APHA 2025 Presentations

1:00 PM

Andrea Gonzalez Jimenez
Student | Health Behavior and Health Equity

How expanding bilingual doula services and investing in culturally tailored support systems can significantly improve Latine maternal and infant health outcomes while reducing healthcare inequities.

2:30 PM

Amy Rusch
Student | Health Behavior and Health Equity

Community college students experience high rates of anxiety and depression, but many face barriers to accessing mental health care due to limited campus resources. This presentation reports on findings from Mental Health Improvement Through Community Colleges Study where Rapid Ethnographic Assessments were carried out across four diverse Michigan community colleges to explore current mental health services, barriers to access, and opportunities for improvement to student mental health.

2:30 PM

Amy Schulz
Facult/Staff | Health Behavior and Health Equity

2:30 PM

Koya Ferrell
Student | Health Behavior and Health Equity

3:00 PM

Reema Hamasha
Alumnus, Faculty/Staff | Health Informatics, Department of Learning Health Sciences

Poster presentation describing the efforts of a recently completed project looking at perspectives of the use of AI in healthcare. My presentation specifically focuses on the Arab/MENA population perspectives.

3:00 PM

Jennifer Bragg-Gresham
Alumnus, Other | Biostatistics, Epidemiology

Causal analysis of current day SDOH in areas of Detroit subjected to Redlining. Work funded by the Anti-Racism Collaborative.

4:30 PM

Elli Brines
Alumnus, Faculty/Staff | Health Behavior and Health Equity

First, an overview of the RESET program, next a review of attendance rates, participant quotes, and relevant data, closing with a demo led by the CHW on our team.

4:30 PM

Sadé Mulkey (Richardson)
Student, Faculty/Staff | Health Behavior and Health Equity

This session explores the nationwide implementation and collective impact of the CDC John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program—a multi-institutional initiative designed to build a multidisciplinary, culturally competent public health workforce. Seven distinct program sites anchor this initiative across the nation.

5:00 PM

Rachael Dombrowski (Jankowski)
Alumnus | Health Behavior and Health Equity

Poster

8:30 AM

Sean Tan
Faculty/Staff | Learning Health Sciences

However, public trust in these systems to use AI responsibly remains low. In partnership with the Deliberative Engagement of Communities in Decisions about Resources (DECIDERS), we explored strategies to build trust in health systems and AI by engaging Michigan residents.

9:15 AM

Wolfgang Bahr
Alumnus | Health Behavior and Health Equity

This presentation describes a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) partnership between a Federally Qualified Health Center, local health system, and Public Health School exploring barriers to Latine maternal healthcare and developing community-driven solutions.

10:30 AM

Catherine Troisi
Alumnus | Epidemiology

Academics and practitioners discussing how to proceed when the data you need aren't available.

10:30 AM

Alyssa Harris (Hartsell)
Alumnus | Epidemiology

Analysis of predictors of In-Hospital Mortality After Firearm Injury in a National Cohort.

10:30 AM

Brianne Brenneman
Alumnus | Health Behavior and Health Equity

An innovative aspect of the Toronto Strong Neighborhoods Strategy, established to promote health equity through community development, is its resident leader program. This presentation describes culturally responsive programming that connected health equity metrics with residents' lived experiences.

10:30 AM

Natalie Reid
Alumnus | Nutritional Sciences

Discussing the achievements and learnings from USDA Farm to School grantees.

2:30 PM

Kitty Oppliger
Alumnus | Nutritional Sciences

Poster. Findings from a needs assessment at UC ANR, land grant institution with Cooperative Extension. Covers recommendations about guidance and training needed at the institutional level.

8:30 AM

Michelle Johns
Alumnus | Health Behavior and Health Equity

Overview of the evaluation framework for the Creating Health Access for Next Generation Equity (CHANGE) Program.

8:30 AM

Laura Bellows (Simpson)
Alumnus | Nutritional Sciences

Maternal Child Health, Child Care section.

8:30 AM

Yundan Zhang
Alumnus | Epidemiology, Health Informatics

APHA Program: Health Informatics Information Technology. Session: Digital and Wearable Technologies addressing Chronic Conditions and Diseases.

8:40 AM

Jingwei Wu
Alumnus | Biostatistics

This study aimed to analyze the correlation between serum levels of redox-related micronutrients and the prevalence of immune-related diseases, to provide some guideline on the optimal blood concentrations to reduce prevalence.

9:15 AM

Gloria Carmona-Clavijo
Faculty/Staff | DLHS 

10:30 AM

Mike Michalski
Alumnus | Health Management and Policy

Poster. Background: The Building Capacity to Advance Health (BCAH) certificate meets training gaps to equip governmental public health practitioners with applicable health equity approaches using strategic planning and change management methodology. BCAH graduated 21 participants from 14 state and local agencies between 2023 and 2024.

10:30 AM

Zhongyao Li
Alumnus | Nutritional Sciences

Poster

10:30 AM

Hannah Lang
Student | Health Management and Policy

Food and Nutrition Poster Session 6

12:30 PM

Clara Reyes
Student | Health Behavior and Health Equity

Spirit of 1848 Social Justice & Public Health Student Poster Session

2:30 PM

Joel Begay
Alumnus | Epidemiology

Poster

4:30 PM

Carson Downer
Student | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

This presentation explores youth perspectives on distracted driving and hands-free driving laws in the U.S. Using findings from a nationwide survey of young people aged 14–24, it highlights their awareness of the risks, skepticism about current laws, and recommendations for reducing distractions on the road.

8:30 AM

Jesus Ramirez-Valles
Alumnus | Health Behavior and Health Equity

Round table

9:30 AM

Chelsea Bruno
Faculty/Staff | Health Management and Policy

From insurance companies to state legislators to regulatory agencies, there has been a growing emphasis on the essentialness of addressing social drivers of health (SDOH) to optimize healthcare delivery. This study aimed to assess how hospitals in Michigan's high-need communities prioritize, implement, and evaluate SDOH initiatives.

10:30 AM

Jennifer Garner
Faculty/Staff | Nutritional Sciences

Background: Persistent chronic disease inequities and recognition of social and mental health as foundational to chronic disease self-management necessitate more strategic approaches to public health education and health promotion. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are poised to lead healthy lifestyle programming due to their lived experience, familiarity with community context, and trusted insight.

Methods: Leveraging an established community-based participatory research partnership of 12 academic, community, and healthcare organizations, our team integrated best practices from three successful health promotion programs to create Health Impact 360 (HI360). HI360 is a 20-week CHW-led program designed to increase social support, address mental health / reduce stress, and improve cardiovascular health indices among adults (n=328) at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Results: Results will focus on lessons learned in co-designing and launching HI360, including explicit examination of the CHWs’ role in refining program materials, interrogating study plans, and informing how the team builds on existing community knowledge and assets to balance rigor and fidelity with authenticity and impact.