Latest Highlights

The third annual Health Sciences Research Night was a resounding success, thanks to the coordination of Dr. Christie Ward-Ritacco and her team. From over 80 poster presentations, attending faculty judges selected the best presentations within each student category.

Winners for Best Poster Presentation were:

Doctoral Category: Maruth Emilcar (Health Sciences; Nutrition concentration) Link to Presentation
Master’s Category: Hadley St. Cyr (Kinesiology) Link to Presentation
Undergraduate Category: Zoe Catrambone (Kinesiology) Link to Presentation

Learn More about this year’s research night.

Student Publications

Pavlidis T., Mortreux M., Charidemou E. (2026). Nutrition-based-interventions for mitigating space radiation-induced DNA damage: A systematic review and meta-analysis” Life Sciences in Space Research, https://doi.org/10/1016/j.lssr.2026.04.002

Santilli, J., Leedahl, S., Juris, J., Liebermann, E., & McGregor, C. (2026). Advancing digital equity: A qualitative case study using the Implementation Research Logic Model.Implementation Science Communications.

Scrivano, R.M., Juris, J., Colvin, M., Santilli, J. Jarrott, S.E., & Leedahl, S.N. (2025). Applying the Dynamic Sustainability Framework to evaluate the implementation of an intergenerational technology program in higher education. Innovation in Aging. 

Tavares, K. L. & Tsotsoros, C. E. (2024). The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and health behaviors in adult women. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241229829

Tsotsoros, C. E., Pascuzzi, E., Brasher, M., Capolino, A., Souza, K., Leedahl, S. N. (2024). Pilot testing the engaging generations (eGen) programs to address social well-being among lower-income older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1341713   

Tsotsoros, C., Pascuzzi, E., Brasher, M., Souza, K., & Leedahl, S.N.(2024).Pilot testing the Engaging Generations (eGen) Program to address social well-being among lower income older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1341713 

Leedahl, S.N., Pascuzzi, E., McCurdy, K, & Porto, N. (2023). Beyond employment: Lower-income participants’ experiences in a healthcare training program for medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, and certified nursing assistants. Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Practice, 21(3), Article 24, 1-13. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ijahsp/vol21/iss3/24/

Leedahl, S.N., Souza, K., Capolino, A., Brasher M., Pascuzzi, E., Azzinaro, C., Ellison, T.A., Estus, E., & Maigret, M. (2023). Improving technology use, digital competence, and access to community resources among older adult participants in the University of Rhode Island Cyber-Seniors digiAGE Pilot Study. Journal of Elder Policy, 2(3), 55-92. doi: 10.18278/jep.2.3.3

News and Events

Adeleke Justin Akinkurolere (NUT, 2029, mentor: Kathleen Melanson) was selected as a finalist to participate in the American Society for Nutrition’s Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition. The top 10% of ~750 abstract submissions were chosen for this. He will present his research to judges at NUTRITION 2026, an international gathering of nutrition professionals on July 25-28 in National Harbor, Maryland.

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Alexandra Larcom (NUT, 2025, mentor: Kathleen Melanson) presented her dissertation work at several conferences in 2025:

• the Institution for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) Food Classification Research Roundtable on Processing, Formulation and Nutrition in Washington, DC; 
• the American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL;
• the American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

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Qisi Yao (NUT, December 2025, mentor: Maya Vadiveloo) presented her research at the American Heart Association Lifestyle Meeting in March 2026 in Boston, MA.

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Theo Pavlidis, a first-year doctoral student (NUT; mentor: Marie Mortreux) presented his work on nutrition to mitigate space radiation damage (see Publications) in the 2026 3-Minute Thesis competition.

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Josie Santilli (mentor: Skye Leedahl) presented a poster entitled Progressing from intervention efficacy to practice: How implementation science advances digital literacy success at the 2025 Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, MA.

Karina Tavares (mentor: Cindy Tsotsoros) presented a poster entitled A Double-Blind Trial to Test if NAD+ Improves Cognition at the 2025 Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, MA.

At the 2024 Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting held in Seattle, WA, Karina Tavares (mentor: Cindy Tsotsoros) presented a poster entitled How Childhood Neglect Affects Later Life Loneliness. 

At the 2023 Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, FL, Karina Tavares (mentor: Cindy Tsotsoros) presented a paper titled Adverse Childhood Experiences as a Predictor of Health Behaviors in Women.