About the Program
The Ohio State University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and W.K. Kellogg Foundation Postdoctoral Recruitment and Onboarding Supplement (OK-PROS) program supports postdoctoral scholars recruited by Ohio State faculty by providing up to $5,000 to aid them with jump-starting their research agenda at the university and relocating to Columbus (or other Ohio State location). Thanks to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s generosity and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, we will be able to provide onboarding funding for up to forty incoming postdoctoral scholars over the 2022-2023 academic year.
The OK-PROS program supports postdocs, who are committed to contributing to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their disciplines, across Ohio State, and in higher education more broadly.
If you are interested in applying to future cycles of this program, please check the OK-PROS informational page for details on required application materials and upcoming deadlines.
Please reach out to our office if you have any questions about this program or the application process!
2023 OK-PROS Cycle 4 Awardees
The OPA is pleased to announce the eight awardees from the Cycle 4 competition, who have been selected to receive OK-PROS awards. Details for each finalist can be found below:
Peri Bolton
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: H. Lisle Gibbs, Professor
Research Summary
Assessing functional genetic variation in Endangered Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes
Research Description
Understanding the genetic variation in endangered species can be vital for implementing effective management and recovery. With technology to sequence entire genomes, conservationists can start to quantify variation in functional parts of the genome that enable species to adapt to climate change and novel diseases, and quantify deleterious variants that can hinder individual and population fitness. Dr Bolton and her faculty mentor Dr Gibbs will characterize this sort of genetic variation in the Endangered eastern massassauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus), a federally threatened species that occurs in Ohio and north-east North America. They will focus on the genetic basis of immunity to an emerging fungal pathogen, snake fungal disease. This research will be an active collaboration with Ohio Division of Wildlife, and will be used to inform state and federal management of this species.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr Bolton and her new lab at Ohio State University are committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in professional and personal spheres. The expectation for students to volunteer, rather than receive renumeration, to develop vital STEM skills plays a key role in limiting participation of underrepresented groups in these disciplines. Dr Bolton has advocated for better financial conditions for graduate students in the past. While at OSU, Dr Bolton and her faculty mentor Dr Gibbs will create a paid undergraduate research internship that prioritizes students who are first generation and/or from an underrepresented background. Dr Bolton has experience working with and mentoring people from underrepresented backgrounds, and works conscientious of accessibility, inclusivity and respect. She is particularly passionate about using science communication to reach diverse and inexpert audiences. Dr Bolton will continue to pursue these opportunities around Columbus, while also working to change public perceptions around our maligned snake neighbors.
Erskine Chu
Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Cole Vonder Haar, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
My project aims to systematically evaluate and manipulate the microglia response to brain injury and evaluate impulsive behavioral outcomes during the early (acute) and late (chronic) stages of post-injury, in a model of moderate frontal brain injury in rats.
Research Description
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an insult to the brain caused by mechanical forces and is one of the leading causes of life-long disabilities in humans. A portion of TBI patients experience chronic neuropsychiatric disorders, like impulsive aggression and hypersexuality, which severely impairs day-to-day life. There is currently no efficacious treatment for these disorders, but it is believed that the presence of inflammation in the brain (commonly referred as neuroinflammation) after brain injury is one of the primary contributors to psychiatric disorders. The amount of neuroinflammation is largely dictated by subsets of local immune cells within the central nervous system. Although neuroinflammation can be beneficial, persistency can limit recovery and cause further complications. Therefore, research of the underlying causes of irregular immune responses may reveal potential targets to reduce or treat disorder development.
Therefore, my project will focus on a subset of brain immune cells called microglia, and their responses after brain injury. Microglia typically undergo extensive changes after activation which allows them to direct neuroinflammation. We are particularly interested in whether repeatedly stimulating microglia by immune challenges from outside the central nervous system would increase the potency of their response after a brain injury, as well as greater degree of impulsivity and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
My time at Monash University – I recognized that there are vast differences in medical standards and supply between first world countries and developing countries. This led to me volunteer for the organization Friends for Fiji, as an events coordinator. Friends for Fiji aimed to address this difference by providing medical supply for people of the country of Fiji. In addition, I was a mentor for undergraduate students in the same course and provided advice on how to navigate the process of adjusting to university life, while in some situations fitting into the Australian culture, from my own experiences of being an immigrant. While at OSU, I will continue being a relatable mentor to present often over-looked students the information and opportunities to undertake higher degree studies or summer programs at OSU.
