Student Awards
Student Awards
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Grace Jordan ’24 AB, Public Health | Honors
Academic Excellence in Public Health
This award recognizes graduating public health students who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Evelyn Lai ’24 AB, Public Health
- Parisa Afsharian ’23 MPH ’24 Maternal and Child Health Concentration
Public Health Impact Awards
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Chilsea Wang ’24 AB, Public Health | Honors
- Imran Dharamsi ’24 AB, Public Health | Honors
- Leonardo G. Arriola Carnicelli MPH ’24 Interdisciplinary Concentration
- Michael Thompson MPH ’24 Health Services Concentration
- Batool Behnam MPH ’24 Global Health Concentration
- Şenay Gökçebel MPH ’24 Epidemiology Concentration
- Jorge Ledesma Ph.D. ’24 Epidemiology
Community Engagement Award
Recognizes an exceptional graduating master’s or doctoral student who has demonstrated a commitment to building community across Brown University and the City of Providence.
- Rosemelly R. Jimenez Medal MPH ’24
Health Equity Scholar | Epidemiology Concentration
Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Awards
Recognizes graduating public health students who have made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion and equity within their program, the School of Public Health, Brown University or in our local or broader communities.
- Nour Abaherah MPH ’24 Interdisciplinary Concentration
- Tyler Alexander MPH ’24 Health Equity Scholar | Interdisciplinary Concentration
- Rehan Aslam MPH ’24 Addictions Concentration
- Rachel Gaither Ph.D. ’24 Epidemiology
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Sydney Fisher AB Public Health ’23
Academic Excellence in Public Health
This award recognizes graduating public health students who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Sophia Petrillo AB ’22, MPH ’23, Epidemiology concentration
Public Health Impact Awards
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Otto Olfasson AB Public Health ’23
- Del Rose Hooker Newball MPH ’23, interdisciplinary MPH concentration
Community Engagement Award
Recognizes an exceptional graduating master’s or doctoral student who has demonstrated a commitment to building community across Brown University and the City of Providence.
- Shaunessey Burks MPH ’23 | Health Equity Scholar | Interdisciplinary Concentration
Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Awards
Recognizes graduating public health students who have made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion and equity within their program, the School of Public Health, Brown University or in our local or broader communities.
- Sangah Clara Lee MPH ’23
- Malek Mitchell MPH ’23 | Health Equity Scholar
- Don-Pierre Burnett MPH ’23
- Huy Tran MPH ’23
Undergraduate awards
Award for Academic Excellence in Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
-
Grace Reed AB Public Health ’22
Awards for Excellence in Public Health Honors Thesis
Recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Tiffany Thomas AB Public Health ’22
Thesis: Empowering the Next Generation of Public Health Leaders: Bringing Public Health into High Schools
Excellence in Community Service
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated a commitment to building community beyond the School of Public Health walls and Van Wickle gates.
- Madeline Noh AB Public Health ’22
Excellence in Service to Brown and/or Brown Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has served as a leader within the school and/or University working to promote a stronger and better Brown and/or Brown SPH community.
- Sophia Petrillo AB Public Health ’22
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Program, School of Public Health, Brown University, or local, city, state, and/or broader communities.
- Zoie Carter AB Public Health ’22
Special Citation
Awarded for extraordinary service to the School of Public Health.
- Grace Reed ’22 and Madeline Noh ’22, for the development of the Brown Undergraduate Journal of Public Health.
Graduate awards
Public Health Impact Award (Master’s)
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Tsion Armidie, MPH
- Destry Jensen, MPH
- Christopher Santostefano RN, MPH
Public Health Impact Award (Doctoral)
- Alexandria (Alex) Macmadu Ph.D. Epidemiology ’22
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award (Master's)
Recognizes one exceptional graduating SPH Master's student for impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Department/Program, School of Public Health, University, local city/state, and/or broader communities.
- Alicia Persaud MPH ’22
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award (Doctoral)
Recognizes one exceptional graduating SPH Doctoral student for impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Department/Program, School of Public Health, University, local city/state, and/or broader communities.
