The Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health will be sponsoring its 11^th Annual Student Poster Session through the Academic Public Health Caucus during the 136^th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, CA. Local chapters of Delta Omega from accredited schools and programs of public health submitted many excellent nominations. Nineteen students were selected to present at the poster session, which will be held 10:30-11:30 a.m. (Western) on Monday, October 26, 2008 in the San Diego Convention Center.

The 2008 poster session will showcase the excellent scholarship and research of students in accredited schools and programs of public health. This opportunity was created by Delta Omega to encourage and recognize the public health leaders of tomorrow.

The students selected to present at the 2008 Poster Session are:

1. Ms. Kassandra Alcaraz
   Nominated by the Alpha Delta Chapter (Saint Louis)
   "Examining Barriers Associated with Differential Use of Mammography within Latina Communities"
   
   
2. Ms. Kia Armstrong
   Nominated by the Beta Gamma Chapter (Kentucky)
   "The Role of CD4 Count in the Development of Immunity after Hepatitis A and B Vaccination in HIV/AIDS Infected Patients"
   
   Ms. Armstrong is a recent MPH graduate of the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health.  Her concentrations were epidemiology and biostatistics.  She was inducted into Delta Omega this spring.  She is from Cincinnati, OH, and now plans to pursue her career in public health with interest in health disparities, infectious disease and chronic disease.
   
   
3. Ms. Jennifer Beal
   Nominated by the Omega Chapter (George Washington)
   "Correlates with Concurrent HIV/AIDS Diagnoses in the District of Columbia, 1997-2006"
   
   
4. Dr. Nitin Bhanot
   Nominated by the Beta Iota Chapter (SUNY Downstate)
   "Impact of an Enhanced Contact Isolation Policy on Rates of Health Care Associated Infections"
   
   
5. Ms. Chloe Buchholtz
   Nominated by the Beta Gamma Chapter (Kentucky)
   "Indoor Air Pollution Due to Hookah Smoking: Particulate Concentrations in a Lexington, Kentucky Hookah Lounge"
   
   Ms. Buchholtz, originally from Cincinnati, OH, graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2001 with a BA in Psychology. Between 2001 and 2006, she served as the Marketing Director for Midway College, and as a project manager and consultant for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. She returned to the University of Kentucky in 2006 as a full-time graduate student in the College of Public Health, where she completed her MPH with concentrations in Health Behavior and Environmental Health in May 2008.
   
   
6. Ms. DeAnnah Byrd
   Nominated by the Iota Chapter (UCLA)
   "Campus Life and Overall Wellness: An Online Survey"
   
   
7. Ms. May Rose Dela Cruz
   Nominated by the Gamma Chapter (Hawaii)
   "Organ Donation: Attitudes, Intentions, and Barriers of Filipino American Youth in Hawaii"
   
   Ms. Dela Cruz is currently a MPH student at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Public Health Sciences in Honolulu, HI. In addition to pursuing her MPH degree and MCH Leadership Certificate, she works full-time as a project manager for the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii in the day and spends quality time with her husband and 3½ year old daughter at night. She eagerly awaits the arrival of her second child in the Fall of 2008. Her study collected information about the awareness, attitudes, barriers and intentions of Hawaii’s Filipino youth to become a designated donor on their first driver’s license or state-issued ID card. Recommended actions include educating Filipino-American teens about how and why they should become designated organ donors, encouraging high schools to include organ donation education and establish guidelines on how to initiate family discussions about OD and cultural issues.
   
   
8. Ms. Mary Forte
   Nominated by the Pi Chapter (Minnesota)
   "Geographic Variation in the Use of Intramedullary Nails for Intertrochanteric Hip Fractures"
   
   
9. Ms. Tiffany Leung
   Nominated by the Beta Eta Chapter (Northwestern)
   "Tailored Education in a Novel Multimedia Diabetes Education Program"
   
   
10. Mr. Travis Lovejoy
    Nominated by the Alpha Chi Chapter (CEOMPH)
    "Psychosocial Correlates of Cancer Screening Adherence in a Community Sample of Appalachian Adults: An Application of the Health Belief Model"
    
    
11. Ms. Teri Malo
    Nominated by the Tau Chapter (South Florida)
    "Using Structural Equation Modeling to Test the Theory of Reasoned Action: Predicting Sexual Behavior"
    
