VCU Public Health heads to APHA’s Annual Meeting
We’re ready for the APHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 2-5, 2025.
The VCU School of Public Health is proud to send more than 20 representatives to this event to moderate, exhibit and present at the event. They will join thousands of public health professionals, researchers and advocates to learn about the latest public health research, policy and practice.
See the full schedule below and follow along on Instagram for updates and reminders throughout the event.
On top of showcasing and discussing research, we have an award winner among our attendees! Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics, will receive the 2025 APHS Mid-Career Award at the award ceremony on November 3.
Be sure to swing by the exhibitor hall and visit the School of Public Health at Booth 1442. Katherine Peterman, Kellie Carlyle, Muna Ali and Nerice Lochansky Luu will be there to share about our programs and job opportunities.
November 2, 2025
Grant Frazier, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Health Policy
Poster: Effects of Medicaid Expansion and the COVID-19 era Maintenance of Effort on Utilization of Postpartum Care in Virginia: A Controlled Interrupted Time Series Analysis
Board 7, 1:00 p.m.
Sonia Riaz, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Health Policy
Moderator: Health Systems Strengthening and Service Delivery in Global Settings
2083.0, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Samuel Sijuade, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Presenter: Task-Based Analysis of Informal Caregiver Burden in Cancer Care
2098.0, 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
November 3, 2025
Samuel Sijuade, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Moderator: Behavioral Health and Risk Reduction in College Populations
3054.0, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Farnese Motto, M.S.P.H., C.H.E.S., Ph.D. student, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Poster: Relationship between Patient-Provider Communication about Cannabis and Online-Information Seeking and Healthcare Outcomes among Cancer Survivors
Board 2, 12:30 -1:30 p.m.
Aninda Sen, M.P.H., M.B.B.S., Ph.D. student, Epidemiology
Poster: Association between levels of physical activity and adults with dementia: Analysis of the 2022 National Health Interview survey
Board 8, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Maria Thomson, Ph.D., associate professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Moderator: Community Research and Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Research Applications in Public Health Ethics
3135.0, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Kellie Carlyle, Ph.D., professor and interim associate dean of academic affairs, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Presenter: Rigorously evaluating approaches to prevent adult-perpetrated child sexual abuse: Lessons learned from implementing in K-12 schools
3142.0, 10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D., associate professor, Biostatistics
Co-hosting Spiegelman Awardee Invited Session
3248.0, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
November 4, 2025
Sonia Riaz, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Health Policy
Moderator: Global Health Financing and Practice
4035.0, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D., associate professor, Biostatistics
Presenter: Modeling correlated data with time-dependent covariates and feedback: An application to knee osteoarthritis and childhood obesity
4011.0, 8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
Samuel Sijuade, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Moderator: Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions and Mental Health
4143.0, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Deborah Karp-Leiss, M.P.H.’25
Poster: The association of sex of the participant and the comorbidity of ADHD and eating disorder symptoms in children 9-10 years old
Board 10, 10:30 -11:30 a.m.
Oyin Ozobokeme, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Health Policy
Poster: What are the significant county-level characteristics in Virginia associated with increased tobacco retail outlet density, and a higher proportion of schools located within 1,000 feet of tobacco retail outlets?
Board 3, 2:30 -3:30 p.m.
Brianna Marshall, M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Epidemiology
Presenter: Racial Disparities in Cervical Cancer Prevalence in the South Atlantic Region: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
4348.0, 5:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Tolulope Kolawole, M.S.P.H., M.B.A., F.R.S.P.H., Ph.D. student, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Epidemiology Session: Epidemiology of Psychoactive Substance Use Among Adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria: A Global Call for Early Prevention
4312.0, 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
November 5, 2025
Sonia Riaz, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Health Policy
Moderator: Voices of Youth: Navigating Trauma, Stigma, and Strength
5043.0, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Sunny Jung Kim, Ph.D., associate professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Presenter: Testing mhealth messages on pain management and self-efficacy in cancer survivors: A message-testing experiment
5009.0, 8:45 – 8:55 a.m.
Aibike Artykbaeva, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. student, Epidemiology
Epidemiology session: Associations Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Immunoinflammatory Biomarkers in U.S. Adults
5082.0, 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Emily Edwards, M.P.H.’25
Presenter: Differences in cancer mortality and social driving factors by RUCC designation in Virginia
5069.0, 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Contributors to research presented by others:
- Chrisa Arcan, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., R.D., associate professor of epidemiology
- Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., professor of health policy
- Stacie Lefeavers, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., alum
- Juan Lu, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.D., professor of epidemiology
- Emiola Oyefuga, Ph.D., M.A., assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences
- Julie Russo, Ph.D., M.P.H., alum
- Vanessa Sheppard, Ph.D., professor of social and behavioral sciences
- Monica Swahn, Ph.D., M.P.H., dean and professor of epidemiology