SPHHP 2022 Student Awards Honor Accomplished Scholars

By Datima Akpan '23

Published June 23, 2022

The School of Public Health and Health Professions recently held its Sixth Annual Student Awards Reception. The reception celebrates and recognizes the admirable accomplishments of hardworking students across all five departments.

“These students have shown astonishing success in their education along with improving the health of others,” said Dean Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD. The continuous support and dedication of donors who have contributed to award funds have allowed The School of Public Health and Health Professions to provide the scholarships and awards to recipients. The full list of award recipients follows.

Delta Omega, Honorary Society for Public Health

Gamma Lambda chapter inductees

Membership reflects the dedication of an individual to quality in the field of public health and to the protection and advancement of the health of all people.

Biostatistics
Jia Wang, Yihao Tan, Matthew Jeriho

Community Health and Health Behavior
Jerry Manuel, Tatiana Sanchez Nolasco, Ebehitale Imobhio

Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Daniela Falcone, John Lewis Etter, Xin (Skai) Pan

Public Health
Sarah Moreno, Natalie Logan, Jake Kelly, Jenny John, Srikrithi Krishnan, Kayla Giglia

Alpha Eta National Scholastic Honor Society for Allied Health

This society promotes and recognizes significant scholarship, leadership, and contributions to the allied health profession among students in the OT, PT, Dietetic Internship and Athletic Training programs.

Occupational Therapy
Christiana Berge, Emily Brown, Shelby Doyle, Katie Janson, Kellie Kostek, Abby Kubiak, Oscar Martinez, Kathryn Ronn, Olivia Torres

Physical Therapy
Alec Chelton, Zachary Kuntz, Michael Mammoser, Mardi Mangus, Alexandria Metzger, Steven Notaro, Noah Rockmore, Julia Spier

Dietetic Internship
Lydia Champagne, Courtney Cole, Brooke Roys

Athletic Training
Maria Pettitt

Dean's Office Awards

J. Warren Perry Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to graduate students or upperclassmen pursuing an SPHHP degree who show potential for superior scholarship and will be prepared for the future.

Clinical Nutrition
Amanda Yang
 
Exercise Science
Nathen Cottom, Liz Lavoie, Yue Xin

Rehabilitation Science
Kellie Kostek, Alexandria Metzger, Fei Zhao

Art Goshin Global Health Field Work Awards

This award provides support for students wanting to implement public health initiatives or to conduct research in a resource-poor settings.

Biostatistics
Jiaojiao Zhou, Xinyu Gao

Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship Program

This program offers support to doctorate and master’s students who demonstrate that they would contribute to the diversity of the student body.

Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Danelly Rodriguez

Diversity Award

This award provides support for students from diverse backgrounds.

Public Health
Malaiikha McCormick-Cisse

Hamilton Wilson Award

This award is given to a master’s student who is a member of a traditionally underrepresented population.

Public Health/Social Work
Mikayla Logan

The UB Presidential Fellowship Program

This award is aimed at enhancing UB’s competitiveness in recruiting outstanding graduate students.

Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Kaelyn Burns

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Elizabeth Lavoie

Undergraduate Public Health Program Awards

BSPH Outstanding Junior Award

This award assists a junior Bachelor of science in public health major who exemplifies the qualities of leadership, service, and academic excellence.

Taylor Sniatecki

BSPH Outstanding Senior Award

This award assists a senior Bachelor of science in public health major who exemplifies the qualities of leadership, service, and academic excellence.

Srikrithi Krishnan

Department of Biostatistics Awards

Richard N. Schmidt Outstanding PhD Award

This award honors a PhD student who has demonstrated academic excellence as, reflected by their qualifying exam scores and classroom performance.

Xinyu Gao

Sidney Addelman Master’s Award

This award honors a student who demonstrates academic excellence, as reflected by their master’s comprehensive exam scores and classroom performance.

Yihao Tan

Department of Community Health and Health Behavior Awards

CHHB Outstanding Doctoral Achievement Award

This award is given to a PhD student who shows excellent potential for future research and/or practices contributions to the field of public health.

Jacob Bleasdale

Francis V. Hanavan Memorial Award

This award is presented to an MPH student who shows excellent potential for future contributions in public health.

Temara Cross

Paul T. Wietig Community Service Award

This award is presented to MPH or PhD students who exemplify accomplishment and commitment to the profession of public health and service to the community.

Ebehitale Imobhio

Drs. Sanjit and Jharna Basak Student Assistance Fund Awards

This award supports students taking the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam.

Kaiden Girouard, Hannah Premo, Rachel Wenner, Andee Wik

Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Awards

The Robert O’Shea Student Travel Award

This award helps support students’ travel to meetings to present their research findings.

Mengqi Duan, Seth Frndak, Brooks Harmon, Samantha Maley, Sarah Quiñones, Danelly Rodriguez, Yihua Yue, Kexin Zhu

MS and PHD Perry Poster Awards

First place: Kexin Zhu
Second place: Danelly Rodriguez
MS Notable Poster Award: Mengqi Duan, Samantha Maley  

2021-2022 MPH Culminating Project Awards

Fall 2021
Best MPH Presentation: Michael Nanfara

Spring 2022
MPH-HSA Best Poster: Madeline Ackley
MPH-HSA Best Oral Presentation: Kimberly Zammit
MPH-EPI Best Poster: Daniela Falcone
MPH-EPI Best Oral Presentation: Parveen Attai
MPH-EH Best Oral Presentation: Anthony Bruma

Saxon Graham Research Award

This award provides funds to support research activities that are being conducted as part of a doctoral dissertation.

