At PHHP Days 2024, the College of Public Health and Health Professions was buzzing as attendees gathered for more than 200 talks and poster presentations highlighting research and discoveries.
Presentations showcased the breadth and diversity of faculty and student research with more than 20 topic areas ranging from artificial intelligence to cognitive health to infectious disease and injury and muscular systems.
Over the course of the two-day event, attendees learned about innovative research at student poster sessions, oral presentations, keynote presentations, faculty symposia and an academic expo.
Keynote speakers included alumna Major Lara Poole, M.P.H., chief of community health programs at the Air Force medical agency at defense health headquarters in Virginia, and Oladele A. Ogunseitan, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine.
For students, PHHP Days offers the opportunity to share their research with members of the PHHP community.
Recent Bachelor of Health Science graduate Aribah Ali presented her literature review on the implementation of medical interpreters to enhance patient health outcomes for Spanish-speaking immigrants seeking prenatal care.
“I am an aspiring physician and I really think that doing public health related research has helped me understand the different communities I want to work with,” Ali said. “Understanding a patient’s perspective and the care they want to receive, especially among minority populations, will help me become a better provider and help me improve my patients’ quality of life, experiences and health outcomes.”
The event concluded with a reception recognizing top scoring abstracts, posters and oral presentations, and faculty accomplishments.
PHHP faculty awardees
PHHP Career Impact Award
Ronald Cohen, Ph.D., professor, department of clinical and health psychology
PHHP Early Career Innovator Award
Rebecca Pearl, Ph.D., associate professor, department of clinical and health psychology
PHHP Mentor of the Year
Ara Jo, Ph.D., clinical associate professor, department of health services research, management and policy
Graduate student presentations
First place: Michael Aaron Sy, Ph.D. in epidemiology
Second place: Scott Cohen, Ph.D. in epidemiology
Third place: Delaney Kelemen, Ph.D. in rehabilitation science, communication and swallowing sciences and disorders concentration
M.P.H. capstone presentations
First place: Kelly Folsom
Second place: Chyna Miller
Third place: Devin Valdes
Undergraduate poster presentations
First place: Anika Heuberger, public health
Second place: Gabriela Sepulveda, public health
Third place: Trish-Ann Parkinson, communication sciences and disorders
People’s Choice Awards
Oral presentation: Sofia Sanchez, doctorate in audiology
Poster presentation: Ikenna Ezenwa, bachelor’s in public health
