Awards, Honors & Recognition Spring/Summer 2021

FDLI 2021 Tobacco & Nicotine Products Committee

Dr. Ahluwalia was invited to serve on the Food and Drug Law Institute’s 2021 Tobacco and Nicotine Products Committee, which brings diverse stakeholders together for high-level discussions on tobacco products regulation and policy.

G. Alan Marlatt Mid-Career Research Award

The Addictive Behaviors group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies has awarded Becker the 2020 G. Alan Marlatt Mid-Career Research Award for her program of rigorous research in the field of addiction psychology.

URI Luminary in Nursing

In celebration of its 85th anniversary, the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing has named Cioe one of 75 ‘luminaries’ who represent the best nurses and nurse scientists to have come through its nursing program over the years, excelling in profes- sional practice, education, research, and advancement of the College, and making lasting contributions to the profession of nursing.

Strategy Group on COVID-19 and Residential Evictions

Goedel was selected to serve on the Strategy Group on COVID-19 and Residential Evictions as part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Response and Resilient Recovery Strategic Science Initiative. The Strategy Group will analyze COVID-19 impacts on rental property evictions within low- and middle-income communities and disadvantaged groups.

Inspired by the heroic lengths undertaken by hundreds of SPH staff members to ensure the School’s mission in the midst of a global pandemic, for the first time, the School of Public Health has honored exceptional staff members, in addition to faculty, with Dean’s Awards for their service to the School and to the field of public health.

The School’s MPH program staff were recognized for successfully moving the program online amid the global pandemic while also preparing for a CEPH re-accreditation site visit, accommodating the School’s large incoming MPH cohort, and maintaining the program’s applied public health experience models.

Jesse Yedinak led the People, Place & Health Collective team’s restructuring, rebranding, and launch, including developing a new mission and vision centered on inclusivity, health equity, and community engagement. She also negotiated contracts and data use agreements with the RI Department of Health, enabling the School to support and improve the state’s COVID-19 dashboard and highlight racial disparities in the state’s opioid crisis.

Congratulations to all of the faculty and staff members recognized with 2021 Dean’s Awards for their outstanding contributions to the educational, service, and research mission of the School of Public Health!

2021 Dean’s Awards for Faculty Excellence

Excellence in Research Collaboration
Sara Becker Ph.D., Behavioral and Social Sciences
Excellence in Classroom Teaching
Shira Dunsiger Ph.D., Behavioral and Social Sciences
Excellence in Mentoring
Jennifer Merrill Ph.D., Behavioral and Social Sciences
Jennifer Nazareno Ph.D., Behavioral and Social Sciences
Excellence in Community Engagement
Amy Nunn MS, ScD, Behavioral and Social Sciences

2021 Dean’s Awards for Staff Excellence

Excellence in Innovation
The MPH Team: Joann Barao, Coordinator for Applied Learning Experience & Professional Development; Diane Schlacter, Manager of Interdisciplinary Education Programs; Elizabeth Jackvony, Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Education Programs, Clinical & Translational Research; Beth Guerrera, MPH Administrative Assistant
Excellence in Leadership
Jesse Yedinak MPA, Research Director of the People, Place & Health Collective

Brown University has awarded research seed funding to Professors Alexander Sokolovsky and Jasjit Ahluwalia, of Behavioral and Social Sciences, for ‘Using ENDS to Reduce Harm for Low SES Cigarette Smokers,’ an investigation of electronic nicotine delivery systems and their harm reduction potential for socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers.

Jennifer Merrill of Behavioral and Social Sciences was recognized by Brown University with an Early Career Achievement Award for her research program in the Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies focused on the causes and consequences of alcohol misuse among young adults. Author of more than 80 peer reviewed publications, Merrill has received multiple federal grants for her work informing interventions for health and safety issues associated with alcohol.

Hogan, the Carole and Lawrence Sirovich Professor of Public Health and professor of biostatistics, has been named chair of the Department of Biostatistics. In this role he oversees the academic activities of the department and provides oversight and leadership for important School and University-wide activities and initiatives related to biostatistics.

Dr. Ranney, associate professor of emergency medicine and of health services, policy and practice, in her new role as Associate Dean, will focus on the School’s strategy for portfolio expansion — Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Climate Change and Health, and AI and Digital Health — as well as on further connecting the School within the University.