2025 News Archive

Graduate finds school-family balance with support from physical therapy program

Now that he's reached the finish line, Trystan Ruiz has two important milestones coming up. The first is a position at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers in Oklahoma City. The second is the birth of their son, who is due in January.

I Am Public Health: Peter Olejua

During his program, Peter Olejua built his expertise in evaluating emerging medical technologies to ensure their efficacy, safety and impact on patient outcomes.

Physical therapy graduate shares passion for her profession, love of living in the Soda City

After graduating this month, Makenzie Anderson will join Encompass Health as a physical therapist in their inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Based on her positive experiences at the Arnold School, she also plans to pursue teaching.

Assistant professor uses biostatistics to advance neuroscience and wearable device research

The advent of physical activity trackers, heart monitors, and sleep sensors have transformed the possibilities of modern health care, but we have biostatisticians like Beniamino Hadj-Amar to thank for bridging the gap between data and impact.

Helicopter pilot finds new way to serve as speech-language pathologist

When Molly O'Malley and her military spouse started a family, she knew it was time to make a pivot from her 12 years as a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot. She was looking for a new way to help others while balancing the requirements of military family life.

The evolution of the Arnold School and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics through Cheryl Addy's eyes

Cheryl Addy came to the Arnold School in 1988, and she's served USC ever since. She joined the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics as its youngest biostatistician - a role that would evolve alongside the department over the years.

When concussions go to court: A mock trial bridges law and athletic training

The mock trial event came together after exercise science faculty Amy Fraley and Jim Mensch saw an opportunity to engage USC athletic training and law students prior to the annual meeting of the South Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association.

Daniela Friedman named Associate Dean for Research and Leadership Development

Dean Tara Sabo-Attwood has appointed Daniela Friedman, a professor in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, as the Associate Dean for Research and Leadership Development for the Arnold School of Public Health.

Renewed funding enables more students, faculty to prep for careers in maternal and child health

The Health Resources and Services Administration is continuing its commitment to growing and diversifying the maternal and child health workforce by awarding $675,000 to Jihong Liu.

Speech-language pathology graduate committing to supporting children with hearing loss

The M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program's Auditory Verbal Therapy special interest track boosted Samantha Feeney's knowledge of this area and helped her secure a Clinical Fellowship with Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Brain Health Fitness program uses exercise to fight cognitive decline

A new collaborative research study from USC Brain Health and the Arnold School goes one step further by examining how consistent, physical exercise can also help combat cognitive decline and improve overall neurological health.

August graduate discovers passion for vestibular therapy

With interests in geriatrics and vestibular rehabilitation, Outstanding DPT Student of the Year Award winner Alejandra Medina-Reyes will soon begin a Geriatrics Physical Therapy Residency.

Meet student body President Courtney Tkacs

A global traveler, this year's student body president, Courtney Tkacs, is committed to being a servant leader. Get to know the public health/political science major and Honors College student with this Q&A from USC.

I Am Public Health: Callie Unrein

Callie Unrein's experiences as a master's student have provided her with a strong foundation in research, a diverse skill set and meaningful relationships. She's looking forward to continuing these collaborations during her doctoral program this fall.

Shawn Arent elected to Executive Board of the National Academy of Kinesiology

Five years after his election as an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology, exercise science professor and chair Shawn Arent will join the organization's Executive Board as Member-at-Large.

Wildfires take a major toll on life and property

USC features Mohammed Baalousha, who studies the safety of engineered nanomaterials — ultra-tiny particles designed to do everything from delivering drugs into human cells to improving electrical conductivity in computer chips.

Objects in motion

USC features health promotion, education, and behavior associate professor Courtney Monroe, whose work explores how social support can lead to more physical activity, particularly over the long term.

Exercise science professor Russell Pate shares 50 years of individual and departmental growth as part of the Arnold School

Russell Pate arrived at USC in 1974 and was one of six faculty members to found the Department of Exercise Science in 1989. In this Pioneering Perspectives story, he shares five decades of Arnold School history.

Keeping Tabs

USC features the SC Alzheimer's Disease Registry, a 35-year-old database administered by the Arnold School's Office for the Study of Aging that allows the state to track Alzheimer's and dementia cases and use this information to improve health outcomes.

Staff Spotlight: Ashley Page Bookhart

Ashley Page Bookhart is committed to ensuring that no child goes hungry. With one in six children facing hunger in South Carolina, it's a significant challenge for the Palmetto state - one she's been tackling for more than a decade.

Treatment access

USC features health services policy and management associate professor Christina Andrews, who is exploring the link between health care access and outcomes for people with substance abuse disorders.

Jiajia Zhang selected as Fellow in the American Statistical Association

Biostatistics professor Jiajia Zhang has been selected as a Fellow by the American Statistical Association, the world's largest community of data scientists and statisticians.

Beyond the diagnosis

USC features the work of health promotion, education, and behavior associate professor Xueying Yang, who tracks HIV care from youth to adulthood.

I Am Public Health: Ali Alfalki

This past spring, epidemiology doctoral student Ali Alfalki completed a practicum with the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) that will advance research, policy development, and community health initiatives for years to come.

HPEB recognizes 2025 student award winners

Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (HPEB) is proud to announce the 2025 winners of the department's student awards program: Ashley Thurber, Deeksha Gupta, and Mallory Gedeon.

Exercise science department honors student award winners

The 2025 Outstanding Exercise Science Student Award winners were chosen for their academic achievements, community service and leadership roles.

Three epidemiology students win 2025 department awards

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is proud to announce the recipients of their 2025 Student Awards. These students were selected for their outstanding performance both academically and outside the classroom.

Seven Arnold School faculty awarded ASPIRE and ASPIRE AI funding

The Office of the Vice President for Research has announced the recipients of the 2025 Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence (ASPIRE) and ASPIRE AI awards to fund 27 scholarly projects.

Health care executive Tiffany Sullivan leads community-focused career grounded in Arnold School training, mentorship

Tiffany Sullivan, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Senior VP and COO for Physician Services, shares how the Arnold School's MPH in Health Administration program and graduate assistantships at Prisma Health launched her career.

Public health graduate plans career as pediatrician

As a first-generation college student, Nabeeha Baig came into USC unsure of how to navigate the complexities of higher education, but USC gave her the support, opportunities, and community to be successful.

Young Alumni Council names two Arnold School graduates to 2025 Gamecocks35

Arnold School alumni Adam Mayer (Exercise Science, '15) and Jamiko Cooper (Public Health, '11; MHA, '13) have been selected by the Young Alumni Council as part of Gamecock35 — a cohort of outstanding USC graduates under the age of 35.

Communication sciences and disorders honors students

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has recognized 13 students for winning department, university, state and national awards in the field.

Master of Health Administration graduate committed to improving health in South Carolina

Will Owings graduated in May with a 4.0 GPA and is the recipient of the Susie B. Yates Award for Excellence in Scholarship and the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Contributions to Access and Collective Engagement in Research or Practice.

Health services policy and management student award winners announced

The Department of Health Services Policy and Management is proud to announce the recipients of their 2025 Student Awards. These students were selected for their outstanding performance, both academically and outside the classroom.

I Am Public Health: Kimanh Le

In addition to social media use and overuse, the Norman J. Arnold Doctoral Fellow's interests include user experience research and design, recruitment methodologies, physical activity and mental health.

Roger Sargent looks back on the origins of the health promotion, education, and behavior department

Roger Sargent may have a background in biology, but he found his passion in public health. His Ph.D. program first introduced him to the field - a focus on human parasitology that brought him to USC's biology department in 1968.

Two Arnold School doctoral students recognized by the USC Graduate School

Salomé-Joëlle Gass (Ph.D. in Health Services Policy and Management student) and Berthe Abi Zeid (Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior student) have been awarded Trustee Fellowships.

2025 Access & Collective Engagement Awards announced

These awards are designed to recognize alumni, faculty, staff and students (graduate and undergraduate) who have made exceptional contributions to advancing access and collective engagement.

Remembering Distinguished Professor Emerita Harriet Williams, who was instrumental to the exercise science department's founding and growth

While her specialty was working with children and their motor development, Williams looked at movement across the lifespan and was also known for her work in preventing and reducing falls among older adults.

Staff Spotlight: Rebecca Jordan

Rebecca Jordan attended USC for both her bachelor's and master's (MPH) degrees. She's devoted the past two decades to serving non-profit and health sectors, returning this year to serve as the Arnold School's Lead Senior Director of Development.

Epidemiology graduate to join Center for Applied Research and Evaluation

With a passion for using data to guide the planning and design of health programs and evaluating the impact of public health interventions, Adrienne Parkinson accepted a position as a researcher with CARE following her May graduation.

Top graduate student award winners announced

The top master's and doctoral students were honored at the annual Hooding Ceremony. Julie Warren (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training) received the Jeffrey Keith Mattison Award, and Hannah Parker (Ph.D. in Exercise Science) won the Doctoral Achievement Award.

Mufaro Kanyangarara awarded Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship to develop graduate program in public and global health

Epidemiology assistant professor Mufaro Kanyangarara is one of 43 scholars to be awarded a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship from the Institute of International Education this year.

Childhood experiences spark graduate's interest in infectious disease and environmental epidemiology

With Zach Drechsler's full-time position as a laboratory researcher his priority, USC's 100 percent Online Master of Public Health in Epidemiology program offered the perfect path to pursuing a graduate degree in the field.

Doctoral graduate uses epidemiology to study overlapping factors that impact public health

After winning the Outstanding Epidemiology Doctoral Student Award, Prince Addo plans to continue engaging in innovative epidemiologic research focused on modifiable risk factors for disease prevention and control.

Epidemiology graduate aims to advance global health

After graduating with the Arnold School's 2024 Doctoral Achievement Award, Rajat das Gupta will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to continue his research in molecular and genetic epidemiology in cancer.

Leadership, research roles prep exercise science grad for career in health care

Outstanding Exercise Science Student Award winner Hailey Karns found her home away from home in the Honors College and completes her tenure at USC this month with Graduation with Leadership Distinction and a 4.0 GPA.

Arnold School announces 2025 Alumni Award Winners

Samuel O. Antwi (Ph.D. in Epidemiology, '15) has been awarded the Gerry Sue Arnold Alumni Award, and Charity G. Patterson (MSPH '97; Ph.D. '00 in Biostatistics) has won the Norman J. Arnold Alumni Medal.

Doctoral graduate committed to improving maternal and child health in low-resource settings

Fahmida Akter graduates in May with a Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior and her priorities clear: a lifelong connection to USC and an unwavering commitment to improving health, particularly for women and children, in low-resource settings.

Cultural perspective and public health degree prep May graduate for career in health care

Zohra Alikhail may have been born and raised in SC, but her Afghan roots have shaped her past, present and future. The daughter of immigrants, she knew she was passionate about advocating for marginalized groups, but she wasn't sure which area to study.

Sean Sweeney named inaugural fellow of Steven N. Blair Horse Collar Knight Endowed Fellowship Fund

Ph.D. in Epidemiology student Sean Sweeney is the recipient of the first fellowship supported by the Steven N. Blair Horse Collar Knight Endowed Fellowship Fund.

Four Arnold School faculty members awarded Two Thumbs Up Awards from Student Disability Resource Center

Kersten Cope, Alicia Flach, Myriam Torres and Yanan Zhang were recognized by the Student Disability Resource Center with 2025 Two Thumbs Up Awards for going above and beyond to support students with disabilities.

I Am Public Health: Celine Benedico

After graduating in August, Jennifer Mungo Graduate Student of the Year Award winner Celine Benedico plans to work with pediatric populations, including bilingual children, who have language and communication disorders.

May graduate to join Miami Dolphins as athletic trainer

Through his educational and clinical experiences Taisei Chiba has adopted a holistic approach to patient care - which he will begin applying after graduating in May when he will rejoin the Miami Dolphins as an athletic trainer.

USC students excel at interprofessional health event

A team of health sciences students, including exercise science alumna and current athletic training student Amanda Trujillo, have won third place in CLARION National Student Case Competition.

Increased efforts are shifting the point of viability to 22 weeks' gestation

Building on her previous research into maternal and infant health during pregnancy and after birth, epidemiology associate professor Nansi Boghossian has published new findings in JAMA.

Scout player for Gamecocks Women's Basketball pursues career in physical therapy, sports performance

Benjamin White is wrapping up his exercise science degree with a sports performance internship, and it's the perfect segue into the next phase of his USC journey: enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Two Arnold School students recognized with statewide awards at the South Carolina Public Health Association's annual conference

Public health major Muskaan Makkar has been awarded the SCPHA Public Health Scholarship, and epidemiology doctoral student Penias Tembo received the Malcom U. Dantzler Scholarship.

Doctoral graduate applies infectious disease, health services expertise to career in state, federal public health agencies

Tony Brown's doctoral studies helped refine his evaluation/data analytics and infectious disease expertise, specifically in the areas of HIV and other STIs with the goal of advancing health equity for sexual and racial minority groups.

Peiyin Hung wins Researcher of the Year Award from National Rural Health Association

The NRHA has selected Peiyin Hung, health services policy and management associate professor and co-director of the Rural Health Research Center, as the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award.

Two-time alumna, long-time faculty member Sara Corwin shares the rise of the public health bachelor's programs

Sara Corwin earned two degrees from the Arnold School during its formative years and has spent more than two decades building its undergraduate programs. Read on for an inside view with this very special Pioneering Perspectives story.

