Research Scholars Program Alumni
2021-22 Research Scholars (Cohort 1)
Adebola Adegboyega, PhD, RN
College of Nursing
Research interests: Cervical cancer among African immigrant women and health disparities.
Joseph Benitez, PhD, MPH
Public Policy and Administration, College of Public Health
Research interests: Health economics and empirical health policy analysis using applied econometrics techniques focused on Medicaid
Jean Fry, PhD
Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition, College of Health Sciences
Research interests: Rehabilitation following ACL tear and reconstruction surgery, rehabilitation nutrition, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and precision medicine
Cetewayo Rashid, PhD
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine
Research interests: Environmental factors that contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes
Michael Samaan, PhD
Kinesiology and Health Promotion, College of Education
Research interests: Use of biomechanics and musculoskeletal imaging to better understand the mechanisms and effects of lower extremity joint diseases
Lauren Whitehurst, PhD
Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research interests: Body/brain interactions during sleep to produce regulatory effects on cognition and health
2022-23 Research Scholars (Cohort 2)
Reuben Adatorwovor, PhD
Biostatistics, College of Public Health
Research Interests: Dependence models for cancer survival analysis with competing risks for population-based studies
Yasir Alsiraj, PhD
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine
Research Interests: Role of sex chromosomes on the incidence and outcomes of aortic aneurysms and atherosclerosis
Juan Canedo, DHS
Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research interests: Prevention and early detection of cancer to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, including high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus in the Hispanic population
Fanny Chapelin, PhD
College of Engineering
Research interests: Non-invasive MRI methods to track immune cell migration to inflammation sites in transplant rejection, autoimmune diseases and cancer
Brittany Givens Rassoolkhani, PhD
College of Engineering
Research Interests: Polymeric drug delivery to treat advanced stage endometrial cancer and address health disparities in endometrial cancer mortality and targeted drug delivery systems
Julie Plasencia, PhD
Dietetics and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture
Research interests: Diet-related health disparities in type 2 diabetes and Hispanic populations, and the influence of ethnic, cultural food beliefs and practices
2023-24 RESEARCH SCHOLARS (COHORT 3)
Deirdre Dlugonski, PhD
Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition, College of Health Sciences
Research interests: Community-based approaches for designing effective, sustainable, and scalable interventions to increase physical activity among women, children, and families that improve health equity
Yasminka A Jakubek Swartzlander, PhD
Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research interests: Etiology of acquired mutations in cancer and non-cancer tissues and the utility of mutational profiles for improved disease risk stratification in cancer and other chronic diseases
Anel Jaramillo, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
Research interests: Dissecting neuronal pathways driving alcohol use disorder, anxiety and the interactions between these domains
Jayani Jayawardhana, PhD
Health Management & Policy, College of Public Health
Research interests: Substance use policy research, health disparities, large secondary data analyses
Courtney Perry, DO
Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research interests: Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) outcomes, Appalachian Health
Rosana Zenil-Ferguson, PhD
Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
Research interests: Evolutionary biology, speciation and extinction of land plants, phylogenetic comparative models for trait evolution and diversification
2024-25 RESEARCH SCHOLARS (COHORT 4)
Mautin Barry-Hundeyin, MD
Surgery, College of Medicine
Research interests: Leveraging innate immune networks to reverse resistance to check-point based immunotherapies in pancreatic and gastric cancer.
Cheavar Blair, PhD
Physiology, College of Medicine
Research interests: The use of human induced pluripotent stem cell – derived cardiomyocytes to study the impact of cancer drugs, inherited mutations, and altered circadian rhythms on the mechanical function of the heart.
Aubrey Jones, PhD, MSW
College of Social Work
Research interests: Health equity for women and families, focusing on access to mental & physical healthcare for new mothers and rural families. Improving social worker outcomes in rural communities.
Erica Littlejohn, PhD
Behavioral Science, College of Medicine
Research interests: Childhood maltreatment’s impact on the risk and progression of cognitive impairment and dementia across the lifespan, as well as the mechanism(s) driving its neuropathology.
Hend Mansoor, PhD, MS
Pharmacy Practice & Science, College of Pharmacy
Research interests: Identifying factors and disparities associated with poor medication adherence and risk factor control among patients with cardiovascular disease and stroke. Designing targeted interventions and prediction tools to improve clinical outcomes among these high-risk individuals.
Jessica Thompson, PhD, RN
College of Nursing
Research interests: Guideline-directed medication therapy in heart failure, particularly looking at gender differences and systematic implementation issues. Supplemental interests include end-of-life attitudes and beliefs related to patients with a cardiac device.