Research Article Awards

Articles are nominated and selected by the UIC public health community annually. Awards recognize and highlight the excellent research that is being produced in the School of Public Health, including the Institute for Health Research and Policy.

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Call for Nominations

The Committee on Research is now accepting nominations for the AY 2025-2026 Research Article Award Competition. The Call for Nominations is open Monday, March 2, 2026 until Monday, March 30, 2026 at 5 pm. The overarching goal of this competition, now in its sixth year, is to recognize and highlight the excellent research that is being produced in the School of Public Health, inclusive of the Institute for Health Research and Policy (IHRP). To be eligible for this year’s competition, articles must be either published in 2024 or 2025 or fully accepted for publication (i.e., “in press” or “forthcoming”) in a peer-reviewed journal at the time of the nomination. Articles that received recognition in a previous year’s competition (award or honorable mention) are not eligible. However, any previously nominated articles not selected for recognition are eligible to be nominated again this year, assuming they have been published in the time frame noted above. Nominations of articles can be made by anyone inside or outside of the SPH community and self-nominations are welcome. Separate awards will be made in each of the following categories:

  • Student Article: article (empirical or non-empirical) in a peer-reviewed journal with an SPH student first author
  • Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with an SPH or IHRP postdoc (must hold Postdoctoral Fellow or Postdoctoral Research Associate position title) first author
  • Early Career Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with an assistant professor or research staff person affiliated with SPH or IHRP as first author (or as senior author in the case of a student first author)
  • Open Article: any empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with an SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty, student, postdoc, or staff as first or senior author
  • Multidisciplinary Collaboration Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with authors from more than one SPH division, unit, or center (including within IHRP), one of whom is the first or senior author
  • Faculty-Masters/Undergraduate Student Collaboration Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with both SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty and Masters or Undergraduate degree student authors, one of whom is the first or senior author
  • Faculty-Doctoral Student Collaboration Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal with both SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty and Doctoral degree student authors, one of whom is the first or senior author
  • Community Collaboration Article: article (empirical or non-empirical) in a peer reviewed journal with both SPH- or IHRP-affiliated author(s) and author(s) affiliated with a community organization (inclusive of departments of public health and other governmental entities), one of whom (i.e., SPH, IHRP, or community organization author) is the first or senior author
  • Theoretical/Conceptual Article: non-empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal that is focused on theory or conceptual issues, with any SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty, student, postdoc, or staff as first or senior author. Note that systematic reviews of research are not eligible for this category as it is intended for articles that are focused on theoretical or conceptual analysis.
  • Methodological Article: article in a peer-reviewed journal focused on developing or evaluating research methodology, with any SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty, student, postdoc, or staff as first or senior author. Note that systematic literature reviews are not eligible for this category as it is intended for articles that are focused on theoretical or conceptual analysis.
  • Global Health Article: empirical article in a peer-reviewed journal that is focused on global health (inclusive of refugee or migrant populations within in the U.S.), with any SPH- or IHRP-affiliated faculty, student, postdoc, or staff as first or senior author.

Nominated publications must list UIC School of Public Health or one of its divisions, units, or centers (including within IHRP) as the primary affiliation of qualifying author(s) for a given award category to be eligible within that category. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, March 30, 2026 at 5 pm.

The SPH Article Awards Workgroup will review and rate nominated articles using a standardized rubric, with ratings then used to determine both an awardee and honorable mention article within each category. Selections will be announced in May 2026. The lead author of the top selected article in each award category will receive $250 and will be expected to provide a short video summary of their research to be shared on the SPH website.

Additional notes:

  1. Eligible SPH students include both current students as well as those who were SPH students when the research for the article being nominated was conducted. The same is true for postdoctoral fellows/research associates.
  2. Early career status is based on the author’s status at the time the research was conducted.
  3. When authorship is shared equally (e.g., alphabetical based on disciplinary convention or as noted on the article), any of the authors can quality as senior.

Most Recent Awardees: Articles from AY 2024-2025

Student First Author

Winning | Weiss, M. C., Sun, J., Jackson, B. P., Turyk, M. E., Wang, L., Brown, E. L., Aguilar, D., Brown, S. A., Hanis, C. L., Argos, M., & Sargis, R. M. (2024). Accelerated longitudinal glycemic changes in relation to urinary toxic/essential metals and metal mixtures among Mexican Americans living in Starr County, Texas. Diabetes Care, 47(11), 1908–1915. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0646

Honorable Mention | Belcher, K., Fishman, E., Ramirez-Mercado, K., Marshall, B., DiPaolo, M., & Jarpe-Ratner, E. (2024). Facilitators and barriers to implementing a comprehensive sexual health education policy in Chicago Public Schools. The Journal of School Health, 94(9), 838–847. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13489

Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Associate

Winning | Abasilim, C., Persky, V., Sargis, R. M., Day, T., Tsintsifas, K., Daviglus, M., Cai, J., Freels, S., Grieco, A., Peters, B. A., Isasi, C. R., Talavera, G. A., Thyagarajan, B., Davis, M., Jones, R., Sjodin, A., & Turyk, M. E. (2024). Persistent organic pollutants and endogenous sex-related hormones in Hispanic/Latino adults: The Hispanic Community health study/study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). Environmental Research, 267, 120742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120742

Honorable Mention | Marinello, S., & Powell, L. M. (2023). The impact of recreational cannabis markets on motor vehicle accident, suicide, and opioid overdose fatalities. Social Science & Medicine, 320, 115680. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36764087/