- Julie Skarha Ph.D. Epidemiology ’22
Community-Engaged Public Health Citizen Award
- Kira DiClemente Ph.D. Behavioral and Social Health Sciences ’22
Commitment to Service Award
Recognizes one exceptional graduating master’s or doctoral student who has served as a leader within the school working to promote a stronger and better Brown SPH community.
- Andrew Walch MPH ’22
Excellence in Teaching Experiences Award
Recognizes one exceptional doctoral student who completed a Teaching Assistantship or Teaching Experience within the last academic year. Nominees need not be graduating students.
- Hyesung (Hace) Oh, MPH, MBA, Ph.D. Health Services Research
Undergraduate awards:
Academic Excellence in Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Jasmine Gibson, AB Public Health
Excellence in Public Health Honors Thesis
Recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Anuva Goel, AB Public Health (honors)
- Tanay Nunna, AB Public Health (honors)
Excellence in Community Service
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated a commitment to building community beyond the School of Public Health walls and Van Wickle gates.
- Marielle (Ellie) Rogoff, AB Public Health (honors)
Excellence in Service to Brown and/or Brown Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has served as a leader within the school and/or University working to promote a stronger and better Brown and/or Brown SPH community.
- Hannah Lee, AB Public Health
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Program, School of Public Health, Brown University, or local, city, state, and/or broader communities.
- Jasmine Gibson, AB Public Health
Graduate awards:
Master's Student Impact Award
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Ana Lucia Espinosa Dice, AM, Biostatistics
- Yufei Li, MPH
- Enyonam Odoom, MPH
Doctoral Student Impact Award
- Gabriella Silva, Ph.D. in Biostatistics
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award, Master's
Recognizes graduating public health students who have made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within their Program, the School of Public Health, Brown University, or in our local or broader communities.
- Gregorio Benitez, MPH
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award, Doctoral
Recognizes one exceptional SPH Doctoral student who has completed their degree requirements in the past academic year while making a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Department/Program, School of Public Health, University, local city/state, and/or broader communities.
-
Courtney Choy, Ph.D. in Epidemiology
Excellence in Teaching Experiences Award
Recognizes one exceptional doctoral student who completed a Teaching Assistantship or Teaching Experience within the last academic year. Nominees need not be graduating students.
- Kira DiClemente, Ph.D., BSHS
Academic Excellence in Public Health
This award recognizes graduating public health students who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Dana Rubenstein
Excellence in Public Health Honors Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Bella Ehrlich, Palliative Care Integration in Pediatric Oncology: Alignment of Physician Perspectives with WHO Guidelines in 11 Eurasian Countries
- Emily Zhu, An Evaluation of Connect for Health: A Social Referral Program in Rhode Island
- Anna Lucia Espinosa Dice, Quantifying Clinic Transfers Among People Living with HIV in the Western Cape, South Africa: A Spatial Analysis
- Benjamin Ahmad, ENDS and Young Adults: A mixed methods exploration of the influence of online marketing on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) use and perceived health effects in young adult
Public Health Master’s Student Impact Award
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Camerin “Cami” Rencken, ScM, Global Public Health
- Alyssa “Aly” Beeman, MPH
- Amrita “Maya” Singh, ScM, Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Public Health Doctoral Student Impact Award
- Rachel Denlinger, Ph.D. in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award, Master's
Recognizes graduating public health students who have made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within their Program, the School of Public Health, Brown University, or in our local or broader communities.
- Abdullah Shihipar, MPH
Public Health Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award, Doctoral
Recognizes one exceptional SPH Doctoral student who has completed their degree requirements in the past academic year while making a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity within the Department/Program, School of Public Health, University, local city/state, and/or broader communities.
