STUDENT POSTER SESSIONS

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At the Membership Annual Meeting, NHPHA hosts a Student Poster Session. This is an opportunity for students conducting health research and community-based work to present their research work and network with public health professionals. The event aims to empower students and facilitate employment and research partnerships while offering students professional development opportunities. Posters are judged, and prizes are awarded to the best student posters.

Upcoming Student Sessions Abstracts

Undergraduate - Colby Sawyer College

Ameesah Cotten

Men’s Prisons: A Vehicle for Hepatitis C Transmission

​Sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne pathogen infections are prevalent within correctional facilities because of a multitude of factors. Factors like overcrowding, illegal drug use, and violence contribute to the incidence, transmission, and miseducation of illnesses and diseases. Providing healthcare tools like condoms in prisons should be prioritized because they are a vulnerable group and harm reduction has the potential to reduce the burden of disease within the communities formerly incarcerated individuals return to. While harm reduction strategies should be aimed towards vulnerable groups, it is challenging because national health surveys generally exclude incarcerated populations. The lack of representativeness makes it difficult to account for health patterns and trends among high-risk communities. As a part of this project, students studied evidence-based interventions. An effective evidence-based intervention found to mitigate HCV incidence are needle and syringe programs (NSPs) and syringe service programs (SSPs). NSPs have become more available as drug use and blood borne infections become more prevalent. NSPs and SSPs are community-based programs that increase access to and disposal of used syringes and other injection equipment.
 
This project aims to describe the determinants that facilitate hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission within United States men’s prisons. Providing individuals, communities, and organizations with information about HCV in men’s prisons has the potential to promote prison health, address stigma(s), and influence general attitudes towards men who have sex with men.

Undergraduate - Colby Sawyer College

Monika Adhikari

HIV Infection and AIDS Among Women of South Africa

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the most extensively studied viruses, which has led to numerous scientific advances in battling the virus. HIV/AIDS was declared a global public health crisis in 2001 but the prevalence of the disease differs greatly among different parts of the world. Globally, South Africa has one of the highest numbers of HIV/AIDS infections among men, women, and children. Women, specifically, have the highest rate of prevalence in the country. The purpose of the project is to reduce the rate of HIV infection in South Africa. To reduce HIV incidence among women, the project, specifically, focuses on issues like domestic violence, women’s unemployment, sex literacy, and more.

Undergraduate - Colby Sawyer College

Meghan Wilson

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Firefighters

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health disorder that effects firefighters due to the variety of emergencies they respond to each shift. The purpose of this project is to decrease the severity and reoccurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. There are three interventions discussed throughout the project which all assist firefighters with managing symptoms of PTSD.

Undergraduate - Keene State College

Katherine Benjamin

An Analysis of the Mycobiome in Children with FPIES

Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is a poorly understood non-IgE mediated food allergy primarily affecting young children and infants that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. In certain cases, this rare disease causes severe dehydration and death. As a gastrointestinal condition, the bacteria and fungi present in the gut play an important role in the reactions a child with FPIES has to food. The human bacterial microbiome has been strongly associated with other types of allergies, and our group of researchers has previously demonstrated its associations with FPIES, where less bacterial diversity was associated with FPIES when compared to a more diverse, healthy microbiome. Very little is known about the associations between allergies and the mycobiome, which includes the fungi living in or on a human. We hypothesize that the mycobiome will be significantly different in children who have FPIES compared to children who have outgrown it. DNA from children who have outgrown and currently have FPIES was extracted from stool samples and the bacterial and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were amplified and sequenced. Using QIIME2, Songbird, and QURRO, we analyzed the relative frequency of species present and performed evenness and diversity metrics. If a difference in the mycobiome between the two groups is found, it could give a better understanding of what causes this rare disease and how to better diagnose and treat it. These associations can also be compared to the previous conclusions drawn from the microbiome to better understand both fungal and bacterial influences on the gastrointestinal tract.

