Student Research

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship Winners

Undergraduate Winners

2025 scholarship award winning poster
Olivia Daszkilewicz's winning poster

How cumulative financial, academic, and social stressors impact the long-term mental health outcomes of first-generation college students 
Lead student: Olivia Daszkilewicz 
Co-authors: Grace Foley, John Law, Natalia Soto, and Sabrina Torres 
Faculty advisor: Daniel Freedman 
Department of Social Work

First Generation Latinx Women & Mental Health: The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences      
Lead student: Leslie Osorio      
Co-authors: Arisai Lopez, Nelly Vilchez, Melissa Cuellar-Calros, Roselena Hernandez-Justiniano, Ana Alvarez, and Melissa Hernandez      
Faculty advisor: Daniel Freedman       
Department of Social Work

Developing daily exposure to PM2.5 constituents for epidemiologic time series models using machine learning      
Lead student: Iris Zhang      
Faculty advisor: Jenna Krall       
Global and Community Health

Understanding Resource Identification and Access Among Undocumented Latinos Residing in Northern Virginia      
Lead student: Melannye Perez      
Co-authors: Megan Adams and Christopher Chavez      
Faculty advisor: Daniel Freedman       
Department of Social Work


Masters Winners

Milinda Polisetty with her winning Masters poster
Milinda Polisetty with her winning poster

High Healthcare Utilization and Social Disparities: Analyzing the Root Causes through Machine Learning     
Lead student: Milinda Harshitha Polisetty    
Faculty advisor: Eman Elashkar       
Health Administration and Policy

“She would rape me”: Exploring Men’s Experience with Sexual Violence      
Lead student: Jessica Lopez Guerrero  
Co-author: Akolam L. Wambu  
Faculty advisor: Denise Hines  
Department of Social Work

Precision Phenotyping of ICU Delirium: Machine Learning Algorithm Uncovers Critical Interactions Between Ventilation Parameters, Patient Demographics, and Pre-existing Conditions  
Lead student: Lakshmi Indira Kuppa  
Faculty advisor: Eman Elashkar  
Health Administration and Policy


Doctoral Winners

Mamadou Sy with his winning doctoral poster
Mamadou Sy with his winning poster

A 24-Month Longitudinal Study on COVID-19 Symptom Persistence and Resolution  
Lead student: Mamadou Sy  
Co-authors: Leyla de Avila, B.A., Jillian K. Price, PhD, Carey Escheik, BS, Lynn H. Gerber, MD, and Zobair M. Younossi MD, MPH  
Faculty advisor: Ali Weinstein  
Global and Community Health

The association between infertility and intimate partner violence among HIV-negative women in low- and middle-income countries  
Lead student: Cheyu Zhang  
Co-authors: Astha Ramaiya and Julia Mandeville  
Faculty advisor: Jhumka Gupta  
Global and Community Health

Harnessing Generative AI for Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: A Systematic Review of Non-Clinical Applications  
Lead student: Yiwen Li  
Faculty advisor: Y. Alicia Hong  
Health Administration and Policy

Past Celebration of Scholarship Winners & Participants

2024 Celebration of Scholarship

Celebration of Student Scholarship 

2024 Winners

Undergraduate Winners

The Effects of Unpaid Practicum of the Mental Health of Social Work Students   
Lead student: Betzy Balladares Oviedo   
Faculty advisor: Megumi Inoue   
Department of Social Work

Exploring the Relationship Between HbA1c and Waist-hip Ratio Among Individuals with Pre-Diabetes   
Lead student: Aya Laoufir   
Faculty advisor: Raedeh Basiri   
Department of Nutrition

Perceived Impact of Creative Expression on Well-Being in Adults Who Experienced ACEs   
Lead student: Elizabeth Hewitt   
Faculty advisor: Megumi Inoue   
Department of Social Work

Masters Winners

Burnout Among U.S. School Health Nurses: Association with Education, Experience, Population Served, and Staffing Level   
Lead student: Zill Shah  
Faculty advisor: Debora Goldberg   
Health Administration and Policy

Association between dietary timing and migraine   
Lead student: Maryann Greenfield  
Faculty advisor: Raedeh Basiri   
Department of Nutrition

Family Disclosure of IPV Victimization in the GBT Community   
Lead student: Jacquelyn Custer  
Faculty advisor: Denise Hines   
Department of Social Work

Doctoral Winners

Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Workplace Environment Among Social Workers in Virginia and Washington, DC   
Lead student: Sravya Vunnam 
Faculty advisor: Debora Goldberg   
Health Administration and Policy

Factors Influencing Adherence to Standard Precautions Scale (Student Version): Validity and Reliability Arabic Version   
Lead student: Salwa Jadid Alanazi 
Faculty advisor: Kyeung Mi Oh   
Nursing

Menstrual products and bleeding patterns in relation to urinary levels of environmental phenols and parabens   
Lead student: Joanna Marroquin 
Faculty advisor: Anna Pollack   
Global and Community Health

2023 Celebration of Scholarship

Celebration of Scholarship

2023 Winners

Undergraduate winners

Sara Awadalsayed   
Jennifer Hernandez, Blanca Soriano, Myrima Rychlik, and Vivian Vu   
Department of Social Work

Mckenzie Lauber  
Alex Ramirez, and Amy Burkhart   
Department of Social Work

Jacquelyn Custer  
Department of Social Work

Masters winners

Catherine Magee 
Catherine J. Tompkins, Emily S. Ihara, Fancesca Keesee, McKenzie S. Lauber, Gergana Magee, Jessica Fredericksen, and Roberts Liebreich 
Department of Social Work

Juliet Bonnah 
Paris R. Stephens, Julianne Ghiorzi, Ishika F. Ahmed, Basma Osama Mansour, Adriana S. Vanegas Aguilar, Aamna Sohail, Neriman Beyza Ozeren, Safa Yosufzai, Yasmin Khadija Fenaoui 
Department of Nutrition

Arwa Alzeer 
Health Administration and Policy

Blessing Seidu 
Department of Nutrition

Doctoral winners

Carolyn Faith Hoffman
Health Administration and Policy

Angela Brocker and Katherine Scafide
School of Nursing

Kelley M Baker
Health Administration and Policy

2022 Celebration of Scholarship

Celebration of Scholarship

2022 Winners

Undergraduate winners

Examining the Barriers that Inhibit Youth From Receiving Mental Health Services   
Jaci Anderson, Ashly Rubio, Eileen Dao, Noelle Ha   
Department of Social Work   
Contact: Daniel Freedman

HPV Awareness Survey   
Aamna Sohail, Hanson Addo, Ishika Ahmed, Maha Hassan, and Adriana Vanegas   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Michelle S. Williams

Message Testing Interview   
Adriana Vanegas, Aamna Sohail, Ishika Ahmed, Hanson Addo, Maha Hassan   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Michelle S. Williams

Master's winners

Social Support as a Mediator between Severe Abuse and Suicidality in Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence   
Grace Anderson, Julia Taylor   
Department of Social Work   
Contact: Denise Hines

Evaluating the Inaugural Year of the CAP-BH program from the voices of participants   
Julia Flum, Saowbia Rahman   
Department of Social Work   
Contact: Denise Hines

Amino Acids, B Vitamins, and Choline May Independently and Collaboratively Influence Autism Spectrum Disorder   
Laurel Jennings   
Department of Nutrition and Food Studies   
Contact: Raedeh Basiri

Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Interactions Between Race and Help-Seeking from Law Enforcement   
Julia Taylor, Grace Anderson, Victoria Iveljic, Jacquelyn Bruns   
Department of Social Work   
Contact: Denise Hines

