Four Master of Public Health (MPH) students — Grace Augusto, Jasmine Ducusin, Jaeda Reed and Molly Simpson — and one Public and Population Health Leadership Ph.D. student, Meredith Spivak, were honored for their research projects this spring.
The five students won College of Health Sciences Showcase Awards for their exceptional research and poster presentations at the annual Graduate Student Showcase. Learn more about their projects and research experience below.
Grace Augusto, MPH Student
Grace Augusto, a soon-to-be graduate of the Master of Public Health program, presented a research poster titled: “Evaluating Implementation Science Strategies to Promote Integrated Pest Management and Minimize Pesticide Exposure among Smallholder Farmers.”
Augusto said the most rewarding part of this research was knowing that it could be used in Dr. Cynthia Curl’s upcoming research trip to Rwanda this summer.
“We don’t often get to see how our research is applied in real-world settings, but this opportunity gave me a deeper understanding of the broader impact and practical value of my work,” Augusto said.
Jasmine Ducusin, MPH Student
Jasmine Ducusin, a soon-to-be graduate of the Master of Public Health program, presented research on the: “Individual and Cumulative Risks Associated With Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Idaho Home Visiting Participants.”
Ducusin’s previous work in maternal and child health in the Philippines inspired her interest in studying adverse birth outcomes among vulnerable populations in Idaho.
“During my internship with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, I also had the opportunity to work with the MIECHV program and complete my capstone project with them,” Ducusin said. “I chose to focus on adverse birth outcomes because the program is already in a strong position to support mothers, and I wanted to explore how early identification of risk factors could help strengthen prevention efforts.”
Jaeda Reed, MPH Student
Jaeda Reed, a soon-to-be graduate of the Master of Public Health program, presented a research poster titled: “Participants Stressors Correlating to Workload Burnout in Home Visitors.”
Reed was most interested in understanding how documented household stressors influence family participation and engagement in Idaho Home visiting programs. Reed’s research explored how factors such as income, housing stability and family structure interact affect participant engagement in the programs.
“The most rewarding aspect of my research was being able to present real data that can inform meaningful improvements for both families and program staff,” Reed said. “Knowing that this work can contribute to better support systems for both participants and the staff who serve them made the experience especially meaningful.”
Molly Simpson, MPH Student
Molly Simpson, a soon-to-be graduate of the Master of Public Health program, presented a research poster about the: “Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Diagnoses: Breast, Colorectal, and Cervical Cancers.”
Simpson was particularly interested in investigating whether disruptions in routine cancer screening during the pandemic were associated with increases in more advanced-stage diagnoses afterward, which has important implications for treatment and outcomes.
“The most rewarding aspect of my research was applying the skills I developed in the MPH program to a real public health issue,” Simpson said. “It was especially rewarding to see how data can advance our understanding of the pandemic’s broader impact and reinforce the importance of maintaining access to preventive healthcare services, such as routine cancer screening.”
Meredith Spivak, Ph.D. Student
Meredith Spivak, a Public and Population Health Leadership Ph.D. student, presented a research poster about the: “Biological and Social Factors Impacting Pesticide Poisonings Among Female Farmworkers.”
Spivak has always been interested in women’s health and better understanding the disparity in women farmworker safety is highly important. She said she hopes this research can be used to take the next steps toward creating a workplace where women farmworkers, and all farmworkers, are protected from pesticide poisonings.
“Everyone deserves for their workplace to be safe, but at the end of the day, we still have not delved deep enough into this issue and we still don’t have a clear picture on what is happening with women farmworkers,” Spivak said. “I have always been interested in women’s health, and understanding this disparity is important.”