As part of the nationwide celebration of the 30th anniversary of National Public Health Week (NPHW), 23 Bachelor of Science in Public Health students presented their Capstone Projects at a poster session held in the Pitt Public Health building— one of hundreds of NPHW events that took place across the country the week of April 7-13.
The students shared their posters with the school community, including Dean Lichtveld and special guest Iulia Vann, public health director at the Allegheny County Health Department. Projects ranged from an analysis of TV show The Pitt, to exploring low-threshold housing access in Austria, to examining ethics in mobile medical care. The variety and depth of topics celebrated the breadth of undergraduate public health and served as a fitting tribute to this year’s NPHW theme: It Starts Here.
“As public health professionals, the root of our field is service,” said Nailah Simmons, a BSPH graduate who spoke at Friday's graduation ceremony and presented her Capstone Project on environmental threats to medicinal plants in Suriname, a country she traveled to in 2023. “We are called to be a light and to take care of people wholeheartedly and to learn from them, just as much as they may learn from us.”
After the poster session, Vann joined school leadership for Stronger Together: Advancing Public Health Through Academic Health Department Partnerships, a presentation and panel discussion.
“Today’s public health students are not just learners – they are our future contact tracers, our community health strategists, our future epidemiologists, our environmental justice advocates, our policy leaders,” said Vann.
-Cailtin McCullough
The 2025 BSPH Capstone Symposium Posters -
Enhancing Equity in bCPR Training Through Youth Empowerment
Sierra Barnes, Chaviva Lebovits, Bella Meyer, Sai Midde, Madison Tassone and Ashley Wald
Increasing Access to The Landour Community Hospital in Landour, Uttrakhand, India
Mollyanne Brophy
ASHA In India: The Solution to Healthcare Utilization Advocation?
Aiden Chriss
Educating Black Fathers on Parenting Children with Disabilities
Thea Crossett
The Impact of Methylmercury on Maternal Mortality Rates in the Interior of Suriname
Anina Jojo
HPV-Induced Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Suriname
Rachel Kallan
An investigation of comorbidities: An analysis of symptoms, quality of life, and poor health outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis and hypertension
Ilana Kersh
Food Insecurity in Suriname and Pittsburgh: Challenges and Solutions
Spencer Lieberman
Vinzidorf in Graz- Combating Homelessness
Riya Patel
Exploring Public Health Education Through Fiction: Analyzing the Medical Drama, The Pitt, for Real-World Implications
Gavin Entenmann, Tiffany Lee, Victoria Morrall, Ava Polakowski, Victoria Shovlin and Jayden Toczylousky
Environmental Threats to Medicinal Plants in Suriname
Nailah Simmons
The Influence of Environmental Risk Factors on Kidney Health Outcomes in Suriname
Annika Spencer
Exploring Ethical Issues and Concerns in Mobile Medical Care Units
Jonathan Yasin