Program Spotlights

PHS PHD STUDENT ISSAC OLUFADEWA HAVE BEEN AWARDED DIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP FROM ICPSR

Isaac Olufadewa has been awarded by the prestigious and highly competitive Diversity Fellowship to participate in the 2024 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods supported by University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and the University of Michigan Office of the Provost to promote quantitative training among graduate students from underrepresented groups. This scholarship, granted by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), recognizes Isaac’s outstanding potential and commitment to advancing quantitative analysis in social science research.

PHS PHD STUDENT SHANIKA BUTTS AWARDED 2024 GRADUATE SCHOOL SUMMER FELLOWSHIP

Shanika Butts, a PhD student in Public Health Sciences, has been selected as an awardee for the Graduate School Summer Fellowship. Shanika’s application, titled “The More You Know: Using Preconception Care to Reduce Pregnancy-related Hypertensive Disorders among Black Women in the US,” has been recognized for its potential impact on addressing health disparities. As part of the fellowship, Shanika will receive $8,000 to support her summer expenses. The Graduate School Summer Fellowship Program (GSSF) is a prestigious and competitive fellowship that aims to provide students with financial support during summers.

PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES PHD STUDENT NOMINATED for Multiple Prestigious Roles in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Isis Bey receives nominations for Crowns of Enterprise Awards, slated for the 2024 NASW-NC Election Ballot as a Member at Large candidate and appointed Chair of Multicultural Tobacco-Free Coalition in Mecklenburg County. She has hosted various trainings on the intersectionality between commercial tobacco use and mental health. “Momma Bey” led by Isis Bey was one of the first private mental health practices to become Tobacco-Free in North Carolina in 2021. Her leadership and expertise recognized across diverse sectors for promoting business excellence, social work advocacy, and public health initiatives.

PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES PHD STUDENT HAS PUBLISHED A RESEARCH

Ruchi Mishra, has successfully conducted a research to provide a novel approach to measure diagnosis coding intensity for a pneumonia cohort. In past,  she has contributed to designing the healthcare service delivery package for Universal Health Coverage.

For more information on the research, view article here

PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES PHD STUDENT AWARDED as a “Woman of Lifetime Achievement” for Social Justice Award by the YWCA. 

She was awarded YWCA’s Lifetime of Achievement Award for honoring  women whose lives exemplify YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all in October. 

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Awarded PHI KAPPA PHI Dissertation Fellowship

“Jessica Hoyle, a doctoral candidate in public health sciences in the College of Health and Human Services, recently received a $10,000 dissertation fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. 

This award supports active Phi Kappa Phi members in the dissertation writing stage of their doctoral study; it is given to 15 students annually to support 12 months of dissertation writing. Hoyle is the second UNC Charlotte recipient of this award.” -Office of University Communications

View Full Announcement Here

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Won 3rd Place at the Graduate Research Symposium   

Last Friday, March 24th, Kevin Benson, a Ph.D. student in Public Health Sciences, participated in the 22nd Annual Graduate Research Symposium. The Graduate & Professional Student Government of UNC Charlotte awarded Kevin with third place for their oral presentation in the health and human services category.

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Interviewed by WBTV

Ebony Rao is a Ph.D. student in Public Health Sciences and works as a Program Manager for Mecklenburg County Public Health. Her work involves managing the Crisis Intervention Team Program, which works to create, maintain, and advocate for best practices in the mental health crisis continuum for the community. WBTV interviewed Ebony on Thursday, February 9th, about mental health emergencies in the community and the work of first responders helping during a crisis. She discussed how the COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated mental health needs across the country. Those needing help for themselves or loved ones can call 988 the Crisis Hotline, or if they need immediate help, call 911 and ask for a CIT Officer.

View Interview Here

Health Services Research PhD Student Published

Ph.D. Candidate Kristin M Lenoir published an article on patient perspectives on a targeted text messaging campaign to encourage screening for diabetes. A sizeable proportion of prediabetes and diabetes cases among adults in the United States remain undiagnosed, which puts them at risk for additional health complications. While prediction models can identify patients with a higher risk of prediabetes and diabetes, time pressures and an overwhelming number of alerts in the electronic health record can cause clinicians to ignore many of these tools. Since many healthcare organizations now contact patients directly via text for the standard of care, we sought help from patients in crafting text messages that would alert them to a possible health risk and walk them through getting a screening test on their own without any contact with their primary care provider. Using plain and positive language, integrating elements of personalization, and defining new processes clearly were identified by participants as content elements that could help overcome barriers to receptiveness and engagement with these messages.

View Full Article Here

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Published

Ph.D. Candidate Cayla McAvoy and Dean Catrine Tudor-Locke comment on a recent publication about step metrics and mortality in older adults, encouraging physical activity researchers to use metrics that easily translate from research findings into public health use.

