2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship Winners
Undergraduate Winners

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

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

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