The Institute of Transportation Studies is proud to spotlight Reina Kabbara for her contributions to the 2025 Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP). Reina is a Public Health Policy major with a minor in Health Informatics at UC Irvine. There, Reina’s coursework spans urban planning and policy, health data analytics, and public health communications. Her interest in transportation stems from a desire to reduce health disparities exacerbated by lack of access and displacement.
“I was excited for the opportunity to connect the ideas and research I have done through my Public Health Policy major here at UCI to transportation infrastructure and its impact on health equity.”
TRIP encourages students like Reina to explore the overlap of their interdisciplinary studies while conducting research. Working alongside ITS Faculty Dr. Jun Wu, Reina researched transportation infrastructure related contributions to extreme heat and lack of green space. From her research blossomed an interest in shaded transit, equitable greening initiatives, and low-emission mobility. Reina’s concentration on the intersection of transportation systems and public health primes her with real-world solutions to multifaceted problems.
“Many low-income and historically marginalized communities experience higher temperatures due to the urban heat island effect… I’m interested in learning how transportation planning can help mitigate the risks these communities face.”
Reina hopes to one day earn a Juris Doctor (JD) degree or a Masters in Public Health (MPH). She plans to advocate for systemic reform as a means to protect and empower vulnerable communities. Until then she intends to continue her research under Professor Jun Wu, gaining the technical expertise essential to implement policy reform.
“This program will help me gain essential skills needed in the policy and legal field…so I can work on initiatives that bring real change to low-income and marginalized families.”
Author Erin Boshers is a recent graduate of Urban Studies and Literary Journalism at UC Irvine. She has conducted transportation and housing research through roles at Caltrans, the Kennedy Commission, Jamboree Housing, and the Institute of Transportation Studies.
Each summer, the ITS-Irvine Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP) and the Pre-college Research Immersion Program pairs undergraduate and high school student researchers with faculty to contribute meaningfully to ongoing transportation research projects. To learn more about these programs, contact ITS-Irvine Assistant Director for Programs and engagement Dr. Victoria Deguzman at vvdeguzm@uci.edu.