Jeffrey Harman, Ph. D., both prolific researchers in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, and Professor Antonio Terracciano, Ph. D., Department of Geriatrics.
Younger and mid-career faculty are also eager to serve as mentors, including Assistant Professors Martina Luchetti, Ph. D., and Julia Sheffler, Ph. D., Associate Professor Tyra Dark, Ph. D., and Research Faculty Karen Geletko, MPH, all from Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.
Among the repeat mentors from outside the College of Medicine are Associate Professor Sabrina Dickey, Ph. D., from the College of Nursing, and Penny Ralston, Ph. D., professor and dean emeritus of what was once called the College of Human Sciences, now part of the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, locally called Anne’ s College.
“ Coming to the Bridge Research Presentations is one of the most fun things I do,” Ralston said after all eight 2025 Bridge students had presented May 13.“ They’ ve all worked so hard, and opening up the world of health research for young scholars and future physicians is its own reward.”
The Bridge Research requirement sparks such an interest in some students that after their first year of medical school, during the last summer vacation they ' ll have until they graduate, they opt instead to pursue one of the funded research opportunities available. At least Bridge one graduate is accepted most years, and often more than one.
This past summer, 2024 Bridge graduate Whitney Anestal( M. D. Class of 2028) was accepted into the College of Medicine Division of Research’ s Summer Research Fellowship program, working with Associate Professor Gregg Stanwood, Ph. D., of the Department of Biomedical Sciences on“ Environmental Impacts on Health in Farmworker Children.”
Projects from all the M. D. Class of 2028 summer research projects will be showcased Oct. 20 at the College of Medicine Annual Medical Student Poster Session.
Bridge leaders, including Senior Administrative Specialist and Bridge Program Coordinator Linda Netherton, make the annual Bridge presentation ceremony a festive event that begins with a brunch, includes a question-and-answer session afterward, and ends with a collective sigh of relief.
Here’ s a list of this year’ s Bridge graduates, their research projects and their mentors:
1. Michelle Arroyo,“ The Relationship Between Anxiety, Depression, and Number of Prenatal Care Visits, supervised by Professor Jeffrey Harman, Ph. D., College of Medicine.
2. Elliot J. Bodre Jr.,“ Assessing Delivery Formats of an Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention for Chronic Pain,” supervised by Research Faculty Kevin Johnson, Ph. D., and Professor F. Andrew Kozel, M. D., College of Medicine.
3. Brittany Chang,“ Association of Neurofibromatosis Type 1( NF1) Related Disease Factors on Cognition in Middle-Aged and Older Adults,” supervised by Assistant Professor Yang Hou, Ph. D., College of Medicine
4. Malik Richardson,“ The Association Between Physical Activity and Depressive Symptomatology in African Americans,” supervised by Associate Professor Tyra Dark, PhD., College of Medicine.
5. Gabriella Santana,“ Influence of E-Cigarette Device Type on Adolescent Vaping Behaviors,” supervised by Research Faculty Karen Geletko, MPH, and Research Faculty Jon Mills, Ph. D., College of Medicine.
6. Daija Smith,“ Social Support and Family Communication Influence on Colorectal Cancer Screening in Federally Qualified Health Center Patients,” supervised by Associate Professor Sabrina L. Dickey, Ph. D., College of Nursing.
7. Stessie Elvariste,“ The Effectiveness of Health for Hearts United in Improving Calcium Intake in Middle-Aged and Older African American Adults,” supervised by Professor Penny Ralston, Ph. D., Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
8. Tamarique C. S. Jones,“ Loneliness and Subjective Cognitive Decline among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Associations,” supervised by Assistant Professor Martina Luchetti, College of Medicine.
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