Posted 01/31/2007

Two Arnold School students  awarded Graduate School Centennial Fellowships

Two doctoral candidates from the Arnold School of Public Health were awarded Graduate School Centennial Fellowships in ceremonies at the Russell House this week.

Dana Moser of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Marcie Wright of the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior were among 22 centennial scholars honored at a black-tie dinner on Monday.

The fellowships, which include a $1,000 monetary award, were commissioned to recognize the 100^th anniversary of the USC Graduate School. 

Lauren Vincent, a masters degree candidate from HPEB, also received a $1,000 award as a grand prize winner in the Centennial Poster and Display Competition.

USC President Andrew Sorensen was among the speakers at the awards ceremony. He encouraged the students to consider academic careers.

That remark resonated with Moser, who wants to pursue a university teaching and research position after she finishes her studies in August.

A Texas native, Moser has been a student at USC for seven years. In addition to teaching and counseling , she has focused on the speech and language problems of stroke victims

Another area of study has been functional magnetic resonance imaging, a way of producing images that show changes in blood flow to particular areas of the brain.

In nominating Moser for the fellowship, Dr. Julius Fridriksson noted he had been her academic advisor for the past three years during which time she had been … “an outstanding doctoral student in my lab. Along with being highly motivated, Ms. Moser is very responsible and always tackles problems ‘head on.’ Already, she has several publications to her name.”

“Ms. Moser has taught several classes in our undergraduate minor program. Her teaching evaluations – both peer and student reviews – have always been outstanding. She has a knack for making difficult material accessible to her students,” Fridriksson said in a letter to the Graduate School.

Wright, a Columbia native, is on maternity leave from her studies. She was nominated by Dr. Sara Corwin, a friend, colleague, teacher and chair of her dissertation committee.

“She . . . epitomizes what our program is designed to do: cultivate highly competent, well-trained and critical thinking researchers, educators and practitioners who strive to make a difference in the health and lives of people,” Corwin said in a letter to the Graduate School.

Corwin noted that a paper Wright prepared in late 2005 is a valuable contribution to the understanding of qualitative research for health promotion practitioners. It is being revised for submission to a professional journal.

Last summer, Wright secured a National Institutes of Health grant to study the role of parents in motivating youth to become physically active.  Corwin noted that this kind of research is unusual at the master’s level, but that Wright not only managed the project but, at the same time, carried an academic load of 9-12 hours per semester, earning straight A’s.

Wright has for some time been interested in the issue of cancer disparities among minorities. With a grant from the National Institutes of Health, she currently is researching the issues and barriers to colonoscopy screening among African Americans.

Vincent's poster was headlined "Community Activism," with photos and text describing her work as  coordinator for the Smoke Free Columbia campaign.

"The Arnold School has been incredibly supportive of my work in advocating for policies that promote healthier, smoke-free environments. I was glad to have the opportunity to express my appreciation through the Centennial Poster Contest.," Vincent said.