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Airín Martínez, FRS 2019-20, Receives 2021 Henry Montes President's Award

Former CRF Family Research Scholar, Airín Martínez, assistant professor of health promotion and policy has been awarded the 2021 Henry Montes President’s Award from the Latino Caucus for Public Health. She received the honor on Oct. 25,  during the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting. Dr. Martínez research examines how the local implementation of immigration enforcement policies creates material deprivation and psychosocial stress among Latinx mixed-status families, with at least one unauthorized immigrant.

During her CRF year, Dr.  Martínez explored the relationship between chronic psychosocial stressors and physiological stress, on salivary uric acid, a biomarker for oxidative stress, among Latinx families of different migrant family structures (only US-born parents, authorized immigrant parents, and families with 1+ unauthorized immigrant parents). The study hopes to demonstrate the consequences of parents’ legal vulnerabilities for children’s physical health. She hopes that her research can reverse policies excluding US immigrant populations and inform community-based prevention strategies. 

CRF Helps Celebrates the 100th Birthday of Dorothy D. Gavin ‘43

Dorothy D. Gavin ‘43, has spent much of her life giving to her community and her beloved alma mater, UMass Amherst. Dot, as she is affectionately known, graduated when UMass was known as Massachusetts State College. She turned 100 years old on Thursday, October 14, 2021 and on Wednesday, October 13th, her milestone birthday was marked with a festive outdoor celebration organized by the College of Natural Sciences 

Graduate Student Grant Writer's Program Member Receives NIH Award

Christina Rowley, a member of the 2019-20 Graduate Student Grant Writer’s Program and fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program with the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has been awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), an Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. The award, supported by NIH, is given to doctoral students who demonstrate an integrated research and clinical training plan. The fellowship is designed to assist predoctoral students to clearly enhance their potential in developing into productive, independent physician-scientists. 

Alicia Timme-Laragy, FRS 2020-21, Receives Funding to Investigate Effects of Environmental Toxicants on Pancreatic Development

Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Alicia Timme-Laragy, Family Research Scholar during the 2020-21 academic year, has received a two-year, $421,400 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study the effects of environmental toxicants on pancreatic development.

Natasha de la Rosa-Rivera, 2019 Graduate Student Grant Writing Program Member Receives NIH Funding

Improving the Diagnosis and Treatment of Memory Disorders in Aging and Alzheimer's 

Natasha M. de la Rosa-Rivera, a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and 2019 CRF Graduate Student Grant Writers Program member was recently named as a recipient of an NIH dissertation award (R36) to complete and further her research. Receiving this award will allow Natasha to test her overarching hypothesis that brain regions contribute to a cognitive task – be it perceptual or mnemonic – according to the representations they contain. 

Mélise Edwards (Grant Writing Program 2019-20) and her advisor, Agnès Lacreuse (Family Research Scholar 2013-14), are among the 50 winners of this year’s Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study for dissertation adviser–graduate student pairs.

The past 2 years have been exceptionally successful for former Graduate Student Grant Writing program member Mélise Edwards (2019-20). Among her many accomplishments, she was awarded a Ford Foundation grant and named a recipient of the Wendy Helmer Graduate Student Award a peer-nominated award given annually to Psychological and Brain Sciences graduate students who work to improve the quality of life in the department and/or their program. Most recently she has been named winner of the Gilliam Fellowship alongside her advisor, Agnès Lacreuse, a former Family Research Scholar in 2012-13 and close faculty affiliate of our Center. Read more about the duo and their award here and join us in celebrating our two colleagues on this notable achievement. 

Linda Tropp (FRS 2009-10) Works with International Team to Determine Effective Means of Promoting Social Change

Linda Tropp (FRS 2009-10), professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, worked alongside a team of 23 international researchers to examine what it takes for people to commit to taking action to promote social equality.

Alicia Timme-Laragy (FRS 2019-20) Presents to Task Force on the Presence of PFAS in Community Water Systems Statewide

An expert on developmental toxicology, Dr. Alicia Timme-Laragy has been working with state legislators on the potential health risks posed by PFAS chemicals through her work as a UMass Public Engagement Faculty Fellow through the Public Engagement Project (PEP) a program on campus with strong ties to CRF. 

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