During my PhD studies, I observed that the field of neuroscience is a male dominant based research area, with female researchers often under-funded. In addition, researchers who are parents are often over-looked for their personal responsibilities outside of their research career. However, I observed programs like Women in Science, have significantly encouraged and empowered women in STEM to express their thoughts and research. My doctoral advisor’s role as a prominent female neuroscientist also inspired me to strive for equity between sexes in OSU. This includes encouraging alternative approaches to be taken during the employing process of STEM employees and advocating for the removal of barriers for underrepresented groups and unconscious bias (i.e. removing gendered wording, introduce blind skills challenges and have a structured interviewing process).
Aline de Camargo Santos
School of Environmental and Natural Resources, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
Research Mentor: Leonardo Deiss, Visiting Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Synthesizing historical data on major crop yields and weather patterns to understand crop responses to conservation agriculture practices in a changing climate.
Research Description
Dr. Santos’ research explores the impact of agricultural conservation practices with crop diversification and reduction of soil disturbance as means to mitigate crops’ yield loss due to weather extremes being aggravated by climate change. She is analyzing 60 years of crop yield from the Triplett-Van Doren No-Tillage Experiment, an experiment started in 1962 at Ohio State University that offers an invaluable opportunity to address pressing agricultural challenges related to crop production and resilience. During her postdoctoral training, she plans to 1) analyze historical data of crop performance to better understand how conservation agriculture impacts food production in the context of climate change; 2) evaluate how conservation agricultural practices affect provision of ecosystem services in the form of soil health and carbon sequestration; and 3) create a comprehensive public resource that offers critical insights into sustainable agriculture research conducted at Ohio State directed to the general public.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Santos recognizes the transformative power of education and the need for equitable access to opportunities. At Ohio State, she plans to continue fostering an inclusive, safe, and equal environment that embraces diversity in all activities that she develops, as she has learned its importance throughout her own career. Her project aims to raise awareness of the dynamics of food production systems under a changing climate. An important aspect of her project is to actively engage with underrepresented farmers, teachers, and ag educators, by providing access to educational resources and discoverable data on conservational agriculture practices at Ohio State. Mentoring students from diverse backgrounds, in activities focused on providing valuable experience and exposure to knowledge generated on agricultural research, is another component of her postdoctoral training.
As Dr. Santos continues her professional journey, she is committed to leveraging her experiences to create an academic environment that recognizes and embraces the richness that diversity brings to the workplace. Whether through mentorship, research, or teaching, she is dedicated to ensuring that all aspiring scholars, regardless of their background, race, gender, disability, skin color, or country of origin have the support and resources they need to flourish.
Serena De Stefani
Department of PPsychiatry and Behavioral Health, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Ivy Tso, Associate Professor
Research Summary
Exploring social impairments in individuals with mental illness through the use of computational tools, including mathematical models and machine learning techniques.
Research Description
My research looks at social functioning in people affected by psychiatric illnesses. Such individuals frequently struggle with social interactions and forming close relationships. These challenges can have profound impacts both personally and professionally. To develop effective interventions, I research the fundamental mechanisms behind social dysfunction, looking at people’s social cognition—the processes related to perceiving, categorizing, and responding to social stimuli. An important aspect of social cognition that I am studying is gaze perception.