Arnold School programs shine in U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School Rankings

Already known as a top-ranked school of public health nationally, the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health has once again been ranked the best school of public health in South Carolina.

Exercise science grad plans career improving health for South Carolinians

A Gamecock at heart, Cole knew that studying at South Carolina's flagship university would cement her ties to the state, and she chose the Arnold School's B.S. in Exercise Science program as her major due to its strong scientific foundation.

2024-2025 SPARC Graduate Research Grants awarded to six Arnold School graduate students

Graduate students from across the Arnold School have earned 2024-2025 SPARC Graduate Research Grants from the USC Office of the Vice President for Research to fund individual scholarship initiatives.

Simple activities could be keys to dementia prevention, says USC public health researcher

USC features the research of communication sciences and disorders professor/chair Jean Neils-Strunjas, who is working to prevent the onset of dementia by testing simple techniques for older adults.

Big Data Health Science Conference Participants Share Data Science Innovations

In February, USC hosted the National Big Data Health Science Conference, which is supported in part by NIH and centers on the critical questions and emerging methods in big data health science.

Public health degree, leadership roles prep May graduate for career in health care administration

Her various leadership roles and volunteer activities - along with a strong foundation from the only accredited school of public health in the state - cemented Bethany Cotton's commitment to a career in health care.

Xuewen Wang wins USC research award

The Office of the Vice President for Research has selected exercise science associate professor Xuewen Wang as one of the 2025 recipients of the Distinguished Research Service Awards.

I Am Public Health: Maushmi Patel

As a student in the Ph.D. in Health Services Policy and Management program, Maushmi Patel has developed research interests in patient engagement and evaluation, particularly the assessment of digital health technologies.

Remembering Dave Murday: leader, colleague, mentor, friend

Beloved by his work family at CARE, Dave Murday passed away unexpectedly in January. The researcher leaves behind a loss of expertise, but more profoundly, a legacy in the rich organizational culture he helped cultivate over the past 30 years.

U.S. Army Veteran and Master of Health Administration student awarded Nancy Rosenthal Scholarship

Martha Selmon's experiences providing and receiving health care services with the U.S. Army are what led her to pursue an MHA. She is particularly interested in health disparities, provider burnout and the health of military veteran populations.

Courtney Tkacs will become next student body president

Honors College student Courtney Tkacs, who is majoring in public health and political science, has been elected as the USC Student Body President for 2025-2026.

Research professor, philanthropist Al Montgomery passes away after long career advancing field of communication sciences and disorders

The department and other close colleagues and friends will share their stories of Al, who passed away in February at the age of 86, at a Celebration of Life lunch on April 11, 2025.

Master of Health Administration alumnus Gary Cooper looks back on the Arnold School in the 90s plus lessons from a career in health care

Gary Cooper has reached a stage in his life and career where he has wisdom to share. A serial entrepreneur who has bought, sold and led multi-million-dollar health care organizations, the MHA alumnus ('96) says his success almost cost him his life.

Staff Spotlight: Katherine Tse

Moving to the South after a decade abroad was a bit of a culture shock for Katherine Tse. The HSPM grants coordinator has found all of the upsides though, including a love for college sports.

Brie Turner-McGrievy wins USC Educational Foundation Research Award for Health Sciences

The Office of the Provost has selected health promotion, education, and behavior professor Brie Turner-McGrievy as the 2025 recipient of the USC Educational Foundation Research Award for Health Sciences.

Three exercise science faculty members honored with athletic training national awards

Three exercise science faculty members have been selected to receive the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the National Athletic Trainers' Association: Toni Torres-McGehee, Jim Mensch, and Susan Yeargin.

I Am Public Health: Ray Holberger

After graduating this year, Holberger is looking forward to serving the state using his more refined environmental risk assessment skill set and fostering continued collaborations between the Department of Environmental Services and the Arnold School.

Mexican National Institute of Public Health selects Jim Thrasher as inaugural winner of Excellence in Scientific Leadership and Collaboration Award

Health promotion, education, and behavior professor Jim Thrasher is the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Scientific Leadership and Collaboration Award for his efforts to reduce tobacco use over the past 25 years.

Sigfus Kristinsson wins national award to support stroke research

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders' newest assistant professor Sigfus Kristinsson is the recipient of the Lawrence M. Brass, MD, Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Stroke.

New research questions traditional methods for monitoring childhood growth

Researchers from the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior have published a new study that challenges the use of Growth Monitoring and Promotion to detect growth faltering in children.