Graduate - The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice

Josie Pinto

Bridging the Gap: Improving Reproductive Health Access for Marginalized Communities

Despite having legal access to abortion in New Hampshire, many patients still struggle to access abortion care due to facing financial and logistical barriers. This project primarily focused on building a relationship between the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire, a non-profit that pays for abortion care and helps break down other barriers to access, and Dartmouth Health in order to help meet the needs of abortion seekers getting care at Dartmouth, despite patients ability to pay for those services. This partnership has resulted in over $60,000 in total funding for patients to date. The project aim was to not only expand funding to cover those patients in need, but also to identify other access barriers for vulnerable populations when it came to seeking reproductive healthcare. In addition to needing financial support, patients also struggled with transportation and a lack of information. Several educational brochures targeted at low-income populations, people who use drugs, and teens, were created to inform them of their options and where they could go for care and other resources. Lastly, Plan B, or emergency contraception, was provided in over 20 locations around the state as a preventative effort in order to help break down barriers to medication access and reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancies. To date, thousands have been given out for free of charge. This project shows the power that targeted interventions can have in improving health equity and making a difference in the lives of people with marginalized identities.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Joseph Romanow

Evaluation of the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratory Occupational Health Program and Analysis of Lab Acquired Infections

Purpose: The New Hampshire Public Health Laboratory (NH PHL) has engaged in a pilot of ISO 35001 for all PHL, pursuing all requirements and obligations by instituting best practices; including that of evaluating their occupational health plans (OHP) and standards. The NH PHL provides services to the preservation of public health in the state, and its workers are exposed to  risks, and the OHP must reflect this. An evaluation of the occupational health plan includes research on the preparedness of laboratory acquired infections (LAI) and compiling risk assessments to compare against standards in the mission of protecting employees and the public.
 
Partners: New Hampshire Public Health Labs and affiliates.
 
Project Description: A background of research was acquired to appreciate the breadth of standards of OHP and synthesized into a survey that was distributed to employees to gauge opinions and perceptions of workers. These results are collated and examined for trends, which are compared to the practices followed in NH PHL. These practices are compared at the same time to the gold standard of OHP, the one distributed by the OSHA. Research about LAI and the various prevention methods and responses are compiled to add description on the NH PHL OHP. All results are distributed back to the NH PHL with reviews, recommendations, and evaluation metrics.
 
Impacts: Ensuring the safety and health of the employees at the NH PHL will promote the continued health of NH residents. The NH PHL can implement the research into the plan of response if an LAI should occur. With the ISO 35001 calling for continual review of the OHP, the evaluation will provide working metrics for the NH PHL to help with the continual improvement of the OHP.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Julia Mulhall

BEAS Social Isolation Project - Social Isolation in Older Adults

Purpose: Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older Adults. Using data to inform the state on how social isolation has impacted seniors, and ways there could be improvements. The Partnership for Public Health aims to decrease the number of individuals struggling with loneliness and social isolation. The goal of this project is to assess the current programs and services offered for people 60 years and older, to see where there may be areas that need improvement. We will focus on populations that were most affected by COVID-19, the elderly, and find ways to improve the access and availability of senior programs and services.
 
Partners: The study is a collaboration between the Partnership for Public Health, JSI (John Snow Incorporation), and BEAS (Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services).
 
Description: The study population is adults who are 60 years and older (and/or their caregivers). To decrease the number of individuals struggling with loneliness and social isolation, we are conducting a survey via Qualtrics to understand what areas people are struggling in most, and receive feedback on the current services that are in place. We are focusing on the mental health aspect of social isolation, and how loneliness seriously impacts one health physically, emotionally and mentally. Those who are 60 years and older and those who are caregivers to the elderly are invited to participate in our Qualtrics survey. For an incentive, we offer individuals the chance to be included in a raffle upon completion of the survey. Results will be analyzed daily by the intern, and will allow us to start filling these gaps. I also have created a resource library that will be implemented into a website that can be accessed by the public. This resource library includes senior centers and programs across the state with locations and times, organized by service type.
 