Because gaze reveals mental states and intentions, gaze perception is fundamental in face-to-face interactions. Impairments in gaze perception may lead to faulty social cognition. Such aberrations are found in individuals affected by psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism, but also manifest subtly in subclinical populations like those with social anxiety or schizotypal symptoms. These clinical dimensions partially overlap: schizotypal individuals may display autistic traits, and those with autism may experience social anxiety. Despite these overlaps, lifetime outcomes for these groups differ significantly. By analyzing visual scanning patterns and classifying the components of eye movements through deep learning algorithms we can gain a deeper insight into the underlying processes at play. Exploring gaze perception can then aid in differentiating between schizotypal, autistic, and social anxiety symptoms, contributing to a nuanced understanding, a potential differential diagnosis and better prognosis.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Psychiatric illnesses disproportionately impact minority groups, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with lower socio-economic status. In our research, we make efforts to recruit participants from diverse communities by engaging with community mental health centers. As such, our work has the potential to benefit those in these communities, who often face the greatest challenges in social integration and have limited access to treatment.
I have also been involved in a number of DEI initiatives and I am committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in an academic setting. As a graduate student, I was, for two years a graduate advisor of the Rutgers Psychology Department Diversity Committee. I also participated in two initiatives to promote the enrollment of minority students in graduate school, and directly mentored research assistants from minority groups, helping them applying (and being admitted) to competitive graduate programs. In my teaching, I constantly made a priority to build an inclusive environment and I introduced lessons on ethics that included a reflection on unethical practices in science targeting minorities. At OSU, I plan to participate in the Researcher, Teacher, Mentor program, which will give me the opportunity to mentor underrepresented minority students.
Meghan DellaCrosse
Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education, College of Social Work
Research Mentor: Alan Davis, Associate Professor and Director
Research Summary
Understanding contextual factors informing and influencing acute psychedelic drug effects in clinical trial and naturalistic settings through systems thinking and an ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner) approach.
Research Description
As a psychedelic researcher, Dr. DellaCrosse is interested in understanding the subjective experiences and therapeutic impact of psychedelic drugs in the contexts of understudied conditions and populations, as well as risk and safety issues. Despite growing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) research, there remains a lack of consensus about key issues relevant to difficulties in predicting acute drug effects, and the role of therapeutic support in clinical trials. Part of the challenge is the absence of a theoretical model to help conceptualize different components in PAT research to support measurement of subjective experience in addition to contextual factors that may inform and influence outcomes.
At present, researchers in psychedelic science use the construct of set (psychological mindset) and setting (environment) to account for contextual details in clinical trials and naturalistic settings that might influence people’s drug experiences. However, although many people use these constructs, there is little empirical validation of these assertions. Dr. DellaCrosse has adapted an ecological systems theory model for psychedelic research to test these assertions. In order to validate this model, Dr. DellaCrosse will conduct a mixed-methods survey of psychedelic users who have had a difficult or challenging experience. This study will help further understanding of the impact of various system level factors on acute psychedelic effects.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
As my faculty mentor and I share a core value of contributing to research on underrepresented populations, we aim to make a broader impact outside of the study itself. We recognize that contemporary clinical trial investigations of psychedelic drugs are largely white (>80%) and historical and sociocultural factors contribute to unequal research participation with minoritized identities from contributing. Because of this, one of our shared goals of developing this ecological model further, is to support greater understanding of the role that socio-economic and cultural factors may play in informing and influencing acute subjective experiences and subsequent outcomes. Therefore, we believe that this model may contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in psychedelic research by contributing a testable model that makes contextual factors explicit.
Gerid Ollison
Department of Microbiology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Matt Sullivan, Professor
Research Summary
Host-Virus Interactions Across Diverse Microbial Communities.
Research Description
The healthy function of every known ecosystem, including the human body, is governed by microbes. At the heart of my current research is understanding how the composition of microbial communities is shaped by the intersecting influences of physicochemical factors with species interactions, such as host-virus interactions. I earned my PhD at the University of Southern California (David A. Caron Lab), where I examined the spatiotemporal distribution and diversity of marine protists—which are unicellular eukaryotes and fundamental members of all known marine microbial communities and ecosystems—and their metabolic responses to environmental cues. I joined the Sullivan Lab in 2023 to develop a protistan virocell model system—a virus-infected cell—to integrate the metabolic impact of viruses on protistan communities into predictive global ocean models.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
At the University of Southern California, Gerid served as the inaugural chair of the DEI steering committee, and was fortunate to work for two years with many supportive members of the academic research community (student and faculty) to reshape the culture of our area of campus for the benefit of faculty, students and staff. Here at Ohio State, he has taken the first steps to carry on this tradition. Gerid plans to be a supportive and inclusive member of the OSU research community, bringing with him lessons learned from USC, and use his platform as the new MC for the international Early Career Researcher Viromics Webinar Series to elevate the voices of as diverse a pool of viromics researchers as possible on the global stage.
