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Arnold School of Public Health

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2023 Student Awards

Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (HPEB) is proud to announce the 2023 winners of the department's student awards program. The HPEB Outstanding Master's Student Award recognizes a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) student for their performance in the classroom/field as well as their potential for professional contributions to the field of health promotion. The Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award honors the student who best demonstrates the highest level of rigor, commitment and ethics. The HPEB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research Award is presented to an outstanding undergraduate student who has participated in research activities under the direction of or in collaboration with a faculty member in the department.

Student Award About
Nabila Inak

HPEB Outstanding Master’s Student Award: Nabila Inak

After graduating from Newberry College with a bachelor's degree in biology, Nabila Inak joined the Arnold School's Children's Physical Activity Research Group as a data collector. While working with CPARG to increase exercise among children and adolescents, she became passionate about improving quality of life for this population and decided to pursue an MPH in HPEB to advance health equity for them. This past semester, she gained practical experience with SC DHEC's Grow Outdoors SC initiative, promoting  physical activity, healthy eating, and learning in young children in child care centers. Now the May graduate will return to her work with CPARG.
Nkechi Okpara

Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award: Nkechi Okpara

Originally from Trenton, New Jersey, Nkechi Okpara’s work focuses on helping teenagers appreciate and feel content in their bodies, increasing nutrition knowledge and mental approach to food and eating, and preventing disordered eating among the Black teenage population. The registered dietitian is the recipient of a SPARC grant (Office of the Vice President for Research) and the Commission on Dietetic Registration Doctoral Scholarship (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation). After completing postdoctoral training, Okpara will pursue an academic career where she can continue mentoring students and conducting research. 
Claudia Sentman

HPEB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research Award: Claudia Sentman

With plans to become a physician assistant, Claudia Sentman chose to study public health for her undergraduate degree. She was also interested in gaining research experience, so she began reaching out to faculty when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she had some more downtime. Sentman clicked with BRIE Labs and ended up working with the team on six projects related to nutrition interventions aimed at reducing health disparities and improving health. She presented their findings and co-authored peer-reviewed papers. Sentman will spend a year as a medical assistant in Chicago while applying to physician assistant schools. 

 

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