Public health nurse Lillian Mood shares her experience in the Arnold School's inaugural cohort and how the program impacted her career

Lillian Mood (Lill) graduated with the inaugural cohort of the Arnold School's first degree program, the Master of Public Health. The public health nurse went on to have a long career serving South Carolinians in various roles with the Department of Public Health.

Adolescents with mental health symptoms more likely to use multiple nicotine products, particularly e-cigarettes, new international research finds

A recent study led by Emily Hackworth has found that youth (ages 16-19) with internalizing mental health symptoms are more likely to turn to nicotine products (particularly electronic cigarettes) than their peers.

Center for Community Health Alignment takes the reins for nationwide community health worker workforce development organization

Three years into its rapid growth and widespread impact, the multi-institutional partnership known as envision will find a new home at the Center for Community Health Alignment under the leadership of Lisa Renee Holderby-Fox.

Why I Give Back to USC: Caleb Morris

The USC Office of Development of Development sits down for a Q&A with Caleb Morris. Learn why the exercise science instructor/advisor gives back to his employer/alma mater.

COVID-19 pandemic worsened mother, infant birth outcomes

Arnold School researchers with the Center for Healthcare Quality have published new research in the Annals of Epidemiology regarding the impact of COVID-19 infections on women who were pregnant before and during the pandemic.

Mary Ann Galloway paved the way for the first Master of Public Health program as its first graduate

Reinvention, innovation and entrepreneurship have been themes in Mary Ann Galloway's career. In addition to grit, an open mind and an innate ability to connect the dots, she credits her MPH for making her path possible.

I Am Public Health: Xuanxuan Yu

This spring, Xuanxuan Yu will complete his third degree in biostatistics, but there was a time when he didn't have a clear understanding of the field. In his bachelor's program at Nanjing Medical School Yu fell in love with the subject.

Why government can’t make America ‘healthier’ by micromanaging groceries purchased with SNAP benefits

Danielle Krobath, an assistant professor of epidemiology, writes for The Conversation with Tufts University Assistant Professor of Community Health Benjamin Chrisinger about their research into safety net programs, including SNAP benefits.

Prisma Health Research Seed Grants provide pathways to improve health in the state

Five projects supported by Prisma Health Research Seed Grants will be led by Arnold School researchers in 2025. Marta Bornstein (HPEB), Devin Bowes (ENHS)), Brian Chen (HSPM), Melissa Nolan (Epidemiology), and Elizabeth Regan (EXSC) each received up to $20,000.

American Psychological Association welcomes Elizabeth Crouch as new editor for Journal of Rural Mental Health

Elizabeth Crouch, an associate professor in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management and co-director for the Rural and Minority Health Research Center, will serve as editor for the Journal of Rural Mental Health.

Center for Community Health Alignment to lead nationwide public health capacity-building efforts with new cooperative agreement

The CDC has awarded $1 million to the envision program at the Arnold School's Center for Community Health Alignment to strengthen the community health worker (CHW) workforce nationwide and the ability of other entities to partner with CHWs.

Public health alumna awarded National Health Service Corps Scholarship to support career in public health dentistry

Funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration, the program provides tuition and living expenses for students like Merideth Tallon in exchange for their commitment to work in undeserved areas.

Arnold School alum leads policy implementation to grow U.S. bioeconomy

Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences ('06) alumna Sarah Glaven currently serves as the Principal Assistant Director for Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Public health student establishes Latino Caucus for Public Health Student Chapter at USC

A first-generation college student and first-generation Mexican American, Dayana Sandoval says she chose USC because the university believed in her first. She leaned into the support she felt from Arnold School and the TRIO Opportunity Scholars Program.

After Burn

USC features the work of environmental health sciences professor and nanoscience expert Mohammed Baalousha, whose research into the aftermath of fires is timely given the wildfires that plague the U.S.

Assistant professor explores how innovative exercise techniques can enhance healing, performance and health

Sten Stray-Gundersen has joined the Department of Exercise Science with research interests in cardiovascular exercise physiology with special emphasis on hypoxia, blood flow restriction training, and endothelial function.

Staff Spotlight: Libby Furr

Since joining the department in 2015, Furr has supported CPARG as well as the Technology Center to Promote Healthy Lifestyles (TecHealth) and the Prevention Research Center (PRC).

Epidemiology student receives doctoral research award from American Public Health Association

Eric Mishio Bawa recently received the Laurence G Branch Doctoral Student Research Award from the American Public Health Association for his research into the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

I Am Public Health: Scott Anderson

Exercise oncology emerged as a scientific field of study in the past decade or two, and M.S. in Exercise Science student Scott Anderson wields it as a powerful tool for enhancing health and one's overall outlook on life.