Jess Ray
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Megan Ballinger, Associate Professor
Research Summary
Investigating the mechanisms of ozone exacerbation of allergic asthma
Research Description
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that impairs the ability of our larger airways to transport oxygenated air to the functional gas exchange region of the lungs. It affects more than 350 million people globally and almost 1,300 deaths are attributed to asthma daily.
Asthmatic airways are hyper-responsive to many inhaled irritants and environmental pollutants, which results in “asthma attacks” or a rapid narrowing of the airways that causes decreased air flow and extreme shortness of breath. Ground-level (meaning the air we breathe) ozone is a pervasive air pollutant and high-level days are associated with an increased incidence of asthma attacks. However, there is not a large body of research investigating the precise biological processes that govern asthmatic airway hyper-responsiveness to ozone inhalation. Therefore, Dr. Ray’s research is focused on investigating these mechanisms by studying the ways through which immune cell signaling can alter airway cell responsiveness.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
The highest ozone levels are found in non-white communities (across all income levels) due to systemic residential segregation resulting in closer proximity to ozone-generating sources of pollution. Furthermore, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that the burden of asthma in the United States falls disproportionately on Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous peoples. These groups have the highest asthma rates, deaths, and hospitalizations. At the intersection of racial inequalities, is a sex/gender susceptibility to environmental exposures and respiratory disease as well. Therefore, the goal for this research is to inform treatment, prevention, and policy to the benefit of marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected by asthma and ozone exposure.
Dr. Ray is white, queer, and auDHD; they support anti-capitalist and anti-colonialism work and are committed to using their personal experiences and privilege to support the self-liberation of intersectional marginalized communities.
Xilal Rima
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Willa Hsueh, Professor and Director
Research Summary
Adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles in mediating inflammation and atherosclerosis.
Research Description
Obesity-mediated diseases are on the rise, including atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of plaque in the arteries and the leading cause of death worldwide. The goal of Xilal’s work is to understand how fat cells in obese tissue communicate with inflammatory cells and disrupt homeostasis to promote the progression of atherosclerosis.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Xilal is dedicated to diversifying academia and the engineering workforce by maintaining an active presence in national and OSU-based Latinx student organizations and assisting in recruitment efforts.
Marissa Smail
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Kathryn Lenz, Associate Professor
Research Summary
The role of neuro-immune signaling in the long-lasting molecular and behavioral consequences of early life stress and pediatric traumatic brain injury.
Research Description
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of pediatric emergency department visits in young children, as well as their leading cause of disability later in life. Children are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of TBI, given that their brains are still developing at the time of injury. Following pediatric TBI, children can experience struggles with sociability, cognition, and mood. These effects are exaggerated in children with a history of early life stress (ELS), such as low socio-economic status and fragmented parental care, with the frequency and degree of lasting TBI effects increasing in this context. While pediatric TBI is a clear public health concern, few studies have investigated how early life TBI impacts the underlying processes of brain development, or how a history of ELS alters this relationship. Thus, Dr. Smail’s postdoctoral work will utilize rodent models of ELS and pediatric TBI to examine the molecular and behavioral consequences of these developmental insults. Given the established roles of microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, in development, ELS, and TBI individually, she is particularly interested in examining the role of the neuroimmune system in their interactions.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
ELS is more prevalent in children of low socio-economic status, as they are raised in more high-risk environments and have less access to resources that combat stressors. Pediatric TBI is also more common in these children, where it is more likely to have long-lasting social and cognitive impacts later in life. Thus, Dr. Smail’s research will be highly relevant to underrepresented populations and could shed light on ways to help them overcome these early life challenges. Sex is also a key factor in these issues and a focus of the Lenz lab. Girls exhibit poorer outcomes from both ELS and pediatric TBI than boys, and understanding why that is the case is critical to identifying more effective treatment options. Dr. Smail has a strong track record of outreach, leadership, and mentorship with students from diverse backgrounds. She plans to participate in several such programs at OSU and strives to foster a diverse and inclusive environment both in and beyond the lab.
