SPHHS Announces 2025 Research Day Award Winners
Research Day is a showcase for the research and practice conducted by students in all of its departments.
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The School of Public Health and Health Sciences held its annual Research Day on April 25, 2025, in the Campus Center Auditorium. Now in its 28th year, SPHHS Research Day is a showcase for the research and practice conducted by students in all of its departments. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers, are invited to present their work to faculty, staff, peers, and the broader community.
This year’s event included two separate sessions in which more than 100 students presented their work. Participants spanned all departments and academic levels – including undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral presenters – and served to highlight the depth and breadth of SPHHS student research. The day’s program also featured short talks from postdoctoral research associates Melanna Cox, Kruuttika Satbhai, and Jacob Thomas about their research and professional journeys.
"This year’s Research Day was truly inspiring," says Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz. "The incredible turnout from our students and faculty surpassed all expectations, showcasing the extraordinary depth and diversity of research happening within our school. It’s clear that the dedication to mentorship and the pursuit of excellence is alive and thriving. This kind of passion doesn’t just fuel groundbreaking discoveries — it builds a vibrant community committed to shaping the future. It’s this shared commitment that makes our school such a powerful place to grow, innovate, and lead."
"Congratulations to the more than 100 students who showcased their outstanding research at the event!" adds Susan Sturgeon, Associate Dean of Research. "A sincere thank you as well to the members of the Research Committee, the 22 faculty judges, and the dedicated SPHHS staff, whose invaluable contributions ensured the success of this year's program."
The student presenters participated in a faculty-juried poster session based on content and presentation. This year, the SPHHS awarded a total of eight prizes: travel awards for best presentation in health sciences and in public health; three graduate student research awards; and three undergraduate student research awards.
Travel Award winners:
- 1st place (Research Category - Health Sciences): Adam Grimmitt, Kinesiology, PhD. Look Ma, no cortical demands! Why step accuracy matters for public health. Faculty sponsor: Wouter Hoogkamer
- 1st place (Research Category - Public Health): Kameron Wong, Environmental Health Sciences, PhD. Optimizing the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) β-cell Ablation Model as a Tool to Assess ROS-mediated Dysfunction upon Developmental Exposure to PFOS. Faculty sponsor: Alicia Timme-Laragy.
Graduate Student Poster Award winners:
- 1st place: Margaret Kucia, Epidemiology, PhD. Premenstrual symptom patterns and risk factors: a cross-sectional study of college-aged women. Faculty sponsor: Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson.
- 2nd place: Michaela Ayisi, Community Health Education, MPH. Risk factors associated with postpartum depression in immigrant women in the U.S.: A systematic scoping review. Faculty sponsor: Jamie Hartmann-Boyce.
- 3rd place: Jiahui Zhu, Environmental Health Sciences, PhD. Response of Human Sperm Variable Methylation Regions to Tobacco Smoking. Faculty sponsor: Alexander Suvorov.
Undergraduate Student Poster Award winners:
- 1st place: Jessica Liversedge, Public Health Sciences, BS. Addressing Loneliness in College Students Through Primary Care Tools and Interventions. Faculty sponsor: Gloria DiFulvio.
- 2nd place: Nidhi Manchikanti, Public Health Sciences, BS. Seasonal Variations in Reproductive Hormones: A Comparison of the EAGeR and BioCycle Studies. Faculty sponsor: Carrie Nobles.
3rd place: Devin Howe, Denver Duverneau, Carl Goldberg, and Ronan Brown (group), Public Health Sciences, BS. Exploring School-Based Interventions to Address Health Disparities Faced by Sexual-Minority Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature. Faculty sponsor: Karl Cyr.
Presenters and attendees at Research Day 2025