Results: The results hope to show that respondents share their honest opinions on the current programs in the state, and tell us what is missing in these programs. As of right now, I am waiting on JSI’s approval of my Qualtrics survey, so unfortunately I do not have any data to analyze and will not have any results until we publish.
 
Conclusions: Social isolation and loneliness among seniors can seriously affect physical, mental and psychological health. I aim to spread awareness on how serious social isolation is, and find ways to improve the current programs that are available to seniors across the state.
 
Lessons Learned: There were many lessons learned throughout the study including: the value of social connection and activities, the effects loneliness has on the brain and overall health of individuals.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Abigail Dulin

Infection Prevention Education in New Hampshire Correctional Facilities

Purpose: The Purpose of this work is to identify infection prevention gaps that are present among the general population in Correctional facilities in New Hampshire. Correctional Officers are the staff members that are with the residents of the Correctional facility most frequently. Infection prevention practices are vital to decrease the spread of  COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
 
Partners: The key stakeholders are New Hampshire Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner, each New Hampshire County’s DOC Superintendent, Correctional Officers, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 
Description: A Technology and Knowledge Needs Assessment was created to be able to assess the baseline knowledge that Correctional Officers have of infection prevention as well as to gauge the Correctional Officer’s confidence in certain reputable sources, such as the CDC and OSHA. The survey also was used to gather information pertaining to the types of technology that are accessible to Correctional Officers for training purposes as well as their preferred technology types for training and education.
 
Impact: The intended results from this survey will inform gaps pertaining to infection prevention in the New Hampshire Correctional facilities. These results will allow for infection prevention education and training that is specific to Correctional Officers. This education and training will help protect Correctional Officers from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in Correctional facilities.
 
Lessons Learned: One of the largest lessons learned throughout this project is that stakeholder buy in is not as simple as it may seem. Another lesson learned was that not all Correctional facilities are the same especially in regards to County jails in New Hampshire. They all are their own entities with their own policies and procedures. These differences create barriers for implementation of generalized public health measures.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Madyn Kenney

Occupational Health and Safety and Communicable Disease

Purpose: Infection prevention data analysis and Quality Assurance (QA) targeted for Correctional Officers.
 
Partners: This intervention is a collaborative effort funded by the Disparities grant from the CDC and the NH HAI team with the buy in from State and County Corrections in New Hampshire.
 
Description: Correctional Officers and residents of corrections facilities were identified as being disproportionately affected by Covid-19 and other infectious disease. As a result the Disparities Grant presented by the CDC gave grant dollars to be able to create sustainable infection prevention training and provide sanitizing materials. In order to keep up with infection prevention training and provide sustainable change in facilities, HAI will be providing a QA tool. This QA tool will be made using data analysis from the technology and knowledge needs assessment. This tool will ensure that all Correctional Officers are up to date with infection prevention training.
 
Impact: The impact from this project can be measured in mitigation of outbreaks, the health of Correctional Officers and the health of residents within facilities. When infection prevention is practiced regularly and access to sanitation materials is available this promotes a healthier environment for the Correctional Officers and their residents.
 
Lessons Learned: While the project is ongoing, there have been many lessons learned to date, including: the structure of corrections, difficulties gathering data, the lack of infection prevention related materials available specifically for Correctional Officers, and communication strategies with an already stressed population.
Schedule
Registration
Past Awardees
Annual Report - Coming Soon

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Corina Chao

New Hampshire Death and Occupation Data Analysis 2000-2022

Purpose: This project focuses on the proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) and risk ratios (RRs) of different occupations in New Hampshire from January 1, 2000 to November 8, 2022. The goal of this data analysis is to discover which occupations and industries are statistically correlated with certain causes of death. The culmination of the data analysis will be proposed health promotion activities informed by the data to better protect New Hampshire workers.
 