-
Ashleigh LoVette, Ph.D., Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Excellence in Public Health Honors Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Molly McCarthy, The Independent and Combined Influences of Small for Gestational Age and Socioeconomic Status on Newborn Metabolite Levels
- Drew Hawkinson, An Exploration of Knowledge, Perceptions, and Barriers of HIV Risk and Prevention between Younger and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men My Very Great Thesis Title Which Is Really Long and Has a Colon: it’s very important to have a colon
- Elizabeth Carlson, A Literature Review of Church-Based Health Promotion Programs Related to Cardiovascular Disease, Mental Health, and Prostate Cancer in African American Church Communities
- Regan Menz, The Effects of Dance-Based Interventions on the Cognitive Function of Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Outstanding Community Service
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated a commitment to building community beyond the School of Public Health walls and Van Wickle Gates.
- Georgiana McTigue
Public Health Impact Awards: Master’s
Recognizes exceptional graduating students for the impact they have made in scholarship—through research and academic performance—and in professional contributions, through teaching, research assistantships, fieldwork, internship and other professional activities.
- Meghan Peterson, MPH
- Isabel Blalock, MPH
- Victoria Long, Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Public Health Impact Awards: Doctoral
- Sarah Gordon, Ph.D. in Health Services Research
Undergraduate awards
Academic Excellence in Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Elizabeth Waisel
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Isabel Blalock, Maryland Medicaid's Coverage of Abortion: An Examination of State Policy and Its Implications
- Meghan Foe, Factors Related to Adherence for Young Adults with Thalassemia: A Framework from the Patient Perspective
- Lillian Hayes, Risk Factors for In-Season Injury in Varsity Collegiate Cross-Country Athletes
- Trevor Lyford, Understanding Access to Care and Perception of Access to Care for Rural Maine Residents: A Mixed Methods Study
Excellence in Community Service
- Kaitlyn Camacho-Orona
Graduate Student Awards
Master's Student Impact Award
- Jerson Cochancela, AM, Biostatistics
- Kaitlin Goodman, MPH
- Akash Radia, ScM, Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
Doctoral Student Impact Award
- Alexandra Ellis, Ph.D. in Health Services Research
Undergraduate awards
Academic Excellence in Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Sylvie Bertrand
- Kate Magid
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
- Sarah Eltinge, Effect of behavioral economics measures in a randomized controlled trial using doxazosin as a pharmacological treatment for alcohol-dependent individuals
Outstanding Service to Brown an/or Brown Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has served as a leader within the school and/or University working to promote a stronger and better Brown and/or Brown SPH community.
- Gerardo Arteaga
Excellence in Community Service
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated a commitment to building community beyond the School of Public Health walls and Van Wickle Gates.
- Stanley Muñoz
Graduate Student Awards
Master's Student Impact Award
- Holly Boyle, ScM, Behavioral and Social Health Sciences
- Andriy Chybisov, MPH
- Catherine Nwachukwu, MPH
Doctoral Student Impact Award
- Xiaochen Lin, Ph.D. in Epidemiology
Undergraduate awards
Academic Excellence in Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated exemplary academic performance in their coursework in the concentration.
- Tammy Jiang
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
This award recognizes at least one graduating public health senior who has demonstrated excellence in the conduct of their honors thesis research.
- Morayo Akande, An Exploratory Study of Smoking Cessation in a Homeless Population
- Sarah I. Peters, Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Perceived Barriers by Different Measures of Acculturation among Hispanics Participating in the Live Well Viva Bien Study in Rhode Island
Outstanding Service to Brown an/or Brown Public Health
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has served as a leader within the school and/or University working to promote a stronger and better Brown and/or Brown SPH community.
- Alexandra Sepolen
Excellence in Community Service
Recognizes a graduating public health senior who has demonstrated a commitment to building community beyond the School of Public Health walls and Van Wickle Gates.