Sarah Quiñones

Saxon Graham Dissertation Award

This award is for excellence as a doctoral student in epidemiology and the prevention of disease.

Zhongzheng (Jason) Niu

Julia Baker Award

This award provides a stipend each semester for one year to newly admitted MS or MPH student.

Karli Lawson

Wactawski and Wende Family Endowment

This endowment fund helps support exemplary doctoral students.

Kaelyn Burns

American College of Epidemiology Student Paper Prize

Seth Frndak

U.S Policy Communication Training Program at the Population Research Bureau

This program prepares researchers to influence policy and practice through effective communication.

Sarah Quiñones

Maternal and Child Health Fellow, APHA

This program is designed to advance students’ leadership skills.

Sarah Quiñones

Internship with Population Councils’ Girl Innovation, Research & Learning Center (GIRL Center)

The goal of this center is to ‘‘better direct limited resources to support evidence-based solutions that improve girls’ lives.’’

Sarah Quiñones

Art Goshin Health Field Work Award

Kexin Zhu

Global Health Poster Award

Fahed Ali, Danelly Rodriguez

SER Student and PostDoc Committee Travel Scholarship

Samantha Smith

Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Student Travel Scholarship

Sarah Quiñones

WHI Junior Investigator Travel Awards

Lindsey Mattick, Ahmed Soliman, Yihua Yue

Externally Funded Grant Fellowships

This funded grant fellowships are awarded to student as Principal Investigators.

American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

Kexin Zhu

NIH F31 Individual Fellowships & SUNY Great Award

Lindsey Mattick

T32 Fellowships

Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD)

Danelly Rodriguez

Interdisciplinary Training in Cancer Epidemiology

Samantha Smith

Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Awards

Annette Rachman Award

This award provides a scholarship for students studying nutrition. 

Melissa Camp, Kayla Eugair, Taylor Jo Fairman, Peyton Hinterberger, Natalie Hurlbut, Greg Jameson, Jessica Lewis, Kelsey Otto, Zoe Pickerill, Brooke Rose Porter, Cristina Raghavan, Thomas Romack, Jahnvi Shah, Hannah Strassburg, Amanda Yang

Carlton R. Meyers Award

This award recognizes an outstanding graduate student.

Exercise Science
Courtney Wheelock

Exercise Science Outstanding Senior Award

This award assists a senior Exercise Science student who exemplifies the qualities of leadership, service, and academic excellence.

Exercise Science BS
Yue Xin

Glenda R. Reardon Student Assistance Fund

This student assistance fund is given to deserving and hardworking UB dietetic interns.

Taylor Fairman, Peyton Hinterberger

Cathy Davius Memorial Award

The honoree models Cathy’s desire for academic and professional excellence, and passion for expanding their knowledge of nutrition.

Cristina Raghavan

Matthew J. Morris Memorial Award

This award is given to a graduate student who possessed academic persistence and determination, as well as a willingness to help others.

Clinical Nutrition
Brooke Roys

Paul DeMartinis Student Support Fund

Future athletic trainers are funded to help complete their education where they will care for athletes in a variety of sports organizations, from grade-school teams to the pros.

Casey Webb

Department of Rehabilitation Science Awards

Occupational Therapy Achievement Award

This award recognizes an OT student who has demonstrated consistent dedication and perseverance in the attainment of academic excellence.

Davay Henry

Alfred T. Caffiero Award

This award honors Doctor of Physical Therapy students during their second year of study.

Brady Collver, Zhimiao Jin, Harleen Karir, Madeline Wnuk

Kathleen M. Shaffer Award

This award is given to fifth-year academic students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and excellent clinical promise.

Courtney Campagna, Katie Ronn, Olivia Torres

Linda Walters Award

This award recognizes a non-traditional OT student who successfully completes the OT program while managing many other roles and responsibilities.

Emily Brown

Nancie Greenman Founder’s Award

This award recognizes an OT student who has demonstrated outstanding performance and professional promise.

Christiana Berge

Stonegraber Scholarship

This scholarship supports advanced standing students in OT and PT.

Occupational Therapy
Abby Kubiak, Anita Lam, Oscar Martinez, Kelly Schlifke

Physical Therapy
Mardi Mangus, Ericka Taplin, Max Villatoro

Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE)

This society recognizes and encourages superior scholarship among students in professional entry-level programs.

Monty Singh Arora, Brianna Egan, Rachel Ertrachter, Nicole Fernandez, Alex Gross, Alyssa Lewis, Xing Hong Li, Haley Loss, Lexie Matheney, Chloe McCann, Michaela McDaniels, Christine Ngo, Nayh Seonarain, Emilee Walker, Meredith Wheelock

New York Physical Therapy Association Student Participation Award

This association recognizes a graduating DPT student who has demonstrated leadership qualities and has participated in professional and extracurricular events.

Ericka Taplin