Partners: The partners in this project are the NH Occupational Health Surveillance Program that is housed in the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire and the NH Division of Vial Records Administration.
 
Description: This project was completed using death data from the NH Division of Vital Records Administration that spanned from January 1, 2000 to November 8, 2022. Analysis was completed by comparing occupation, industry, age, and gender to the cause of death in individuals. Risk ratios and PMRs were used to determine correlations that were statistically significant which guided the health promotion suggestions.
 
Impact: The results of this data analysis will impact future health promotion efforts for certain industries and occupations. This could involve organization/company wide policies as well as local and state laws.
 
Lessons Learned: The lessons learned from this project are:
  • Analysis of death and occupation data is necessary, but not done enough. There is more the data can inform us of than what was uncovered in this project, and it could lead to improvements in the health of New Hampshire workers.
  • A person’s occupation and industry can have significant impacts on health and cause of death even when death did not occur as a direct result of their work.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Kelly Dixon

Prevalence of Suicidality Among New Hampshire Youth: An Analysis of the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Purpose: Symptoms of depression, suicidality, and death by suicide have become more prevalent in recent years among youth nationwide, especially high school students. The Healthy People 2020 goal was to reduce suicide attempts by adolescents from 1.9 per 100 population to 1.7 per 100 population by 2020. However, in 2019, there were 8.9 suicide attempts by adolescents per 100 population in the United States. According to the CDC, in 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause in New Hampshire among 14- to 18-year-olds. Additionally, the CDC reported more high school students in New Hampshire felt sad or hopeless for at least two consistent weeks, considered suicide, and attempted suicide in 2019 than in 2017.
 
Description: Data was obtained from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for each public health network (PHN) in New Hampshire, specifically, questions 25 through 29. These questions ask about feelings of sadness or hopeless for two or more consecutive weeks, considering suicide, creating a suicide plan, attempting suicide, and attempting suicide that results in an injury, poisoning, or overdose. Analysis was completed using a frequency distribution by gender and race, where appropriate, for each PHN. 
 
Partners:
  • Public, private, and charter schools in New Hampshire
  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, New Hampshire chapter
  • New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
 
Impact:
Results of data analysis are presented. Knowledge gained from the analyses will be utilized to forge partnerships among the New Hampshire chapter of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and the PHNs in an effort to create a collaborative strategic plan to reduce the risk of suicide by increasing mental health support services; implementing applicable education programing; disseminating a variety of virtual and tangible support resources; and advocating for effective public policy issues.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Haley Dixon

Legislative Environment and its Impact on Suicide Prevention

Purpose: Approximately 2.8 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, or a brain injury caused by an external force (New Hampshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention, 2022). There are many potential long-term consequences from TBIs, including memory loss, fatigue, problems with attention and concentration, difficulty with speech, decreased motor abilities, visual impairments and sexual dysfunction. These effects can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, increasing the chance of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and suicide.  
 
Partners: The Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire is a grassroots organization founded in 1983 that aims to create a better future through brain injury prevention, education, advocacy, and support. They help people with acquired brain injuries such as TBI, stroke, brain tumors, concussions and more. BIANH provides supports including but not limited to: long-term care, family support, clinical services, employment support, respite, emergency response, housing assistance, legal services, education and outreach.
 
The NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention began in 2021 and now has a variety of members, ranging from disability organizations to individuals who are interested in prevention of all suicides. There are no employees working for the coalition, but there are a core group of professionals, including consultants who write blogs, a website manager and a lobbyist, meet every 2 weeks to plan educational outreach efforts and share information related to suicide prevention.
 
Description: This project focuses on the prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related suicides in the state of New Hampshire. The objective of this project is to research and monitor legislation related to suicide and TBI so that a new policy proposal may be drafted and proposed to New Hampshire state legislators.   
 
Impact: Policy is required to assure programs and supports are in place for those with TBI. Legislation is one of the most impactful ways to ensure quality of life. Researching what legislation is currently in place in other states, and the language used, provides groundwork for a potential policy proposal to New Hampshire legislators. 
 
