Health Undergraduate Students Earn Fellowships to Present at a National Conference - University of Houston
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Health Undergraduate Students Earn Fellowships to Present at a National Conference

Alexis Moisuic and Lorraine ReitzelAlexis Moisiuc and her mentor Lorraine Reitzel at Undergraduate Research Day at the University of Houston.

Alexis Moisiuc and Quentaxia Wrighting have been awarded travel fellowships from the University of Houston (UH) Honor’s College to attend the annual meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB) and present their research in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, February 21-24, 2016. Both students are undergraduates in the BS in Health program at the College of Education (COE) and are mentored by Health Education associate professor, Lorraine Reitzel.

Quentaxia WritingCOE Health undergraduate student Quentaxia Wrighting.

Moisiuc’s paper entitled Association of Homeless Adults' Social Networks/Support and Health Behaviors was peer-reviewed and accepted for a poster presentation.  Her research focuses on health disparities in persons that are homeless, specifically the associations of social networks/support and modifiable health behaviors among persons in this population. Read more. . .

“It is a great honor to receive this fellowship because it gives me the possibility to attend the AAHB conference,” said Moisiuc. “This fellowship will not only allow me to take my research to the next level, but it will enable me to inform others about my research.”

Wrighting’s paper entitled Relationship between Cigarette Purchasing Patterns, Readiness to Quit, and Quit Attempts among Homeless Smokers was also peer-reviewed and accepted for a poster presentation.  Her research looks at the cigarette purchasing patterns of homeless adults and how it relates to their motivation to quit smoking as well as their quit attempts over the past year and throughout their lifetime. Read more . . .

“This Fellowship means so much to me, but it mostly means that I matter as a student at this school,” said Wrighting. “The University of Houston wants me to succeed as a student and has granted me a resource that can propel me forward in my academic and professional career.”

Moisiuc and Wrighting are both mentored by Reitzel who is grateful for her student’s fellowship.  “I am so pleased that this fellowship will support Quen and Alexis’ travel to AAHB to present their work, learn about cutting edge research and practice in health, and network with professionals in the field,” said Reitzel. “This is an amazing opportunity for them to build connections with others across the country that can facilitate their future research and support their eventual transition into graduate-level studies.” Reitzel will also be facilitating a workshop and receiving an AAHB fellowship award at the conference.

Several of Reitzel’s current and former students are planning to attend the conference. The receipt of these travel fellowships will ensure that both Moisiuc and Wrighting will be able to attend this national conference without having to finance travel themselves. “It enables me to offer more financial support to individuals in my lab who are also presenting but who are ineligible for this support mechanism, increasing the possibility of their attendance as well,” said Reitzel.

Sending these students to a national conference highlights COE’s commitment to research and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders in the field. Importantly, it serves an important educational mission of providing diverse learning experiences outside of the classroom that can supplement and enhance the curriculum with real-world experiences.