Early Career

Winning | Tran N. M., McKay T., Gonzales G., Dusetzina S. B., & Fry C. (2024). Aging in isolation: Sexual orientation differences in navigating cognitive decline. SSM-Population Health, 27, 101699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101699

Honorable Mention | Hill A. V., Balascio, P., Moore, M., Wilson, T, Fields, A., & Miller, E. (2025). How racism and discrimination impacts Black young women’s sexual health: The influence of racial and sexual stereotypes on educational access. Journal of Adolescent Health, 76, 316e322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.10.009

Open

Winning | Markowski J., Wallace J., Schlesinger M., & Ndumele C. D. (2024). Alternative payment models and performance in federally qualified health centers. JAMA Internal Medicine. 184(9),1065–1073. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.2754

Honorable Mention | Lin Z., Wang Y., Gill T.M., & Chen X. (2025). Exposure to school racial segregation and late-life cognitive outcomes. JAMA Network Open, 8(1), e2452713. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.52713

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Winning | Mackesy-Amiti, M. E., Bahromov, M., Levy, J. A., Jonbekov, J., & Luc, C. M. (2024). Changes in risk behaviour following a network peer education intervention for HIV prevention among male Tajik migrants who inject drugs in Moscow: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 27, e26310. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.26310

Honorable Mention | Powell L.M., Leider J., Schermbeck R. M., Vandenbroeck, A., & Harris J. L. (2024). Trends in children’s exposure to food and beverage advertising on television. JAMA Network Open, 7(8), e2429671. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.29671

Faculty-Master / Undergraduate Student Collaboration

Winning | DeVaughn, A., Go, L. H., Cohen, R. A., & Shao, Y. (2025). Investigation of occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) among engineered stone fabricators in Chicago—A pilot study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 25(2), 101-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2024.2421488

Honorable Mention | Suleman, A., Krishna, S., Krishnakumar, D., Nemoto, K., Nguyễn, M. L. T., & Mehta, S. D. (2024). A pilot survey of students’ menstrual attitudes, experiences, and needs on an urban university campus. Women’s Health (London, England), 20, 17455057241254713. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057241254713

Faculty-Doctoral Student Collaboration

Winning | Williams, L. D., van Heerden, A., Friedman, S. R., Chibi, B., Avila Rodriguez, W., & Memela, P. (2024). Changes in stigma and social support among participants in a randomized trial of a novel expanded social network-based HIV testing intervention in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AIDS and Behavior, 28(8), 2619-2629. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04379-y

Honorable Mention | Luc, C. M., Herrera, K., Upton, S., Jones, J., Woody, M., Burns, P., Liu, L., Jimenz, A., & Dworkin, M. S. (2025). Individual and contextual determinants of ART adherence among a sample of young Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV in the United States. AIDS Behavior. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-025-04650-w

Community Collaboration

Winning | Parsa N, Dworkin M, Thompson C, Chandler, C., Lee, S., Kang, A., Ghebenei, D., Martin, M., Peacock, N., Hebert-Beirne, J., & Stiehl, E. (2024). Informing vaccine messaging and community outreach: Experience in Chicago with a community-based participatory approach. American Journal of Health Promotion. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241307435

Honorable Mention | Rothstein, J. D., Klemm, R. D. W., Kang, Y., Niyeha, D., Smith, E., & Nordhagen, S. (2023). Engaging men in maternal, infant and young child nutrition in rural Tanzania: Outcomes from a cluster randomized control trial and qualitative study. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 19, e13460. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13460

Theoretical / Conceptual

Winning | Mackesy-Amiti M. E., Gutfraind A., Tatara E., Collier N. T., Cotler S. J., Page K., Ozik J., Boodram B., Major M., & Dahari H. (2024). Modeling of randomized hepatitis C vaccine trials: Bridging the gap between controlled human infection models and real-word testing. PNAS Nexus, 4(1), pgae564. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae564

Honorable Mention | Kersten, M., Avelar, S., Montgomery, A., Castañeda, D., & Hebert-Beirne, J. (2024). Methodological insights about photovoice as a pedagogical tool from implementation with graduate students as co-researcher-participants. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. Advance publication ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/23733799241287205

Methodological

Winning | Ford, T., Ibe-Lamberts, K., Edmonds, S., Abrams, I. Chaudry, A., Daniels, P., Do., M., Edmiston, B., Fokum, S., Gary, C., Ghebenei, D., Hebert-Beirne, J., Jibrell, H., Jones, J., Kelleher, M., Lynch, J., Mahajan, A., Marcus, N., Pinsker, E., Salgado, S., Taylor, S., Turner, G., Valentin, N., Velonis, A., & Shaw, B. (2024). Challenges and opportunities for participatory evaluation of local public health efforts to address structural racism and advance health equity. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.35844/001c.118717

Honorable Mention | Tu, J., & Chen, Z. (2024). Bayesian dose escalation with overdose and underdose control utilizing all toxicities in Phase I/II clinical trials. Biometrical Journal, 66(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/bimj.202200189

Global Health

Winning | Williams, L.D., van Heerden, A., Friedman, S.R., Chibi, B., Memela, P., Avila Rodriguez, W., & Joseph, P. (2024). Comparison of a novel expanded social network recruitment intervention with risk network recruitment to HIV testing: Locating undiagnosed cases in South Africa. AIDS, 38(13), 1861-1865. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000003976

Honorable Mention | Olshansky, S, J., Willcox. B. J., Demetrius L., & Beltrán-Sánchez, H. (2024). Implausibility of radical life extension in humans in the twenty-first century. Nature Aging, 4(11), 1635-1642. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00702-3

Previous Awardees