Adrien Winning
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine (Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital)
Research Mentor: H. Gerry Taylor, Professor (OSU) and Principal Investigator (NCH)
Research Summary
Community-engaged approaches to identify psychosocial care gaps for families of young children with spina bifida.
Research Description
Broadly, Dr. Winning’s research focuses on family adjustment in neurodiverse pediatric populations using community-engaged approaches. Under the mentorship of Dr. H. Gerry Taylor, Dr. Winning’s current work seeks to identify the psychosocial and school readiness needs of families who have a young child with spina bifida, particularly those who identify as Latinx given the higher prevalence of spina bifida in this population and existing systems of oppression. As a postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Winning will be conducting interviews with families of children with spina bifida, as well as teachers and healthcare teams, to better understand the needs of this community. Dr. Winning will also be completing comprehensive school readiness assessments to identify common challenges and inform the development of culturally responsive, family-based interventions.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Using community-engaged approaches, Dr. Winning will continue partnering with key advocacy groups to increase access to health and educational services for families of children with spina bifida and ensure that research is centered on the needs of this community. Additionally, she is actively mentoring undergraduate students and post-baccalaureate trainees with diverse, intersecting identities and engaging in efforts to decrease barriers to accessing higher education for underrepresented groups. Dr. Winning is committed to advocating for systemically excluded students and communities on fellowship and beyond.
2023 OK-PROS Cycle 3 Awardees
During the third cycle of OK-PROS, we received twenty-four applications for review. Many of the applications we received were highly competitive and fundable, making this a challenging decision. All applications were scored by at least two faculty reviewers, using a standard evaluation rubric.
2023 Cycle 3 Awardees:
The OPA is pleased to announce the eight awardees from the Cycle 3 competition, who have been selected to receive OK-PROS awards. Details for each finalist can be found below:
Kylee Ault-Baker
College of Social Work
Research Mentor: Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Professor
Research Summary
Understanding the psychosocial development of youth through sport and coach education programming. This work is done in partnership with the LiFEsports and Coach Beyond initiatives.
Research Description
Dr. Ault-Baker’s research explores positive youth development outcomes through sport participation and coach roles and responsibilities in fostering youth psychosocial development. In the joining the LiFEsports and Coach Beyond team as a postdoctoral scholar, she will continue her work through evaluation of the effectiveness of LiFEsports camps in promoting positive psychosocial development of youth participants. The research team is currently conducting a randomized control trial through which Dr. Ault-Baker will be analyzing longitudinal data from the youth participants to assess their development as a result of LiFEsports camp. Additionally, she will continue her research in coach education through conducting needs assessments with coaches to better guide coach education programming to support the responsibilities of coaches in fostering youth psychosocial development. She also plans to conduct rigorous program evaluations of the Coach Beyond education sessions.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Ault-Baker’s work will continue to move the field forward in understanding positive youth development through sport with underrepresented groups. The LiFEsports camps primarily serve minority youth (95% of camp attendees) and youth living in poverty (81% of camp attendees), and evaluation of the program provides insight into the developmental processes that have been primarily studied in white, affluent communities. In addition to the research project, Dr. Ault-Baker is committed to growing as a mentor to other women scholars working in sport-related fields as well as graduate and undergraduate students with underrepresented identities in sport scholarship.
André Bellvé
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Marta Jarzyna, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
André studies ecological communities in the past, to understand what they will look like in the future.
