In the header (from left to right): Dr. Damian Francis, Justine Savizon, Brittany Jones, Jasmine Harrison, Christine Hughes and Dr. Ernie Kaninjing. At Georgia College & State University, a three-year program is in motion to provide underrepresented minority students access to research and mentorship in the biomedical field. The Diversity in Cancer Research Institutional Development Grant, funded by the American Cancer Society, encourages students to join research activities, attend...
Recent research by two students will help address inequalities in treatment and survivorship for cancer patients. Graduate student, Kaitlin Van Voorhis, ’23, and senior public health major, Walker Brennan Rae, presented their abstract at the 16th annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting in October. They were the only non-doctoral presenters. This conference is a flagship of the cancer research community where scientists, professionals, patients and advocates share...
A native French speaker from Quebec wasn’t responding well to care at a medical center in Madison, Georgia this fall. She was confused, unreceptive to treatment and not receiving the best care she could. But when graduating nursing senior, Claire Halloran, entered the room with a cheerful, “bonjour madame,” everything changed. “She just lit up,” Halloran said, “it was like night and day. I figured it would help, but I just had no idea how big of an impact it would make.” Immediately...
About one out of every eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. In 2020, about 18.8 per 100,000 men in the U.S. died of prostate cancer (American Cancer Society). But this rate is doubled for non-Hispanic Black men, who die from the same disease at a rate of 37.5 per 100,000 men. Why? That’s what Dr. Ernest Kaninjing is working to find out. An associate professor of public health at Georgia College & State University, Kaninjing is part of a...
Between meetings at her internship this summer, Elizabeth Czarick, ’23, talked about missing persons, radiation attacks and disaster prep. She has just finished an internship with the Gwinnett County Office of Emergency Management. She can now graduate with a public health degree from Georgia College & State University and move on to her master’s in Health and Human Performance. As a unit of the Gwinnett County Police Department, the agency plans for emergencies, coordinates response...
Maybe you’ve seen Daniel Abi-Sarkis on Netflix’s season four karate series, “Cobra Kai.” He played Max. Or on season two of "DC’s Stargirl" as Devin Dupree. Or in various other independent films and an anti-bully commercial. Soon, you’ll see him around campus too. He looks forward to majoring in exercise science, having a good time, playing on the soccer team or in intramural sports with his friends and—oh yeah—keeping up his grades. He likes pickleball too. “I love the campus, and...
Priscilla Sepulveda is entering Georgia College & State University in the fall. But she wasn’t just selected as a nursing student. She’s was admitted as a Lettie Pate Whitehead Nursing Scholar. She’ll be a part of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Nursing Scholarship program, which provides a full scholarship including tuition, housing, meals and one study abroad program. The program targets students from Central Georgia with financial need, so Georgia College can help close the gap of healthcare...
Millions of people use coffee every day to jump start their morning. Adults with disabilities at the Life Enrichment Center (LEC) in Milledgeville are using it to jump start their careers and futures. “It’s given our individuals a renewed purpose and sense of pride and acknowledgement. It’s something that they’ve accomplished, and so the world sees them in a different role,” said LEC Executive Director Barbara Coleman. “To be able to go to college and say I am a barista, I am a coffee...
Izabella Niedzialek of Cumming, Georgia, chose Georgia College & State University because she heard it had the best nursing program in the state. She heard it from a reliable source too—her sister, who recently graduated from Georgia College and will be working at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Like her sister, Niedzialek is good at science and math. But the nursing field was also attractive because she likes helping people and working with children. She thinks she’ll work in pediatrics...
Come fall semester, Paige Coleman of Mansfield will be a first-generation college student. Her background as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) fueled her passion for helping people. Ultimately, she wants to become a registered nurse. She’ll begin her journey in Georgia College & State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Coleman will do so as a Lettie Pate Whitehead Nursing Scholar, which provides her with a full, four-year nursing scholarship. The scholarship is...
