Bloustein Honors Research Program

The Bloustein Honors Research Program (BHRP) offers a select group of students majoring in Bloustein undergraduate programs an opportunity to conduct in-depth research that aligns with the applied research conducted by the Bloustein School’s faculty. Students may explore applications of planning, public policy, public health, and health administration as these disciplines relate to epidemiology, community development, health disparities, transportation, global health, the environment, health and wellness, and more.

The program, which is open to students majoring in public health (832), public policy (833), planning and public policy (762), or health administration (501), is a formal academically supervised year-long (6 credits – 3 in fall, 3 in spring) effort involving a peer classroom learning environment together with original research conducted under the supervision of a  faculty mentor. Students majoring in health administration (501), who wish to participate in BHRP, should contact their EJB advisor prior to registering for the spring semester of their junior year to discuss the Research Methods prerequisite for BHRP.

Students in the program meet weekly as a class to learn general research and paper writing skills from the BHRP course instructor; the classroom experience provides a common structure to the honors program. Participants submit weekly assignments designed to guide them through understanding the steps of academic research, as well as planning and completing their research project.

In addition to the BHRP classroom instructor, each student has a faculty member who specializes in the student’s topic areas as their primary advisor (mentor). The BHRP course instructor, then, serves as the secondary advisor for all BHRP students. Both quantitative and qualitative projects can be supported in the honors program.

For health administration (501), public health (832), and public policy (833) majors, the BHRP can replace the 6-credit internship (10:775:499). For planning and public policy (762) majors, the BHR can replace the 3-credit internship (10:762:400) and Senior Seminar (10:762:499).

The BHRP is a capstone experience that works in tandem with the Honors College Capstone Requirement (Option 1: Departmental Honors), the SAS Honors Program Requirement (Option A: Departmental Honors), and the SEBS George H. Cook Scholars Program.

Poster and Oral Thesis Defenses
Information for Honors College Students (SAS or SEBS)
  • Honors College students pursuing any Bloustein School major (except for Urban Planning and Design [971]) are eligible to participate in the BHRP during their senior year; participation is conditional upon acceptance to the BHRP.
  • Honors College students who pursue the BHRP must be academically affiliated with either SAS or SEBS.
  • The BHRP will fulfill the Honors College’s Capstone Project Option 1 “Departmental Honors.”
  • All Honors College students, whether academically affiliated with SAS or SEBS, must follow the same protocols as other Honors College Students; specifically, those students must submit a formal capstone proposal to the Honors College by June 1st of their junior year. Those students are also encouraged to apply to the BHRP at or before the priority deadline of June 1st of their junior year.
  • Honors College students affiliated with SEBS pursuing the GHCSP will present and orally defend their theses at the G.H. Cook Scholars Symposium and Dinner. Those students are also invited to present at the Honors College Capstone Showcase.
  • Honors College Students affiliated with SAS must present and orally defend their thesis for the BHRP and are also invited to present at the Honors College Capstone Showcase.

For additional detail, or to resolve any unique individual circumstances related to integrating the BHRP with the GHCSP or the Honors College Capstone Experience, please email honors@ejb.rutgers.edu and include your name and RUID.

Information for SAS Honors Program Students
  • SAS Honors Program students pursuing any Bloustein School major (except for Urban Planning and Design [971]) are eligible to participate in the BHRP during their senior year; participation is conditional upon acceptance to the BHRP.
  • The BHRP will fulfill the SAS Honors Program Capstone Option A “Departmental Honors.”
  • All SAS Honors Program students must follow the same protocols as other SAS Honors Program students; specifically, those students must submit a formal capstone proposal to the SAS Honors Program by April 21st of their junior year. Those students are also encouraged to apply to the BHRP at or before the priority deadline of June 1st of their junior year.

For additional detail, or to resolve any unique individual circumstances related to integrating the BHRP with the SAS Honors Program Capstone Experience, please email honors@ejb.rutgers.edu and include your name and RUID.

Information for SEBS GHCSP Students
  • SEBS students pursuing the Public Health major may participate, during their senior year, in the BHRP or, during their junior and senior years, the George H. Cook Scholars Program (GHCSP).
  • SEBS students who participated in the GHCSP during the junior year may, at their option, elect to follow the GHCSP senior-year track (with partial participation in the BHRP), or, elect senior-year participation in the BHRP (with partial participation in the GHSCSP).
  • Interested SEBS students, who participated in the GHCSP during their junior year, should click here for more detailed information on integrating the two capstone programs.

For additional detail, or to resolve any unique individual circumstances related to integrating the BHRP with the GHCSP or the Honors College Capstone Experience, please email honors@ejb.rutgers.edu and include your name and RUID.

Prerequisites

Students interested in the Bloustein Honors Research Program must complete a formal application in the spring preceding their senior year. The standard criteria for admission include:

  • An overall GPA of 3.00 or higher in addition to a GPA of 3.60 or higher* within the Bloustein majors listed above;
  • Successful completion of Research Methods (including an evaluation form from the instructor);
  • Successful completion of any 300-level writing-intensive course (including an evaluation form from the instructor); and
  • A standard letter of recommendation from a Bloustein faculty member.

* Students who do not meet the GPA criteria but who have otherwise demonstrated an interest and ability to conduct research are encouraged to apply and include, with their application materials, a brief statement explaining the circumstances behind their academic trajectory and how they have overcome these academic issues.

Application

The BHRP online application for the 2023-2024 academic year will become available by Friday, April 28, 2023. The deadline for 2023-2024 BHRP applications will be Friday, May 26, 2023. The evaluation forms and letters of recommendation must be emailed directly from course instructors to honors@ejb.rutgers.edu.

