Undergraduate Research Opportunities
By actively engaging in research alongside department faculty, public health majors develop their skills as experts. Students benefit from the close mentorship of faculty advisors, preparing them for successful experiences in the work force or graduate school.
STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholars Program
The STAR program is an opportunity for first-year students at Drexel University to engage in mentored research, scholarship, or creative work during the summer after their freshman year. The program attracts promising and high achieving research scholars and enhances their academic experience.
The STAR Scholars Program runs for 10 weeks during the summer (June - August) and provides a stipend equal to $10/hour for 35 hours/week and free on-campus housing.
"STAR is a chance to explore your different interests or maybe just a field that you had no idea about before,” said public health student Andrea Eleazar, who worked with faculty mentor Usama Bilal, PhD, MPH, MD, assistant professor in the Drexel Urban Health Collaborative and Dornsife's department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics.
Some of Dornsife's past STAR scholars focused their research on telehealth services, health conditions of Latino immigrants, and body dissatisfaction. Their abstract titles include:
- Priyani Sharma researched "The Experiences of Health Care Providers Utilizing Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic" working with faculty mentor Dr. Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, associate dean for Interprofessional Research and Development and professor of nursing at Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions.
- Paula A. Garcia Sanchez researched "Understanding and Addressing Syndemic Health Conditions Affecting Latino Immigrants" with working with faculty mentor Dr. Ana Martinez-Donate, professor of Community Health and Prevention at the Dornsife School of Public Health.
- Karaan Raj M. Kothari researched "Do Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Thin Appearance Influence Levels of Body Dissatisfaction in Daily Life?" working with faculty mentor Dr. Paakhi Srivastava, Interim Director at Drexel's Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL) Center.
Students can apply for the STAR Scholars Program either during their admissions process to Drexel University or during the mid-year application process.
Learn more about the STAR program
Public Health Capstone Projects
Students conduct research for credit by completing their senior capstone, which is a progressive 3-quarter experience with cross-cutting competencies that provides a personalized learning experience.
Working with a faculty mentor, students design a project that fulfills both public health interests as well as the broader capstone objectives. Students participate in in-class learning to acquire foundational concepts, which they can apply to their individual project.
Examples of Drexel Dornsife Public Health Capstone Presentations
Dornsife undergraduates tackle public health issues such as mental health, opioids, maternal mortality, and racism. Students present their completed capstone research to an audience at the end of the academic year. Recent capstone presentations include:
| An Examination of Health for Unhoused Individuals Using Philadelphia as a Case Study |
Philadelphia’s Legislature Banning Medical Deportation: Case Study of How Philadelphia Banned The Practice of Medical Deportation |
| Wildfire Preparedness in Hawaii Needs Assessment |
The Effects of Disciplinary Action on Students: The Case of Katie Meyer |
| Philadelphia’s Kensington: History, Drug Use, Political Pressure, Harm Reduction, and Progress |
Socioeconomic Barriers to Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation Among Black Women in the United States |
| Trauma Informed Care in Elementary Education: A Needs Assessment |
Understanding Stigmatization Towards Pregnant Women Who Use Opioids |
| Social Media Use and its Role on Body Dissatisfaction and Depression among Female Adolescents |
Casinos and the Community's Health |
| Intersectional Feminism as a Framework to Rethink Gender-Based Violence: Female Genital Mutilation in Guinea and Intimate Partner Violence in India |
Drexel University Counseling Center Mental Health Services Needs Assessment |
| Postpartum Depression and Its Risk Factors |
Public Health Communications: What Works, What Doesn't, and What Needs to Change |
| Maternal Mortality: Structural Racism and Weathering |
The Impacts of Apartheid on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in South Africa |
| Redlining and Its Impacts on the African American Community in Philadelphia |
The Effects of the Patient Protections and the Affordable Care Act on Health Equity |
| Needs Assessment of the Indian Health Service in Navajo Nation Amidst COVID-19 |
Why Racism Should Be a Public Health Issue |
| Mental Health in the Age of COVID-19 Lockdowns |
How Mental Illness Can Develop Alongside or in the Wake of a Diagnosed Chronic Condition (Diabulimia and Type 1 Diabetes) |
| Mandatory Vaccination Legislation for Students in New Jersey |
Impact of Internet Pornography on the Addiction Feedback Loop |
| Prisons as a Public Health Crisis |
Power & Privilege Within the Field of Academia |
Some capstone projects include an extensive literature review on a topic of interest; an in-depth case study on a pertinent public health issue; or a needs assessment for an organization.
After completing the project, some students present their work at regional or national conferences or publish their findings.
Your senior capstone and the STAR program are not the only opportunities to participate in research at Drexel. Students can also volunteer, use federal work/study funds for paid opportunities, and participate in research for credit. Check out resources for finding research for more ideas.
If you are interested in learning more about Drexel Dornsife’s undergraduate public health degree programs, request more information to speak with a member of our admissions team.
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