Research Talks Series

The Department of Health Studies is launching a series of talks led by faculty members to present their research portfolios on a variety of subjects! 

The kick-off of the research series featured department chair Caroline Kuo. She spoke about her philosophy of community-engaged and collaborative research and provided examples of her global health portfolio, ranging from school-based interventions to address violence, to family-based interventions to address adolescent HIV and mental health, and implementation science. There was a lively discussion with attendants including graduate students, faculty, and staff.

Upcoming Talks

All sessions will be located at the Bender Library, Room B51.  
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.  
Food will be served.  
RSVP for Faculty Research Series

• October 13: "Occupational Hazard? Birth Outcomes among Physician Mothers," Dr. Lilly Springer, Assistant Professor, Departments of Economics & Health Studies   
• November 10: "From Bias to Better Care: Understanding and Reducing Weight Stigma in Healthcare," Dr. Elizabeth Cotter, Undergraduate Program Director, Associate Professor, Department of Health Studies  

Bulletins

See also: Research & Publications.

The Health Schools, Healthy Communities Lab is pleased to share a recent publication in the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, “Feasibility study of an intervention to reduce wasted food among households of adults in Washington, DC.” The lab conducted 6-week interventions with different household types to assess motivation, attitudes and abilities related to household food management, as well as plate waste and non-plate waste measurements for a minimum of 10-weekly household meals per week across four weeks. The intervention included themed educational messages on the topics of Menu Planning, Shopping, Cooking, and Storage. There were also weekly group chat topics that offered community learning and engagement. 

In June 2026, graduate student alumnae from our MS Nutrition Education, MS Health Promotion and MA Public Health programs shared their stories of success across two Alumni Panels. Take a listen to the panel and see what they’re doing now!

In March 2026, several public health students represented DHS during the Stevan Holmberg AI & Health Care Innovation Competition. Led by Professor Alison Chrisler, our students took on the question of how AI can transform mental health support for college students. Congratulations to all! 

In November 2025, Program Director Robin McClave and Research Coordinator Kaitlyn Kelley represented the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Lab at the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Diabetes Grantee Convening. They shared an evaluation framework grounded in the Social Ecological Model to assess 10 Washington, D.C., Place-Based Diabetes Grantees. 

In October 2025, DHS hosted an expert panel to discuss the topic of Food is Medicine, featuring Kofi Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, DHS alum Kathleen Head (Ostapkovich), and Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling. In addition to learning more about the Food is Medicine framework, our panelists provided some insights into the challenges and opportunities in the FIM space. Kudos on a great session! 

In May 2025, Katie Brescia, Ainsley Gallagher, and Grace Stevens, students in the Masters in Public Health Innovation and Practice program (MPHIP), along with SPA student Christian Coleman, won first place in the nationwide “Elevating Voices” competition. Open to graduate students in public health programs across the country, the competition invited participants to describe how the Medicaid Recovery Act limits intergenerational wealth and contributes to racial health and wealth disparities among American elders. The competition was hosted by the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys and funded through an award from the Robert Johnson Foundation. The winning team, mentored by Dr. Cynthia Potter, Director of the MPHIP program, used a case study approach that combined policy analysis and research with statistical fiscal analyses to provide a thorough explanation of the shortcomings of the hardship waiver policy, deemed an important component of the Act. Congratulations, Ainsley, Christian, Grace, and Katie!

Barbara Bernstein published a guidebook on Latin dancing, Salsa Dancing & Rueda de Casino Guidebook for Beginner to Advanced Dancers.

At the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine 2022 Public Health Case Challenge, students Adira Brenner, Margaret Curley, Caroline Kerkorian, Rotem Miloh, Rebeka Rafi, and Anjali Singh were awarded the Interprofessional Prize for their innovative solution involving multiple DC community partners and stakeholders in a peer-mentorship program. AU public health alums Mary Katherine Fogarty and Yongyi Lu were the case writers for the competition: see video Highlights Reel (with AU at 0:30, 2:19, 2:49).
 

Health promotion management students Adira Brenner, Rotem Miloh, Amenti Bekere, Alec Harris, Kai Jones, and Jamie Cohen, accompanied by prof Robert Karch, interned at HERO22, working with experts in lifestyle medicine, worksite wellness, and health promotion to share recent research and innovations.
 

Alumna Annika Bergstrom (CAS/BS ’15) won the United States Public Health Service 2022 Excellence in Public Health Award.