UNC Charlotte Health Academy Recognizes Collaboration, Communications

In recognition of their focus on collaboration and communications, two students and a faculty member from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have won recognition from the UNC Charlotte Health Academy this year.

The honorees are Brisa Urquieta de Hernandez, Community Service Award recipient; Jeanette Bennett, Junior Investigator Award recipient; and Hannah Peach, Doctoral Student Paper Award recipient. The Office of the Provost is providing support for the awardees.

They will receive their awards on Wednesday, April 30 at 12:30 PM in the Center for Graduate Life in the Cone University Center, at the academy’s annual awards ceremony. The event is open to the public and will include light refreshments, dessert and coffee.

Hernandez is a doctoral student in geography. Her main research interests include use of community participatory research to decrease health disparities, development of disease interventions and increase primary care utilization in working with underserved populations in Charlotte. She also works as a research coordinator at The Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research.

Jeanette Bennett is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Bennette studies the effects of stress on neuroendocrine and immune systems across a healthy population, considering how the body’s systems communicate to increase survival and maintain balance.

Peach is a doctoral student in health psychology, researching adolescent sleeping and risk behavior and how sleep potentially relates to blood pressure.

The UNC Charlotte Health Academy coordinators indicate it is the oldest academy on campus, with a focus on encouraging collaboration and communication across disciplines with the Charlotte health community.

Academy membership is open to all members of the UNC Charlotte community, including students, staff and faculty. Membership also is open to anyone outside the university who is engaged in health related activities and research. Teresa Scheid, professor of sociology, is the current director.  The academy’s executive board reviews applications for the awards and selects the honorees.

Pictured: Bennett