Research Description
As no-analogue environments (i.e., never before seen) emerge, so too will ecological communities with no precedent. To accurately forecast what organisms will be a part of them and their ecological functions (e.g., productivity, carbon sequestration), we need to untangle the processes that determine which species are included/excluded. André’s position has been funded by an NSF grant to explore how we can reconstruct small mammal communities over the last 21,000 years in North America, what processes shape them, and how the relative importance of these processes change through time and space. To do this, he is working with paleobiologists to identify the uses and limits of fossil records by exploring the biases in where they occur, so how we can better account for them. In addition, they will be creating distribution models of where small ( < 11 lb.) mammal species occurred through time in North America and unpicking the relative importance that the physical environment (e.g., climate) and biological interactions (e.g., competition) hold in molding these communities.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
As part of the NSF grant, André will be contributing to the Data Science Summer Camp organized by the Translational Data Analytics Institute at OSU. Our aspect of workshop will introduce high-school students from under-represented minorities to ecology and data science, and how we can use these tools to learn about the natural world. In addition, André is a recent arrival from Aotearoa New Zealand where he has mentored a large variety of students and has worked with mana whenua (tribal authorities) from around the country. Being an avid student of both te Reo (the language) and te Ao (the worldview) Māori (indigenous people of Aotearoa), André aims to bring the practice of whanaungatanga, which are centered around forming relationships and mutual respect, into all of his interactions at OSU to cultivate healthy positive relationships with his new colleagues and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.
Harshavard Bhat
Translational Data Analytics Institute, ERIK
Research Mentor: Nancy Ettinger, Professor of Geography, Colleges of Arts and Sciences
Research Summary
On a data analytics of liberation at a time of climate change, and an “abolitional meteorology”.
Research Description
I am interested in the social study of monsoonal futures. My doctoral dissertation on Ways of Monsoon Air was an interdisciplinary study of the airs of the south asian monsoon and its transforming entangled relationship with anthropogenic matters, urbanization and the ways in which they confront and animate monsoonal knowledge. I am currently completing my book manuscript on “Malle – theorizing and storying rain” which explores plural notions of how we come to understand rain. My research here also incorporates the study of stories of the invention of race and its genealogical connections to atmospheric science in its fabulation of global tropicality.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
I currently co-lead the Abolitionist Epistemologies Working Group funded by the Humanities Institute Collaboratory. We are interested in the connections between the arts, humanities, science and technology in their role in the expansion of the notion of abolition, and we aim at developing programming on racial equity and justice. As part of my postdoc, I am also commissioned to develop and deliver a course on Race, Colonialism and Data which will enable students to access learning and develop tools towards a Responsible Data Science in their areas of study and interest. Previously, I was also a Research Associate for the Decolonizing the University project at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster where I was part of a team that studied how decolonization was understood by different members of the university. We developed a report that would be used to improve access and inclusion in the school.
Scott Blain
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Ivy Tso, Associate Professor
Research Summary
The role of eye gaze processing in social deficits across psychiatric disorders.
Research Description
Dr. Blain’s research seeks to better understand the brain and behavioral mechanisms of social cognition—the ways we take in information about the social world around us. Those with mental health difficulties often have problems with daily social interactions and forming/maintaining close relationships. These problems appear to stem from difficulties in social cognitive processes, such as an inability to efficiently process cues from eye gaze. Dr. Blain’s research will use a combination of functional neuroimaging and computational modeling to understand how eye gaze perception is altered across psychiatric disorders (including social anxiety, autism, and schizophrenia). Using mathematical modeling, this research will characterize components of altered gaze perception—including inefficient social information processing and over- vs. under-perception of direct gaze—and assess how these can be used to explain and predict broader social functioning. Finally, Dr. Blain will identify the brain systems involved in abnormal gaze perception, paving the way for personalized therapies that combine brain stimulation and social-cognitive training.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Inspired by his own lived experiences, coupled with stories from students and colleagues, Dr. Blain is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through his research, he seeks to improve the lives of those with mental illness, which is a leading cause of disability and disproportionality impacts people of color, those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Blain has experience teaching at an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution (U Minnesota) and teaching students overcoming addiction (as part of Augsburg University’s StepUP Collegiate Recovery Program). He has also worked with students one-on-one, as a research mentor, and his trainees have included multiple students of color and first-generation students. When it comes to mentorship, Dr. Blain is committed to helping his trainees overcome systemic barriers to progress, in science and in life. Outside of the lab and classroom, Dr. Blain has helped facilitate diversity initiatives at U Minnesota and Vanderbilt University, and he has engaged in formal training in intercultural competence, classroom accessibility, and anti-racist pedagogy. As part of his continued commitment to DEI, Dr. Blain plans to participate in relevant initiatives at OSU, including the “Researcher, Mentor, Teacher” program and workshops from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Finally, when assembling his OK-PROS research team, Dr. Blain plans to actively recruit students from underserved backgrounds.
