spades, and the young family has made it to nearly every beach in the state (Edisto is their favorite). They also fell in love with the city of Greenville and the Upstate’s breathtaking views at Table Rock State Park andthe state botanical garden. Closer to home, they’ve declared Rosewood to be the best Columbia neighborhood and have made countless memories at Fireflies games, the Riverbanks Zoo, and Saturday market on Main Street.
“I think USC is in a unique setting because although there are many universities with college towns, here at USC, there are truly two distinct communities,” Antora says. “The USC student community is fun and very active, with many events throughout the semester to help us breathe and relax under the immense academic pressure. The larger Columbia area has great kid-friendly and family-friendly weekend and weekday evening events. We love USC and hope to come back and serve our USC community in different ways in future. Here’s to you Carolina – Forever to Thee!”