UW College of Health Sciences Dean Jacob Warren, left, poses with college research
award winners, from left: Assistant Professor Michelle Blakely, School of Pharmacy;
Assistant Professor Nervana Elkhadragy, School of Pharmacy; Evy Loomis-Goltl, Division
of Communication Disorders; Celina Espinoza Lantis, Division of Kinesiology and Health;
Aimee Gray, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Assistant Professor Katelyn Kotlarek,
Division of Communication Disorders; Yu Song, Division of Kinesiology and Health;
Desiree Bishop, School of Nursing; Kimberly Denningmann, School of Nursing; Ling Li,
Division of Kinesiology and Health; Alisa Therkildsen, Division of Communication Disorders;
Boyi Dai, research committee chair and professor, Division of Kinesiology and Health;
Anne Chenchar, School of Pharmacy; and Vitoria Mattos Pereira, School of Pharmacy.
(UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences hosted its annual research day
April 27 in the Wyoming Union Family Room.
The event, which showcases student and faculty research projects from divisions and
schools throughout the college, includes both oral and poster presentations. It culminates
with winners being chosen to receive grant awards for research and education-related
travel.
Topics covered included research into the effects of electronic cigarette vaping;
the use of artificial intelligence for assessing reading comprehension; the impacts
to mental health in older adults during the COVID pandemic; and the implications of
heart disease in animals and humans.
Boyi Dai, the college’s research day committee chair and professor in the Division
of Kinesiology and Health, says there were over 50 submissions of faculty and student
presentations and grant applications in this year’s event -- the first in-person research
day in several years.
“Research day provided a valuable platform for College of Health Sciences faculty
and students to present their research and communicate with other researchers for
potential interdisciplinary collaboration,” Dai says. “I was excited that there was
a great representation of research and award winners from most college units, and
really appreciated the time and efforts committed by all committee members.”
The event, which featured morning and afternoon presentations, included a midday poster
viewing of research projects from 21 students as well as faculty members from throughout
the College of Health Sciences.
“It is always inspiring to have the chance to showcase the outstanding research and
scholarship our faculty and students are engaging in,” Dean Jacob Warren says. “These
research projects and awardees are all working to advance knowledge in ways that change
people’s lives, and I congratulate them all.”
This year’s award recipients, listed by award rank, name, hometown and division/school,
are:
Top Student Podium Presentation Award
First -- Alisa Therkildsen, Laramie, Division of Communication Disorders.
Second -- Vitoria Mattos Pereira, Campinas, Brazil, School of Pharmacy.
Third -- Ling Li, Hefei, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Fourth -- Evy Loomis-Goltl, Bridgeport, Neb., Division of Communication Disorders.
Fifth -- Desiree Bishop, Cheyenne, and Kimberly Denningmann, Laramie, School of Nursing.
Sixth -- Kevin Miller, Boise, Idaho, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Faculty Research Grant
First -- Katelyn Kotlarek, assistant professor, Division of Communication Disorders.
Second -- Nervana Elkhadragy, assistant professor, School of Pharmacy.
Faculty Travel Grant
First -- Michelle Blakely, assistant professor, School of Pharmacy.
Student Research Grant
First -- Anne Chenchar, Cheyenne, School of Pharmacy.
Second -- Vitoria Mattos Pereira, Campinas, Brazil, School of Pharmacy.
Third -- Celina Espinoza Lantis, Burlington, Wash., Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Student Travel Grant
First -- Yu Song, Xian, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Second -- Ling Li, Hefei, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Third -- Katelan Rogers, Morrill, Neb., Division of Communication Disorders.
Fourth -- Kyle Moore, Laramie, Division of Communication Disorders.
Top Student Poster Presentation Award
First -- Aimee Gray, Pinedale, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Second -- Yu Song, Xian, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.
Third -- Mikayla Smith, Aurora, Colo., Division of Communication Disorders.
Committee members include Dai; Professor Tristan Wallhead and student Ling Li, of
the Division of Kinesiology and Health; Assistant Professor Katelyn Kotlarek and student
Isabella Mijares, of the Division of Communication Disorders; Associate Professor
Rebecca Carron and student Kimberly Lindeman, of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing;
Assistant Professor Michelle Blakely and student member Payge Hoffman, of the School
of Pharmacy; Assistant Professor Sukyung Yoon and student Rhitamvara Pokharel, of
the Division of Social Work; Associate Lecturer Teresa Wofford and student Haley Sturges,
of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities; and Ana Clara Bobadilla, block leader with
the WWAMI Medical Education Program.
About the UW College of Health Sciences
UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers
in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, communication
disorders, social work, kinesiology, community and public health, and disability studies.
The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne,
as well as operating primary care and speech/hearing clinics in Laramie, Casper and
Cheyenne.
With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college
is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting
high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and
frontier populations.