Doctoral winners

Dynamic Postural Stability Among People With Parkinson’s Disease Following Performance-Based Overground Locomotor Training   
R. Jamil Pugh, Andrew E. Pechstein, Clinton J. Wutzke, Kerry B. Rosen, Lobna S. Elsarafy, Emily Kestle, Andrew A. Guccione   
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences   
 

The Effects of an Online Movement and Cognitive Dual Task Training Program for Community-Based Adults and Older Adults on Executive Function: A Pilot Study   
Lobna Elsarafy, Emily Kestle, Julie D Ries, Leah M. Adams, Hua Min,  Andrew A. Guccione   
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences   
 

Walking Gait Propulsive Force in Ambulatory Patients with Parkinson’s Disease   
Thomas A. Corfman, Andrew E. Pechstein, R Jamil Pugh, Dan Ding, Michael Huang, Kerry B. Rosen, Lobna S. Elsarafy, Emily M. Leonard, Andrew A. Guccione   
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences 

2022 Participants

Testis Growth and Relative Size from Birth to 6 Months in the Infant Feeding and Early Development Study   
Thomas Amabile, Helen B Chin, Andrea Kelly, Walter J Rogan, David M Umbach   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Helen Chin

Understanding the Impact of College Food Pantries on Students who are Food Insecure   
Vanessa Arias, Tom Vo, Veronica Arroyo, Elsy Lopez, Jessica Noblecia Gonzalez   
Department of Social Work   
Contact: Daniel Freedman

Medication-Assisted Treatment 24-hour Waiver Training for Opioid Use Disorder: Lessons Learned from a Nursing School Experience   
Krista Beran, Cheryl Oetjen, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC; Megan Harvey, DNP, FNP-BC, BSN, RN; Myriame Zamilus-Osabu, BSN, RN-BC; Kyeung Mi Oh, PhD, MSN, RN   
School of Nursing   
Contact: Kyeung Mi Oh

Predictors of firearm purchasing during the coronavirus pandemic in the United States: A cross-sectional study   
Laura Henderson; Amira A. Roess, PhD; Laura F. Henderson; Leah Adams, PhD; Keith Renshaw, PhD Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Amira Roess

Improving employee health for cardiovascular and metabolic conditions: A systematic review of weight-management outcomes   
Carolyn Faith Hoffman, MPH; Debora Goldberg, PhD, MBA, MHA; J. Mary Louise Pomeroy, MPH; Kathleen Butler, MLS; and Ali A. Weinstein, PhD   
Department of Health Administration and Policy   
Contact: Debora Goldberg

Exploring Disability as a Driver of Child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in Four Fragile States: A Multi-country Analysis   
Samantha Kanselaar, Cheyu Zhang, Jaffer Zaidi, Jhumka Gupta   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Jhumka Gupta

The Impact of an Online Movement Training Program for Community- Based Adults and Older Adults on Balance, Physical Activity, Self-Efficacy and Resilience   
Emily Kestle, Andrew Guccione, PT, Ph.D., DPT; Rosemary Higgins, MD; Julie Ries, PT, Ph.D.; Margaret Jones, Ph.D.; Hua Min, Ph.D.; Lobna Elsarafy, PT, Ph.D. candidate   
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences   
Contact: Andrew Guccione

Factors Associated with Professional Mental Help-Seeking Among U.S. Immigrants: A Systematic Review   
Mona Mohammadifirouzeh, Kyeung Mi Oh, Iccha Basnyat, Gilbert Gimm   
School of Nursing   
Contact: Kyeung Mi Oh

Exploring Communication Apprehension in Nursing and Healthcare Education: A Systematic Review   
Shannon Schulenberg, Kyeung M Oh, PhD, MSN, RN   
School of Nursing   
Contact: Kyeung Mi Oh

A Culturally Tailored Social Media-based Intervention to Improve Caregiving Skills and Reduce Psychosocial Stress for Chinese American Caregivers of Alzheimer’s Diseases   
Kang Shen, Y. Alicia Hong, PhD, Kate Lu, LCSW, Hsiaoyin Chen, LMSW, Van Ta Park (UCSF), Haera Han, PhD (JHU)   
Department of Health Administration and Policy   
Contact: Y. Alicia Hong