Samuel Cochran
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Kymberly Gowdy, Associate Professor
Research Summary
The role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in inflammation and antioxidant responses in the lung following ozone inhalation.
Research Description
Dr. Cochran’s research focuses on the toxicology of inhaled environmental pollutants, especially ozone. Dr. Cochran and his mentor, Dr. Kymberly Gowdy, are working to describe the role of the antioxidant response element, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in inflammation, oxidative stress, and altered iron metabolism in the lung following ozone inhalation. The OK-PROS award has provided funding to examine more closely clearance of red blood cell damage following ozone inhalation.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Ozone is a highly reactive air pollutant, associated with increased incidence and exacerbation of cardiopulmonary diseases, which disproportionally affect racial/ethnic minorities and communities of lower socioeconomic status. Dr. Cochran seeks to understand mechanisms of action of inhaled toxicants to reduce the burden of respiratory disease in susceptible populations. He is also passionate about mentorship and representation in STEM fields. He has looks forward to participation in the Destination OSU Program and the Society of Toxicology’s Undergraduate Diversity Program to further his commitment to mentorship and to encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Ricardo Rocha Pavan da Silva
Department of Microbiology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Matt Sullivan, Professor
Research Summary
Unravelling the link between HIV-induced vaginal microbiome alterations and low-birth-weight risk along with HIV-exposed uninfected mortality in infants
Research Description
More than half of the 38 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide are women of childbearing age. HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants are almost twice as likely to die compared to HIV-unexposed infants. This increased risk of mortality in HEU infants is not well understood, but low birth weight (LBW) may play a critical role. To understand the causes of HIV/antiretroviral therapy (ART)-associated LBW. The project aims to determine how placental dysfunction or microbial dysbiosis induced by HIV/ART modulates the risk of LBW and subsequent infant mortality. This research has the potential to contribute significantly to the well-being of underserved populations or communities by providing insights into the underlying mechanisms of LBW among HIV-exposed infants and informing the development of targeted interventions that can improve the health outcomes of pregnant women living with HIV in resource-limited settings. At the Ohio State, Dr. Pavan will use a cutting-edge microbiome and virome toolkit with machine learning and ecosystem modelling approaches to evaluate the associations between these entities and inflammation and LBW.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Throughout this project, Dr. Pavan and his faculty mentor, Dr. Matt Sullivan, are dedicated to advancing the mission of Ohio State University by fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. They are committed to providing mentorship and guidance to students from an underrepresented background, employing a hiring and training philosophy deeply rooted in principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). By nurturing talent and promoting diversity, Dr. Pavan and Dr. Sullivan contribute to the university’s commitment to creating an environment that embraces and celebrates individuals from all backgrounds.
Jason Sigler
Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), ERIK
Research Mentor: Nate Ames, Executive Director, CDME
Research Summary
The importance of biases and experiential learning in business for women and minorities.
Research Description
Jason Sigler is a postdoc in CDME, focusing on experiential learning and DEI business research. His research examines how and why both businesses and employees suffer through biases and how firms can intervene. In particular, he explores how biases influence hiring practices and gender-based anxieties. Additionally, his work at CDME looks at the benefits of experiential learning on students for businesses. These programs, along with tailored business-related classes, help students become happy and prepared employees.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Thus far in his postdoc, Jason has focused on how these research interests impact women and underrepresented minorities. For example, Jason is studying how racial biases have affected hiring decisions over the last 80 years and how the mechanisms have changed. Jason also looks at how social anxiety and self-esteem play a role in limiting women’s voices in the workplace. Finally, as research has shown that experiential learning especially helps women and underrepresented minorities, Jason is working with the state of Ohio to develop courses and training material to provide additional support and opportunities for engineering students in these categories.