- Jessica Solis
Graduate Student Awards
Master's Student Impact Award
- Elizabeth Bunzli, MPH
Doctoral Student Impact Award
- Laura Keohane, Ph.D. in Health Services Research
Public Health Research Day Poster Awards
Top Graduate & Postgraduate Posters
-
Rehan Aslam ’24 MPH, addictions concentration
"Identifying the Presence of Harm Reduction Supplies at Bars in Providence, Rhode, Island" -
Emily Elenio ’24 MPH, interdisciplinary concentration
"Investigating the Cultural Competence of SNAP in Rhode Island and Connecticut Adults" -
Corban Jackson ’24 MPH, health services research concentration
"The Association Between the Need for and Access to Mental Health Services and the Income Level of a Child’s Household Among School-age Children in the United States Between Combined Years 2018-2019 and 2020-2021" -
Adea Rich ’24, MPH, interdisciplinary concentration
"Associations of plasma p-tau181 with hippocampal subfield integrity and cognition in older adults" -
Anqi Zheng ’24 Sc.M., biostatistics
"Examining Race and Sex Disparities in Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: A Differential Item Functioning Analysis with Item Response Theory (IRT)" -
Robert Zielinski 3rd year, Ph.D. biostatistics
"Longitudinal Principal Manifold Estimation" -
Amber Hall Postdoctoral Research Associate, epidemiology
"Associations of a Prenatal Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Mixture with the Cord Serum Metabolome in the HOME Study"
Top Undergraduate Posters
-
Meehir Dixit ’24
"Evaluation of Subsequent Insurance Enrollment Among Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Who Experience a Contract Termination from 2016-2019" -
Devon Newman ’25
"Exploring Statistical Methodologies for a Thematic Analysis of a Novel Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based Adaptive Intervention for Teens: iDOVE2 LiveText" -
Jasper Yeh ’24
"Key informant perspectives on opioid use disorder treatment for adolescents and young adults"
Undergraduate Poster Award:
- First Place: Ennie Zhu
Bereaved Family Member Perceptions of Quality of Care by Site of Death and Palliative Care Utilization in the Last Month of Life - Runner Up (tie): Jihwan Hwang
Association between Neighborhood-Level Indices of Socioeconomic Status and Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screenings in Rhode Island - Runner Up (tie): Liza A. Kolbasov
Impulsivity and Smoking Motives among Individuals who Smoke Cigarettes and are Obese or Overweight
MPH Poster Award:
- First Place: Kylie Khoo
Examining the Relationship of Physical and Mental Health with Oral Health Concerns among Rhode Island High School Students - Runner Up: Kristin Koehm
Stakeholders’ perspectives on the role of stigma in authorizing and implementing safe consumption sites in the United States: a qualitative study
ScM in Biostatistics Award:
- First Place (tie): Amos Ochieng Okutse
Machine Learning for Precision Optimization and Bias Correction in Randomized Trials with Missing Data - First Place (tie): Breanna Richards
Calibrating Probabilities of Transition in Use of Combustible Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes with Multi-state Modeling
PhD/MD/Postdoctoral Poster Award:
- First Place: Taylor Fortnam
A Method for Vaccine Effectiveness Surveillance with Application to the BA.1 and BA.2 sub-lineages of the Omicron Variant - Runner Up: Tenzin Yangchen
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) partially account for racial disparities in lifetime cocaine disorders among US adults entering midlife: A 35-year prospective study
Centering Community and Cultures Award
(chosen by community partners and community-engaged research staff)
Best Undergraduate Poster
- First Place: Grace L. Reed
Reactions to a Nicotine Reduction Policy Among Adolescents Who Smoke: A Qualitative Study - Runner-Up: Jennifer R. Griffith
A Comparison of Opioid Overdose Surveillance in Two Rhode Island Emergency Departments: National vs. State Surveillance Systems
Best Master's Poster
- First Place: Joanna Walsh
Simulations and Applications of EFA and MFA Methods Applied to ADNI Cognitive Data - Runner-Up: Lin Feng Zou
United States COVID-19 Daily Cases Prediction in 2020 Using Bidirectional LSTM with Clustered Data
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- First Place: Taylor M. Fortnam
Evaluating the Impact of Rhode Island’s Targeted Vaccine Eligibility Strategy - Runner-Up: Pablo Kokay Valente