The Influence of Online Patient-Provider Communication on Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Comparison Between Non-Hispanic Black and White American Males   
Stacey Steves, Kyeung M. Oh, PhD, MSN, RN   
School of Nursing   
Contact: Kyeung Mi Oh

Strategies for Adapting an Evidence-Based Breast Cancer Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic   
Precious Ugwu; Sheila Y. McKinney, Ph.D., MA, CHES, Jackson State University; Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES, George Mason University   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Michelle S. Williams

The association between women’s disability status and couple’s attitudes toward intimate partner violence   
Cheyu Zhang, Samantha Kanselaar, Jaffer Zaidi, Jhumka Gupta   
Department of Global and Community Health   
Contact: Jhumka Gupta

 

2021 Celebration of Scholarship

Celebration of Student Scholarship 

2021 Winners

Individual and Institutional Factors That May Influence Knowledge, Attitudes, and Reporting Behaviors Related to Concussions in US High School Athletes: A Systematic Review  
Krista Beran MS RN, ANP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Kat Scafide

Magnesium Intake and Odds of Migraine Occurrence in Pre/Peri Menopausal Women Participating in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)  
Manisha Khatri Djohi, BPS (1), Cara Frankenfeld, PhD (2), Margaret Slavin, PhD, RD   
(1)Department of Nutrition and Food Studies (1), Department of Global and Community Health (2)  
Contact: Dr. Margaret Slavin

Medical and Recreational Marijuana Use among Adults with Disabilities in 2019  
Tarang Parekh, MBBS, MSc, Gilbert Gimm, PhD  
Department of Health Administration and Policy  
Contact: Dr. Gilbert Gimm

Fatigability and Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Sustained Walking Following Overground Locomotor Training in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease  
Andrew E. Pechstein, Andrew A. Guccione, Jared M. Gollie, Randall E. Keyser, Kerry B. Rosen, R. Jamil Pugh, Lobna S. Elsarafy, Emily M. Leonard.  
Department of Rehabilitation Science  
Contact: Dr. Andrew Guccione

Implementation and Practice Barriers to Family-Centered Care (Fcc) Encountered by Neonatal Nurses
Nesibe Kutahyalioglu, MSN, RN, Doctoral Candidate  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Kat Scafide

2021 Participants

Dashboard for Machine Learning Models in Health Care  
Wejdan H. Bagais, BS, Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD  
Department of Health Administration and Policy  
Contact: Dr. Janusz Wojtusiak

Decreasing Out-of-Pocket Costs to Encourage Influenze Vaccine Uptake  
Sarah J. Bhatt, BSN, RN  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Tanya Haas

Enhancing Provider Knowledge Through the “Perspectives in Transgender Care” Webinar and Provider Toolkit  
Jennifer Breseman BSN, FNP-BC, Cheryl Oetjen DNP, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Cheryl Oetjen

Creating a Sustainable System of Support for Families Affected by Opioid Use Disorder  
Nora Elnahas, FNP-BC, APRN  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Caroline Sutter

Utilizing Community Health Worker Learning Modules to Increase Preventive Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic  
Alexa Gallagher BSN, RN  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Rebecca Sutter

How COVID-19 Affects the Quality of Care Sheltered Clients Receive 
Elizabeth Gansallo, Emerson Birrell, Evelyn Sorto, Miriam Ruiz, Nathan Weslow  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: TBA

Anaphylaxis Management: A targeted approach to improve Epinephrine autoinjector (EAI) use and accessibility  
Anu J. George, MBA, RN  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Shanti Chang

Improving Postpartum Depression Screening and Treatment Referral By Pediatric Providers  
Kerniba Ghoneim  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Pierre Eklou