View Full Article Here

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Published 

Ph.D. Candidate Shanika Jerger Butts published an article with Dr. Larissa Huber on Pre-pregnancy Diabetes, Pre-pregnancy Hypertension and Prenatal Care Timing among Women in the United States, 2018. Women who begin pregnancy with pre-existing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes are at an increased risk for pregnancy complications. Receiving early prenatal care will help to stay on top of these conditions, which would improve maternal and birth outcomes. This article discusses when women with these chronic illnesses receive prenatal care. The findings from this study reveal that women who begin pregnancy with hypertension and diabetes seek prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. 

View Full Article Here 

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Awarded the Instructor of Record Award by the Graduate School

Andrea Kaniuka was awarded the Instructor of Record award. The award recognizes graduate-level teaching assistants nominated by their faculty supervisors for their work as teaching assistants. The Instructor of Record award requires students a minimum of teaching one semester prior and recognizes graduate students performing all of the responsibilities of a stand-alone instructor in charge of the entire course. This year she taught HLTH 3103 Behavior Change Theories and Practice in the fall and HLTH 4000/5000 Special Topics in Public Health: Interprofessional Approaches to Suicide Prevention in the spring. “Working with my students to prepare for internships, graduate school, and job opportunities is, without question, my favorite part of teaching. A close second is hearing my students share stories of how they have used our course in their real lives; knowing that they have retained and applied what we learn in class is the greatest feeling as an instructor.”

Public Health Sciences PhD Student Awarded Best Student Abstract by American Public Health Association

Public Health Sciences PhD student Chloe Vercruysse has been granted the Best Student Abstract Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) in relation to an oral presentation she gave at APHA’s 2021 scientific meeting through their caucus on homelessness. APHA publishes the American Journal of Public Health and The Nation’s Health newspaper. Awards granted as part of APHA’s 2021 scientific meeting will be published in the January 2022 edition of The Nation’s Health.

2021 UNC Charlotte Graduate Research Symposium

The annual Graduate Research Symposium (GRS) is an interdisciplinary graduate student-run conference that showcases astounding research of graduate and professional students. The PHS PhD students (current and soon-to-be) had an excellent showing at the 2021 Graduate Research Symposium.  In fact, the students swept the awards for the Health and Human Services category! Congratulations Chelse, Jessica, and Shanika!

1st place:  Chelse Spinner, first-year PHS Ph.D. student

Title of Presentation:  “Maternal Characteristics Associated with Low-Risk, Primary Cesarean Sections among Women in the United States” (research completed under the supervision of Dr. Larissa Huber).

Press Paragraph: In the U.S., cesarean sections (i.e., c-section) are continually on the rise; thus, it has become a public health priority to reduce the c-section rate. However, there is a lack of research identifying non-clinical strategies to reduce the c-section rate. This study evaluates the association between adequacy of prenatal care utilization and low-risk, primary c-sections. Data were obtained from 2018 birth certificate data, and the sample included first-time mothers with no chronic conditions. Results indicated that women with adequate plus prenatal care were more likely to have a primary c-section delivery compared to women with adequate prenatal care.

2nd place:  Jessica Hoyle, third-year PHS Ph.D. student

Title of Presentation: “It’s All in Who You Know: Associations of Social Capital with Social, Behavioral, and Health Outcomes for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities” (research completed under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Laditka)

Press Paragraph: Research suggests that people benefit from social capital throughout life, including times of transition. Social capital refers to the resources found in networks of relationships, enabling people to function effectively. These resources depend on social norms, trust, and reciprocity developed within a social group. Researchers have shown that interventions can increase social capital. Yet, little research has examined whether social capital is associated with better outcomes for children with developmental disabilities as they transition to adulthood. More knowledge about effects of social capital for children with developmental disabilities would be useful. We studied associations of social capital with mental and physical health, health behaviors, and social and economic well-being as people with and without developmental disabilities transitioned to adulthood.

3rd place:  Shanika Butts, second-year MPH Student (she will be starting the PHS Ph.D. program in August)

Title of Presentation: Pre-pregnancy Hypertension and Pre-pregnancy Diabetes and the Timing of Early Prenatal Care (research completed under the supervision of Dr. Larissa Huber)

Press Paragraph: Women who begin pregnancy with pre-existing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes are at an increased risk for pregnancy complications. Receiving early prenatal care is vital to managing these conditions which would improve maternal and birth outcomes. This crosssectional national study investigates the association between pre-pregnancy hypertension and pre-pregnancy diabetes and the timing of prenatal care. Data from the National Vital Statistics System was used to complete the analysis. The findings from this study reveal that women who begin pregnancy with hypertension and diabetes do seek prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy.