SPHHS Announces 2020 Research Day Award Winners

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The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) held its 23rd Annual Research Day on Tuesday, April 14, in a virtual format to allow for remote participation. The annual event serves as an opportunity for the campus community to learn more about the research and practice conducted by its students. In lieu of a poster session, a faculty jury reviewed student abstract submissions and selected 8 finalists to present 3-minute flash science talks to an online Zoom audience of over 120 individuals.

"Thank you to all the students who participated in a highly successful 'Virtual' SPHHS Research Day, and to all their faculty sponsors," said dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz. "This year, we had a record number of 60 student submissions across all departments and all academic levels – including undergraduate, masters, and doctoral student presenters – in both research and practice categories. I was so impressed with the high quality of research presented in our student flash talks, and by the enthusiasm and knowledge of all of our student presenters. Our faculty judges had difficult decisions to make in awarding our prizes.”

The 2020 Research Day award winners are:

Research category, public health, first place: Etienne Holder, biostatistics and epidemiology, Ph.D. (faculty sponsor: Susan Hankinson)
“Estrogenic activity and risk of invasive breast cancer among postmenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study”

Research category, health sciences, first place: Yeun Hiroi and Danielle Zoppo, kinesiology, B.S.  (faculty sponsor: Richard van Emmerik)
“Investigating differences in spatial and temporal gait parameters between Multiple Sclerosis subtypes during the Timed 25-Foot Walk”

Practice category, first place: Tai Pasquini, health promotion and policy, Ph.D. (faculty sponsor: Michael Begay)
“Navigating a ‘Rare’ Experience: Health Insurance Access as Described by Rare Disease Caregivers”

Research category, second place: Abosede Sarah Alli, environmental health sciences, Ph.D. (faculty sponsor: Raphael Arku)
“Spatial-temporal patterns and influence of land-use and socioeconomic factors on fine particulate matter and noise pollution in Accra, Ghana”

Research category, third place: Ruthfirst Ayande, nutrition, Ph.D. (faculty sponsor: Elena Carbone)
“An Exploratory Study of the Gaps and Barriers to Nutrition Education for Pregnant Women in Tamale, Ghana”

All student abstracts can be read on the 2020 Research Day Program webpage. Student emails are provided; the SPHHS invites email question submissions to the students about their work.

View Zoom recordings of the finalists’ flash science talks on the SPHHS website