Exploration of Social Support Systems of Individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder  
Grant Holmes, Joyce Bang, Shari McCallum, Vibha Thukral, Grace Thomas, Samantha Tshuma  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: TBA

BECAUSE OF YOU: Reshaping Providers’ Attitude and Responses to Intimate Partner Violence Survivors  
Lorin Hoover, MSN, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Pierre Eklou

The Relationship Between Loneliness, Dietary Behaviors, and Bodyweight in College Students
Li Jiang, Lilian de Jonge  
Department of Nutrition and Food Studies  
Contact: Dr. Lilian de Jonge

Substance Use and Firearm Access among College Freshmen
Bita Khoshhal(1), Samantha Karon(2), Matthew E. Rossheim(1), Pamela Trangenstein(2), Cara Frankenfeld(1), Niloofar Ramezani(3), Lawrence J. Cheskin(4), Alison E. Cuellar(5)  
(1) Department of Global and Community Health, (2) Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, (3) Department of Statistics, Volgenau School of Engineering, (4) Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, (5) Department of Health Administration and Policy  
Contact: Dr. Matthew Rossheim

Improving Awareness of Palliative and Hospice Care among Korean Americans with Dementia  
Janice J. Kim, BSN, RN, DNP-FNP Student  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Cheryl Oetjen

Implementing a Virtual Community of Practice for Virginia School Nurses  
Catherine Lancaster BSN, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Caroline Sutter

Expanding Provider Knowledge to Prevent Mortality in Patients with Eating Disorders 
Lindsay Najjoum BSN, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Shanti Chang

PrEP Your Patient to Prevent HIV: Provider Education to Increase Uptake of PrEP Among High-Risk Populations  
Ashley Nguyen, BSN, RN, C-EFM  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Shanti Chang

An Exploratory Examination: College Students’ Implications of Social Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic  
Thi Nguyen, Catherine Pettit, Arazhane Bennett, Amr Bashir, and Chinaiya Owen  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: Dr. Megumi Inoue

In silico Gene Set Enrichment Analysis Models Cholinergic Pathways in Autism: Rationale for Nutritional Intervention  
Audrey Olson, MS (1,2), Fuquan Zhang, PhD (3), Hongbao Cao, PhD (2,4),  
Ancha Baranova, PhD (2,5), Margaret Slavin, PhD, RD (1)  
(1) Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, (2) School of Systems Biology, College of Science, (3) Department of Psychiatry, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China, (4) Department of Pyschiatry, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China, (5) Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia  
Contact: Dr. Margaret Slavin

HB 1896 Greater Equitable Access to Reproductive Healthcare  
Huy Phan, Kayla Martin, Sufyan Mian, De’Stanye Swittenberg  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: Evelyn Tomaszewski

Addressing Cardiac Risk Factors Among the Hispanic Community by Promoting Health Literacy 
Carla Reynoso, BSN, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Shanti Chang

Impact Risks of Metformin Use Among Prostate Cancer Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus  
Huan-ju (Coco) Shih, PhD in Progress, Hua Min, PhD  
Department of Health Administration and Policy  
Contact: Dr. Hua Min

Improving Diabetes Knowledge and Care in the Hispanic/Latino Population via a Culturally Tailored Educational Intervention
Soledad Soto, FNP-BC  
School of Nursing  
Contact: Dr. Cheryl Oetjen

Efficiency and Accessibility of Section 8 Housing Assistance  
Sarah Styer, Kristina Franke, Laudina Gwira  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: Dr. Megumi Inoue

Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Julia Taylor and Emily Burleson  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: Dr. Denise Hines

The Effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Social Support Systems  
Grant Holmes, Joyce Bang, Shari McCallum, Vibha Thukral, Grace Thomas, Samantha Tshuma  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: TBA

Explore Causes of Homelessness and their Perceived Usefulness of Support  
Noah Zachariah, Alex Lopez, Jarad Barrow, Azka Chaudhary  
Department of Social Work  
Contact: TBA