Population health, dentistry students; air ambulance service garner professional props

Population health student’s poster garners MPHA award

Dawn McLendon, an M.S. student in the John D. Bower School of Population Health, received a student poster award at the Mississippi Public Health Association’s 2019 conference Oct. 17-18 in Jackson.

McLendon’s project, “Employing Routine Eye Exams to Promote Better Public Health Surveillance for Mississippians,” was judged to be the overall best applied research poster on public health initiatives by a student at the conference.

Her research mentor is Dr. Michael Welsch, professor of population health science.

Air transport team earns state brain injury association honor

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s AirCare, the state’s most advanced medical air transport, is the recipient of a 2019 Eternity Award bestowed by the Brain Injury Association of Mississippi.

The honor will be presented Nov. 19 during the association’s Salute to Our Heroes Boots and Suits Gala and Fundraiser at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center on the Mississippi Fairgrounds in Jackson.

The association presents the award to “an individual or organization that has been a champion for the people of Mississippi, and who has, by word and deed, significantly changed and improved the lives of our citizens.”

The Brain Injury Association of Mississippi is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 by a group of concerned families living with brain injuries. Its goal is to ensure services and support for Mississippians with brain injuries and their families; to develop support groups throughout the state; to design and publish educational materials; and to perform other outreach.

Dentistry student’s presentation wins research accolade

Quynh “Jolie” Nguyen, a fourth-year student in the School of Dentistry, received the Basic Science Research Award at the 25th annual Hinman Student Research Symposium Nov. 1-3 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

Nguyen’s presentation, “Collagen and Elastin-Like Polypeptide Composite Scaffold for Controlled Drug and Protein Delivery,” won one of five basic science awards presented at the meeting.

Sponsored this year by the Hinman Dental Society and the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, the symposium rewards and encourages student efforts in research by inviting the top student and graduate trainee researchers from dental schools in the United States and Canada to present their work on basic and clinical science topics.

Nguyen’s research mentor is Dr. Amol Janorkar, professor of biomedical materials science in the SOD.