Access to Healthcare and Preferences across PrEP Modalities among Young Men Who Have Sex in the U.S.: A Latent Class Analysis study
Best Undergraduate Poster
- Winner: Taylor-Marie Vasil, Public Health
Evaluating Housing Characteristics Associated with Childhood Lead Poisoning in Providence, Rhode Island - Runner-Up: May Gao
Can Mindfulness Mechanistically Target Worry to Improve Sleep Disturbances - Runner-Up: Alexander Philips
Identifying Trends and Drivers of RI Professional Health Care Spending from 2016-18 Using the RI All-Payer Claims Database (APCD)
Best Master's Poster
- Langa Bakhuluma-Ncube, MPH
Longitudinal Effects of Home-Based Self-HIV Testing on Attitudes, Norms, and Motivation among Men who have Sex with Men in the United States - Alexander Li, ScM in Biostatistics
Simulating Virus Detection with Nanopore Sequencing, BLAST, and the Hypergeometric Distribution
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- Winner: Alexandria Macmadu, Epidemiology
Crack cocaine use frequency is associated with HIV disease severity independent of antiretroviral therapy exposure - Runner-Up: Taylor Fortnam, Biostatistics
Monitoring Reported Cases of COVID-19 at the Local Level
Best Undergraduate Poster
- Winner: Navya Baranwal, Biology/Public Policy —
Racial Disparities in Preemptive Kidney Transplantation Among Adult End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Incident Patients, 2006-2018
Best Master's Poster
- Noelle Henderson, Epidemiology
Maternal Urinary Benzophenone-3 Concentrations During Pregnancy and Duration of Breastfeeding
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- Clara Sears, Center for Environmental Health and Technology
Early-life Lead Exposure and Behavioral Problems among Children in the HOME Study
Best Undergraduate Poster
- Winner: Corey A. Morrison
Narratives of HIV Status Disclosure to Partners and Families amongst Pregnant Women Living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa - Runner-up: Georgiana McTigue
Family planning practices and intentions among pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa
Best Master's Poster
- Winner: Noelle Henderson
Is Breast Milk a Source of Non-Persistent Chemical Exposure in Infants? - Runner-up: Xiaofei (Annie) Yang
Secondary Data Analysis of PECARN Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Dataset
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- Winner: Jiabei Yang
Sample Size Calculations in Single-Case Designs - Runner-up: Gabriella C. Silva
Developing and Evaluating Methods to Impute Race/Ethnicity in an Incomplete Dataset
Best Undergraduate Poster
- Winner: Philip Lamb
Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Acute Alcohol Intoxication, and Condomless Anal Intentions in Men Who Have Sex with Men in a Laboratory Setting - Runner-up: Drew Hawkinson
Awareness, Knowledge, and Behavioral Intentions of PrEP among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men
Best Master's Poster
- Winner: Bo Wang
Simulation-based Comparison of Methods for Meta-analysis of Single Proportions and Rates - Runner-up: Swati Rajprohat
Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Recommended Maternal and Child Nutrition Practices in Rural India
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- Winner: Kevin Nguyen
Insurance Coverage, Access to Care, and Health Outcomes Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Nonelderly Americans, 2014-2017 - Runner-up: Geetika Kalloo
Patterns and Predictors of Environmental Chemical Mixture Exposure among Pregnant Women: The HOME Study
Best Undergraduate Poster
- Winner: Kelsey Anderson
The Impact of Social Support and Partner Relationship Dynamics on Engagement in HIV Care and Antiretroviral Treatment - Runner-up: Anita Yun
Interactions of Genetic Variants and Nutrition on Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk factors in Samoans
Best Master's Poster
- Winner: Reuben William Horace, Jr.
The Association of Vitamin K deficiencies with accelerated Knee Osteoarthritis - Runner-up: Iman Saeed
Comparison of Methods for Handling Missing Data in Randomized Controlled Trials
Best Doctoral/Post-Doctoral/MD Poster
- Winner: Mingyan Shan
More than a Meal: The Effects of Meals on Wheels Programs on Medicare Beneficiary's Healthcare Utilization and Status - Runner-up: Rachel Denlinger
Acceptability of a Reduced Nicotine Product Standard for Cigarettes among Smokers Provided with Reduced Nicotine