Zainab Yaseen, a master of public health student at the University of Illinois Springfield, received the national award for best master’s-level abstract at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo 2024.
The conference, held Oct. 27-30 in Minneapolis, brought together more than 13,000 public health professionals from over 40 countries under the theme “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science.”
Yaseen’s abstract, titled “Rebuilding Trust, One County at a Time: Utilizing Spatial Analyses to Identify Critical Intervention Zones for Diabetes,” integrates U.S. Census data with health measures from the county health rankings in Illinois, employing geospatial analyses to address public health issues.
As a practicing medical doctor with extensive experience treating diabetes patients, Yaseen brings a unique perspective to her public health studies at UIS.
“Growing up in a rural community with limited healthcare access, I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of diabetes on underserved populations. This experience inspired me to delve deeper into health disparities and seek innovative solutions,” Yaseen said.
Yaseen credited her achievement to the mentorship of her academic advisor and research mentor, Brian Chen, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the MPH program.
“His unwavering support and mentorship have inspired me to strive for excellence in my work,” she said.
At the 2024 APHA Annual Meeting, other UIS MPH students participated in 11 presentations, including round tables, oral and poster presentations. Contributors to these faculty-led projects, supervised by Chen, included current UIS students Godson Davies, Vaidehi Sawant, Lateefat Mosaku, Kene C. Moneke, Oluwaseun Adeleke and Jackey Tran, as well as alumni Justin Dwyer and Darrah Dunlap, the 2016 winner of the Brian T. Milbrandt Memorial Award.
The APHA Annual Meeting provides students with opportunities for professional development, featuring more than 1,000 scientific sessions, 700 exhibition booths and various networking events. More than 9,000 abstracts are submitted each year.