    Ms. Teri Malo is a doctoral student at University of South Florida's (USF) College of Public Health (COPH). Her poster was selected as the most outstanding student poster from USF College of Public Health's Department of Community & Family Health, during the annual USF Health Research Day held on February 22. This internal event serves as the COPH's own annual mechanism for selecting COPH Student nominees for the national Delta Omega Poster competition (see here and here for more information).   She has earned two internal COPH Student Honorary Award for Research and Practice (SHARP) awards in both 2006 and 2008, as well as two national awards from the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE): the Vivian Drenckhahn Student Scholarship Award and the SOPHE Graduate Student Research Paper Award.
    
    
12. Ms. Darcy Moudouni
    Nominated by the Alpha Tau Chapter (Texas A&M Health Science Center SRPH)
    "Correlates of Fall-Related Mortality in U.S. Elderly"
    
    Ms. Moudouni is a doctoral student of health policy and management at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. Utilizing a national data set of hospital discharge records, she found increased age at admission was significantly associated with increased risk of fall death. "This is a great honor for Ms. Moudouni and the School of Rural Public Health," said Dean Ciro V. Sumaya of the HSC-SRPH. "It demonstrates the high caliber of our students and academic research activities." To view the full press release, please click here.
    
    
13. Mr. Nasir Mushtaq
    Nominated by the Xi Chapter (Oklahoma)
    "Socio-demographic Correlates of Obstructive Genitourinary Defects"
    
    
14. Ms. Jessica Nadeau
    Nominated by the Alpha Gamma Chapter (Albany)
    "Preventing the Spread of Seasonal Flu: Measuring the Impact of a Voluntary Program on Influenza Immuniation Coverage among Long Term Care Facility Residents and Employees"

    A May 2008 graduate, Ms. Nadeau received her MPH degree from the University at Albany School of Public Health. She will continue her education this fall as a doctoral student in the School’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.   Ms. Nadeau worked on several studies including her most recent study on influenza vaccine coverage in long term care facilities, the focus of the winning abstract, completed in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health. She is currently in Tbilisi, Georgia (Central Asia) working with her advisor, Dr. Louise McNutt. Her work with Dr. McNutt is focused on research designed to guide public health programs to reduce hepatitis and HIV transmission. Ms. Nadeau will soon travel to Armenia where she will assist with a study to reduce infectious disease risks among women of reproductive ages. For more information, please click here.
    

15. Dr. Ikechukwu Ogbuanu
    Nominated by the Mu Chapter (South Carolina)
    "The Effect of Breastfeeding Duration on Lung Function is Modified by Maternal History of Asthma and Atopy"
    
    The results of Dr. Ogbuanu’s research support the renewed interest in the primary prevention of asthma and allergy. It addresses a previously unknown dynamic in the value of breastfeeding, a potential early-life intervention that may prove beneficial for control and prevention of asthma and other allergic diseases. He and his wife both completed their MPH as World Bank scholars in 2006 at the Arnold School of Public Health and are pursuing their PhDs in the same institution. Dr. Ogbuanu received $100 from the Mu Chapter to assist with his travel to present at the 2008 Student Poster Session. Click here for Dr. Ogbuanu’s bio.
    
    
16. Mr. Stephen Pan
    Nominated by the Upsilon Chapter (UAB)
    "Sexual Mixing Patterns Among Social Networks of Beijing Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): A Sociocentric Study"
    
    
17. Ms. Katherine Reeves
    Nominated by the Omicron Chapter (Pittsburgh)
    "Longitudinal Association of Anthropometry with Mammographic Breast Density"
    
    
18. Ms. Yaolin Weng
    Nominated by the Eta Chapter (Tulane)
    "Using a Geographical Information System to Assess Physical Environmental Influences on Walking in New Orleans"
    
    
19. Ms. Mary Williams
    Nominated by the Xi Chapter (Oklahoma)
    "A Longitudinal Analysis of Factors Contributing to Long-Term Abstience from Cigarettes among Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Participants"

Delta Omega would like to congratulate all the winners and thank the chapters and students for their participation in the poster contest.

For more information about Delta Omega, please visit www.deltaomega.org.