Selected students will receive special permission numbers to register for 10:775:493, 494 in their respective terms.

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Research Poster Presentations and Oral Thesis Defenses

2022-2023
Student Mentor Major Title Research Poster
Presentation 		Oral Thesis
Lara Fougnies Dr. Marci Berger Public Health Do Awareness and Attitudes Immediately Following the Overturning
of Roe v. Wade Differ by State Abortion Policies and Socioeconomic
Characteristics?		 View View
Aparna Natarajan Dr. Anita Franzione Public Health Screening Tools for Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner
Violence – A Scoping Review		 View View
Heather O’Donnell Dr. Amy Abruzzi Public Health Is Metabolic Syndrome a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer among
Premenopausal Women? A Meta-analysis		 View View
Vishika Patel Dr. Derek DeLia Public Health Does the Relationship between Health Insurance Status and
Healthcare Utilization Differ by Urbanicity among Low-income
Hypertensive Adults in the United States?		 View View
Betia Zeng Dr. Jane Miller Public Health Does Telehealth Experience among U.S. Adults Vary by
Chronic Disease Status?		 View View
2021-2022
Student Mentor Major Title Research Poster
Presentation 		Oral Thesis
Lily Chang Dr. Kathe Newman Public Health Studentification Near a State University: An Examination of
New Brunswick, New Jersey		 View View
Angela D’Adamo Dr. Usama Bilal,
Drexel University		 Public Health Spatial Inequities in COVID-19 Vaccination in Los Angeles by
Race and Income		 View View
Avani Gohil Dr. Soumitra Bhuyan Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy by Essential
Worker Status and Race/Ethnicity in the United States		 View View
Natasha Merrits Dr. Alexandra Lopez Public Health Differences in Body Image Outcomes Between Non-Hispanic
Black and White Adolescent Girls in the United States		 View View
Dania Mohammad Dr. Mi Shih Public Health De Soto’s Theory of Land Titling as a Poverty Alleviation
Strategy: A Systematic Review of International Programs		 View View
Sydney Moore Dr. Marci Berger Public Health Socioeconomic Status and Maternal Mortality in
Low-Income Countries: A Meta-analysis		 View View
Andhrea Tagle Readi Dr. Doug Kruse, SMLR
Dr. Lisa Schur, SMLR		 Public Policy Education and Economic Outcomes by Hearing Status
in the United States		 View View
Bartosz Skiba Dr. Mark Robson Public Health Spatial Analysis of HIV Incidence Rates in New Jersey by Mode of
Transmission, Access to Screening, and Clean Needle Distribution Sites		 View View

 

2020-2021
Student Mentor Major Title Research Poster
Presentation 		Oral Thesis
Carey Grzankowski Dr. Soumitra Bhuyan Public Health Is There an Association between Patient-Provider Communication and
Knowledge of Palliative Care among U.S. Adults Diagnosed with Cancer?		 View View
Chloe Holt-Reiss Dr. Mark Robson
Dr. Sara Elnakib 		 Public Health Exploring Fruit Offerings, Selection, and Consumption Among K-8 School
Children, by the Racial/Ethnic Composition of Paterson Public Schools.		 View View
Megan McCormick Dr. Stuart Shapiro  Public Policy The Contributions of Voter Race and Gender to Attitudes about Candidate
Electability and Empathy in the 2020 U.S. Democratic Presidential Primary		 View View
Julia McMillan  Dr. Anita Franzione
Dr. Julia Sass Rubin		 Public Health Laypersons’ Perceptions of Palliative Care: A Qualitative Analysis of
Patient and Caregiver Narratives		 View View
Supraja Teki Dr. Michael Smart Public Health The Relationship between Public Transit Use, Change in Body Mass Index,
and Obesity Status: An Analysis of U.S. Panel Data		 View View
Jacquelyn Twaddle Dr. Alexandra Lopez Public Health Spanish-language Resources in Licensed Drug and Alcohol Treatment
Facilities in New Jersey by Geographic Location		 View View
Gagana Yaskhi Dr. Eric Seymour Public Health The Association between the Share of Frontline Workers, Overcrowded
Housing, and COVID-19 Case Rates in New York City		 View View

2019 – 2020

Student Mentor Major Title Research Poster
Presentation 		Oral Thesis
Casey Judge Dr. Amy Abruzzi  Public Health Pregnancy Loss and Treatment in Celiac Women: A Systematic Review
of International Studies		 View View
Celine LaBelle Dr. Cara Cuite  Public Health Food Insecurity and Food Resource Use among University Students View View
Aiza Nageeb  Dr. Amy Abruzzi  Public Health A Descriptive Study of India’s Progress: Patients’, Doctors’ & Student
Trainees’ Attitudes towards AYUSH Systems		 View View
Zalak Parikh  Dr. Dawne Mouzon Public Health Analyzing College Major Intentions: The Association between Socioeconomic
Status and Choice of a STEM Major among Ninth-grade Students 		 View View
2019-2020
Student Mentor Major Title Research Poster
Presentation 		Oral Thesis
Casey Judge Dr. Amy Abruzzi Public Health Pregnancy Loss and Treatment in Celiac Women: A Systematic Review
of International Studies		 View View
Celine LaBelle Dr. Cara Cuite Public Health Food Insecurity and Food Resource Use among University Students View View
Aiza Nageeb Dr. Amy Abruzzi Public Health A Descriptive Study of India’s Progress: Patients’, Doctors’ & Student
Trainees’ Attitudes towards AYUSH Systems		 View View
Zalak Parikh Dr. Dawne Mouzon Public Health Analyzing College Major Intentions: The Association between Socioeconomic
Status and Choice of a STEM Major among Ninth-grade Students		 View View