MCH alumna wins APHA outstanding student author award
Sept. 26, 2014
Dr. Christine Tucker
Christine Tucker, PhD, Gillings School of Global Public Health alumna, has won the Outstanding Student Author Award, presented by the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) maternal and child health section.
Tucker, who received a doctorate in maternal and child health from the Gillings School in May, conducted dissertation research with Community Care of North Carolina’s (CCNC) Pregnancy medical Home program. The work led to her dissertation on “Preterm birth prediction and receipt of postpartum contraception among North Carolina’s Medicaid population.”
“I am grateful to my committee members, Carolyn Halpern, Julie Daniels, Diane Rowley, Kate Menard and Amy Herring, who guided me in my dissertation research,” Tucker said. “I would also like to acknowledge Kate Berrien and staff members from Community Care of North Carolina, the N.C. Division of Medical Assistance, the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics, and the Gillings School of Global Public Health who made it possible for me to analyze data from the North Carolina Pregnancy Medical Home Program.”
“Christine is a rising star who will make important contributions to the health of mothers and children in North Carolina and beyond,” said Carolyn Halpern, PhD, professor and chair of the Gillings School’s maternal and child health department and Tucker’s adviser.
The APHA Maternal and Child Health section’s student leadership programs aim to foster the development of leaders in science, practice and policy related to the health of women, children and their families. In particular, the Outstanding Student Authors program is designed to promote and advance research related to maternal and child health populations and provide opportunity to recognize the exemplary research of students. The program is co-sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH).
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.