Lessons Learned: There is loads of legislative information that is publicly available. Having a good way of organizing all the research is crucial and makes for a smoother reporting of findings. Utilizing professional connections to collaborate on research findings is invaluable.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Ashley Burns

Informational Campaign to Raise Awareness and Address Knowledge Gaps in Preventing the Spread of Avian Influenza Amongst Backyard Poultry Owners

The purpose of this project is to address potential knowledge gaps regarding the spread of infectious diseases, particularly Avian Influenza, amongst backyard poultry owners. Without a registry for backyard poultry owners, the state faces challenges in identifying and communicating with this population using engaging and understandable health communications regarding the spread of avian influenza.
 
This project is a collaboration with the New Hampshire state veterinarian’s office, which is part of the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. Creating educational materials more appropriate for the average population will increase engagement and in turn knowledge and the adoption of good biosecurity practices to prevent not only avian influenza but other infectious diseases, such as Salmonella, as well. Reducing the spread of avian influenza from backyard farms in New Hampshire may also have far-reaching effects in other states, as residents may be more confident in adopting better husbandry practices to keep their small flock of birds—and in turn large scale national poultry operations—healthy and happy.

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Yosita Thanjai

Bridging the Gaps of the Invisible Endemic: Food Insecurity in the Seacoast

Purpose: Every three years, all Regional Public Health Networks (RPHNs) in New Hampshire develop a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) in response to the top five health priority areas in the region. Seacoast PHN identified the need to address food insecurity within the communities as it has been a rising concern since the pandemic. Gather, a food pantry in Portsmouth, reported a 60 percent increase of food distribution from 2019 to 2020. Although the nation is currently transitioning into a post-pandemic period, this surge of need may not stop due to the inflation of food prices. This project intends to dedicate food insecurity as a priority in the upcoming CHIP.
 
Partners: Seacoast Public Health Network (SPHN), Seacoast Food Providers Network (SFPN), local food pantries and libraries in the Seacoast region.
 
Description: To gain a better understanding of people’s food insecurity level, a data collection method was needed. A survey was developed using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a guideline. The module utilizes codes for the affirmative responses and sum the total score to determine food security status of the household. To make the survey Seacoast region specific, a questionnaire of Demographics was added as well as questions on Accessibility. Due to much of the targeting population not having access to computers, the survey was printed, distributed to local food pantries and libraries in the Seacoast region. An electronic version was created as well for folks that may have access to computers.
 
Impact: Regional PHNs in NH, specifically Seacoast PHN could use the retrieved data to develop a timeline for educational outreach on available food assistance programs and future work plan for activities to reduce food insecurity in the Seacoast area. 

Graduate - University of New Hampshire

Max Dodge

Evaluation of the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratory Occupational Health Program and Analysis of Lab Acquired Infections

Background
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a component of the Public Health system in New Hampshire. EMS personnel perform public health surveillance in the form of the collection and submission of data from patient encounters. The federal government recently updated the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) data dictionary. The New Hampshire Bureau of EMS is preparing to roll out an updated data collection system to comply with NEMSIS. Training is required for EMS personnel to maintain the validity and reliability of EMS data in New Hampshire.
 
Methods
A series of just-in-time educational materials were created using the ADDIE model of curriculum development. Materials focused on basic data collection knowledge and skills, peculiarities of the NH TEMSIS data collection system, and job aids for common sources of error in data collection.
 
Impact
The just-in-time training described in this poster will improve the ability of EMS providers to better report data associated with patient care, diagnostic tests, and observations of health behaviors within the public calling for emergency medical services. By improving the validity and reliability of EMS data quality, the described intervention will enable better analysis of data in support of public health decision-making.
 
Conclusions
This project will support the rollout of an improved data standard and enhance the current levels of validity and reliability of data collected from patients requesting emergency services.