OU Public Health | Fall 2018 19 master’s degree in statistics at St. Cloud State University. Duong’s dissertation focuses on deriving analytical solutions to the adjusted kernel density estimate using the gamma distribution for the conjugate prior. In sim- pler terms, she is evaluating biostatistical data in hopes of improving the screening of infants to determine those at greatest risk for severe bleeding in the brain. “I want to thank all of the scholarship donors for their generous support of us and of the College,” Duong said. David J. Falcone Memorial Scholarship Anja DuToit Anja DuToit is a Juris Doctor and Master of Public Health student in the Department of Health Administration and Pol- icy. She has worked for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and for the United Nations’ Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. For her practicum, DuToit spent the summer working with the Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program in New York City. There, she advised low-income and disabled New Yorkers in areas such as managed long-term care, administrative appeals, Medicaid and Medicare program eligibility, and estate planning. She plans to graduate in December 2018 and looks for- ward to beginning her career. “I look forward to the challenges ahead of me upon graduation and to the opportunity to push policy forward aimed at improving health,” DuToit said. Rosetta Fisher Student Scholarships (COPH Alumni Association) Lindsay Denson Lindsay Denson, a doc- toral student, first ob- tained her bachelor’s de- gree in diagnostic medical sonography followed by a master’s degree in epide- miology. She currently works as an epidemiologist for the Oklaho- ma Birth Defects Registry at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, where she en- joys the opportunity to combine her skills in both epidemiology and obstetrical sonogra- phy. Her role with the Registry has provided tremendous opportunity for personal and professional growth. Denson represented Oklahoma at the CDC’s Zika Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force meeting in 2017, and presented a poster at the 2018 National Birth Defect Prevention Network confer- ence. Her goal is to continue to focus on im- proving the lives of women and children in Oklahoma through education and research. “I am grateful for the scholarship and for the support of the College, its faculty and my mentor Dr. Dee Terrell. I look forward to the day when I will be one of the alumni sup- porting scholarships at the College and to be on the other end of the giving equation,” Denson said. Shannon Yero Shannon Yero is a dual degree candidate who will graduate in May 2019 with a Juris Doctor and Master of Health Admin- istration. After graduating and taking the bar exam, Yero plans to pursue a career in health law as in-house counsel for a hospital. She cur- rently works at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oklahoma City as a legal and ad- ministrative intern. In this role, Yero helped create a business plan for the hospital’s new geriatric psychiatry unit and participated in a Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analy- sis for the unit. She enjoys serving veterans and working in a hospital setting. “As everyone knows, education can be ex- pensive. I am grateful for this scholarship. It is much appreciated to have the financial support the helps keep the educational loan balances lower,” Yero said. James N. George Scholarship in Biostatistics and Epidemiology Miguel DeMarzo After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southern Nazarene Uni- versity, Miguel DeMarzo is now a second-year Master of Public Health student in epidemiology. Since enter- ing the program, he has worked as a gradu- ate research assistant for Dr. Laura Beebe on various tobacco cessation projects. DeMarzo hopes to enter the medical field as a physician and apply his knowledge from public health and epidemiology in a clinical setting. In his spare time, he likes to volunteer at a local clin- ic in Oklahoma City and to stay active. “I would like to express my thanks to the Col- lege, my advisor, Dr. George, the Rizvi family for their generosity in creating this scholar- ship and to all who support public health and the mission of this College,” De Marzo said. Edmund H. Gleason Scholarship Kaitlin McGrew Kaitlin McGrew is a doc- toral candidate in epide- miology and a Hudson Fellow in Public Health. Her dissertation research involves a Bayesian ap- proach to estimate the prevalence of injection drug use using administrative databases. Mc- Grew’s ultimate career goal is to conduct re- search that guides the development of public health interventions to prevent and reduce harm from substance use disorders. She has served as a teaching assistant, secretary of the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Student Asso- ciation and vice president of the OU Health Sciences Center Running Club. “I am grateful to be the recipient of the Ed- mund H. Gleason Family Scholarship and would like to thank all of the donors for their support of our education,” McGrew said. Claudia Griffith Memorial Scholarship Brittany Karfonta Brittany Karfonta is the recipient of the inaugural Claudia Griffith Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship created through the gener- osity of friends of legisla- tor Claudia Griffith, who passed away suddenly in 2018. The scholarship honors Griffith’s legacy and her commitment to both the state and to public health. Karfonta is a second-year Mas- ter of Public Health student with a concentra- tioninbiostatistics.Shegraduatedwithabach- elor’s degree in zoology from the University of Oklahoma and managed a research laboratory for several years after graduation. Karfonta currently works as a Clinical Research Co- ordinator at the OU Health Sciences Center, collaborating with healthcare professionals to promote health and life science research in Oklahoma. Upon earning her master’s degree, she plans to work as a biostatistician assisting with the design and implementation of human clinical trials. “Claudia Griffith was an inspirational woman and I am looking forward to following in her footsteps,” Karfonta said.