Nine students from various universities participated in the Rutgers Institute for Health’s (IFH) Summer Research Internship Program. Chosen from over 1,200 applicants, these undergraduate and graduate students spent 10 weeks working on research projects with faculty mentors and receiving career guidance.
The program included regular forums led by Rutgers Health faculty and research staff. Topics discussed included professional development, research experiences, and career advice. Forum leaders featured Dr. Janet Alder, Assistant Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs at Rutgers School of Graduate Studies; Stephanie Bergren and Francine Cartwright of the NJHealth Study; Dr. Benjamin Bates of the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science; Dr. Tara Friebel-Klingner of the Rutgers Global Health Institute; Dr. Ethan Halm, Vice Chancellor for Population Health at Rutgers Health; and Drs. John Palatucci and Mandi Spishak-Thomas of the Center for State Health Policy.
At the end of the program, students presented their research findings during a seminar that included a question-and-answer session.
Projects covered a range of health topics:
Elyse Gans from Lehigh University worked with Dr. Elizabeth Stone to evaluate New Jersey’s state mental health programs, including crisis response services, 9-8-8, mental health first aid, and law enforcement diversion initiatives.
Anna Chupak from the University of South Carolina partnered with Dr. Yanping Jiang to study how neighborhood and interpersonal factors affect physical and cognitive health in older adults.
Lauren Bauman from Yale University collaborated with Dr. Jennifer Miles to analyze equitable access to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder across emergency departments, residential programs, and community recovery homes.
Jasmine Li from Yale University worked under Dr. Min Hee Kim to examine geographic and individual pathways connecting education levels with dementia risk in midlife.
Doris Mwambutsa from Rutgers University assisted Dr. Ethan Halm and Jack Hemphill on projects supporting population health equity through education campaigns, community service-learning efforts, cancer screening initiatives, and chronic disease management interventions.
Varun Vekaria from Rutgers University contributed to digital health and neuropsychology projects on Long Covid and multiple sclerosis under Dr. Michelle Chen’s supervision.
Safiyeh Tayebi from Rutgers University supported zoonotic disease surveillance research in high-risk environments with emerging strains alongside Dr. Ubydul Haque at the Global Health Institute.
Jaelyn Liu from the University of Pennsylvania worked with Dr. Benjamin Bates to link cancer registry data with electronic health records to better understand treatments, healthcare use, and outcomes among cancer survivors.
D’Naija Ammons from Howard University collaborated with Tara Friebel-Klingner on analyzing breast and cervical cancer screening uptake as well as diagnostic pathways in Botswana and Tanzania.
"Students also participated in regular forums led by Rutgers Health faculty and research staff who discussed professional development tips and tools, as well as their research and career journeys," according to program organizers.
