April 09, 2012
The loss of farm land, limited HIV resources, stroke evaluation, tick bites, motor-vehicle crashes and postpartum depression comprise the issues researched by six former and current public health graduate students who received Impact Awards from UNC’s Graduate School earlier this month.
 
The awards recognize students whose research may improve the lives of people in North Carolina and beyond. Twenty-two award recipients from across the university presented their research at the annual recognition celebration held April 4 in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. Each recipient received a cash award, privately funded by the Graduate Education Advancement Board.
 
“For the seventh year, the Impact Awards are recognizing outstanding graduate students whose research offers reason for hope – whether it’s the promise of saving a life or saving a way of life,” stated Graduate School Dean Steven W. Matson, PhD, in the program for the event.
 
Peter Balvanz

Peter Balvanz
Brooke Hoots

Brooke Hoots
Mehul Patel

Mehul Patel
Meagan Vaughn

Meagan Vaughn
Catherine Vladutiu

Catherine Vladutiu
Stephanie Watkins

Stephanie Watkins

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The six winners from UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health are:

  • Peter Balvanz, alumnus, health behavior and health education, for Effects of Land Loss on African-American Farmers and Their Hope for the Next Generation;
  • Brooke Hoots, alumna, epidemiology, for Developing Practical Tools to Inform Allocation of North Carolina’s Limited HIV Resources;
  • Mehul Patel, doctoral student, epidemiology, for Prehospital Notification by Emergency Medical Services Is Crucial to Timely Evaluation of Stroke;
  • Meagan Vaughn, doctoral student, epidemiology, for Preventing Tick Bites Among North Carolina’s Outdoor Workers;
  • Catherine Vladutiu, doctoral student, epidemiology, for Motor Vehicle Crashes and Expectant Moms;
  • Stephanie Watkins, doctoral student, epidemiology, for Early Breastfeeding Experiences and Postpartum Depression.

Ten more students from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health were recognized at the event with other research awards or honorary society inductions, and more than 50 were recognized for receiving prestigious external fellowships.

 
2012 DEAN’S DISTINGUISHED DISSERTATION AWARD – BIOLOGICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES
  • Jessica Ellis, doctoral student in nutrition

2012 UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAY AWARDS

Biological sciences, oral presentation

  • Andrei Stefanescu, master’s student in biostatistics, tied for first place
  • Kimberley Geissler, doctoral student in health policy and management, second place
Biological sciences, poster presentation

  • Elizabeth Widen, doctoral student in nutrition, second place

Physical sciences, oral presentation

  • Naomi Brownstein, doctoral student in biostatistics, first place

Social sciences, poster presentation

  • Carmina Valle, doctoral student in nutrition, first place
  • Leah Zullig, doctoral student in health policy and management, honorable mention
  • Leanne Kaye, doctoral student in nutrition, honorable mention

FRANK PORTER GRAHAM HONORARY SOCIETY

  • Turquoise Griffith, master’s student in health behavior and health education
  • Derrick Matthews, doctoral student in health behavior and health education

EXTERNAL FELLOWSHIPS

 
Environmental Sciences and Engineering

  • Maura Allaire, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Maiko Arashiro, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Sri Budisulistiorini, Fulbright Fellowship for Non-U.S. Students
  • Chidsanuphong Chart-Asa, Royal Thai Government Scholarship
  • Kristen Downs, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship
  • Katie Friedman, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Meridith Fry, EPA-STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship
  • Anne Galyean, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Jill Johnston, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Panitan Jutaporn, Royal Thai Government Scholarship
  • Jordan Kern, Hydro Research Foundation Fellowship
  • Abhinav Komandur, EPA P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Award
  • Maya Nadimpalli, EPA-STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship
  • Ampai Soros, Royal Thai Government Scholarship
  • Hong Sik Yoo, AstraZeneca Co-Funded Bioscience PhD Studentships
  • Yvonne Yuen, EPA-STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship

Epidemiology

  • Rushina Cholera, NIH Predoctoral Fellowship
  • Kim Gaetz, EPA-STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship
  • Neela Goswami, Travel Grant from the Infectious Diseases Society of America
  • Shannon Grabich, Clendenin Graduate Fellows Program
  • Hoa Le, Epidemiology, International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) Scholarship
  • Qianlai Luo, Young Scientist Summer Program with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (YSSP-IIASA)
  • Lauren McCullough, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship Award
  • Irina Mordukhovich, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship Award
  • Kristen Rappazzo, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship
  • Naman Shah, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
  • Shakia Simmons, Gates Millennium Scholarship
  • Genee Smith, American Lung Association – Lung Health Dissertation Grant

Health Behavior and Health Education

  • Ling-Yin Chang, Ministry of Education, Republic of China (Taiwan) Studying Abroad Scholarship
  • Jenna Garrett, March of Dimes Scholar, 2012
  • Paul Gilbert, NRSA Fellowship (F31) NIH – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Yates Research Award – Montana State University
  • Turquoise Griffith, Tylenol Future Care Scholarship, 2011
  • Susan Haws, NRSA Fellowship (F31) NIH-National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • Ryan Rowe, Rotary World Peace Fellowship
  • Laura Villa Torres, CONACYT (Mexican National Council for Science and Technology) Scholarship

Health Policy and Management

  • Daniel Belsky, Health Services Research Dissertation Award (R36) – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  • Jeroen De Man, Rotary District Fellowship
  • Jerome Federspiel, NRSA Fellowship (F30) – for MD/PhD Students – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
  • Kimberley Geissler, Health Services Research Dissertation Award (R36) – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  • Lindey Maslow, Karl Geiringer Award from the American Brahms Society
  • Jordan McInerney, Richard L. Davis, FACMPE/Barbara B. Watson, FACMPE – National Scholarship
  • Huyen Nguyen, Fulbright Fellowship for Non-U.S. Students

Nutrition

  • Jennifer Anderson, American Dietetic Association Foundation – Geraldine M. Piper Memorial Scholarship
  • Carolina Batis Ruvalcaba, CONACYT (Mexican National Council for Science and Technology) Scholarship
  • Danielle Braxton, American Dietetic Association Foundation’s Commission on Dietetic Registration Doctoral Scholarship
  • Jennifer Cantwell Wood, ADA Foundation Gerber Endowment in Pediatric Nutrition Scholarship
  • Stern Dalia, CONACYT (Mexican National Council for Science and Technology) Scholarship
  • Beth Hopping, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Emily Kujawa, American Dietetic Association Foundation – Dorothy MaCrae Hyman Memorial Scholarship
  • Meghan Malka, American Dietetic Association Foundation – New Jersey Dietetic Association Scholarship
  • Carmina Valle, Society of Behavioral Medicine – Student Excellence in Research Award
  • Elizabeth Widen, American Society for Nutrition – The Gerber Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

Read more about the Graduate School awards.


 
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UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Linda Kastleman, communications editor, (919) 966-8317 or linda_kastleman@unc.edu.
 

 

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