Morgan Taylor
Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Olga Kokiko-Cochran, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
The role of stress-immune signaling in cognitive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury.
Research Description
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of disability across the globe, and millions of survivors suffer every year from debilitating cognitive, psychiatric, and physical consequences. Neuroinflammation is a major mechanism underlying prolonged injury-related dysfunction. TBI survivors are highly likely to experience secondary stressors during recovery, which can exacerbate neuroinflammation and worsen long-term outcomes. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, are a key perpetrator of chronic neuroinflammation and have been shown to mediate a hyperactive inflammatory response upon secondary stress after TBI. Glucocorticoid signaling is a fundamental component of the stress response pathway, and it may be an important link between post-injury stress and the neuroinflammatory response. The aim of Dr. Taylor’s research is to determine the role of microglial glucocorticoid signaling in physiological and cognitive outcomes after TBI, especially in the context of post-injury stress. This research will provide a better understanding of stress-immune dysfunction after brain injury, and will help identify potential therapeutic targets that could improve functional recovery for TBI survivors.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Populations who are already at high risk of suffering emotional and physical stress, such as combat veterans and victims of domestic violence, are especially vulnerable to sustaining a TBI. Additionally, these vulnerable groups are likely to continue experiencing chronic environmental stressors after TBI, which can dramatically impair recovery. Receiving effective post-injury treatment remains especially challenging for these patients. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which stress impacts recovery after TBI is critical for patients living in high-risk stressful environments. The goal of this research is to provide new insight into stress-immune signaling after TBI and to influence development of better therapeutics for vulnerable populations of TBI survivors. Dr. Taylor has experience mentoring students from diverse backgrounds, and strives to contribute to a diverse and inclusive workplace with her faculty mentor Dr. Kokiko-Cochran at Ohio State.
2023 OK-PROS Cycle 2 Awardees
During the second cycle of OK-PROS, we received thirty-four applications for review. Many of the applications we received were highly competitive and fundable, making this a challenging decision. All applications were scored by at least two faculty and staff reviewers, using a standard evaluation rubric.
2023 Cycle 2 Awardees:
The OPA is pleased to announce the eleven awardees from the Cycle 2 competition, who have been selected to receive OK-PROS awards. Details for each finalist can be found below:
Bürge Abiral
Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Anna Willow, Professor
Research Summary
Back-to-land movement and alternative food networks in Turkey.
Research Description
Dr. Abiral’s research seeks to understand how people with socio-economic privileges respond to problems at the intersection of agriculture, food, and the environment in authoritarian settings. In particular, she explores the contemporary back-to-land movement in Turkey and growing alternative food networks, paying close attention to inequalities along axes of difference. In her postdoctoral project, against the backdrop of high inflation and increasing food inequity, she will investigate how politically disenfranchised groups and individuals in Turkey respond to the economic crisis to access healthy food.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Examining multilayered forms of social, economic, and environmental injustice, including issues of food justice, Dr. Abiral’s research and public-facing scholarship seek to undo inequities and create positive social change. At Ohio State, she is committed to training and educating students to be critical thinkers and agents who can work to dismantle barriers faced by disadvantaged groups and individuals in academia and beyond. Through her teaching and mentoring, she also aspires to create safe spaces and otherwise unavailable opportunities for first-generation, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and international students.
Arkita Bandyopadhyay
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Sarah Heissler, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
The role of myosin motor proteins in health and disease.
Research Description
Myosin motors generate force and movement that power fundamental functions in cells. Dr. Bandyopadhyay is interested in deciphering how the structure of myosin is related to its function. During her postdoctoral training, she will use cryo-electron microscopy, a technique that has revolutionized the field of structural biology, to reveal the molecular architecture of myosin to define a molecular-level understanding of its function in health and to determine what goes wrong in disease.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Bandyopadhyay’s career goal is to lead an academic research group where she will train and work with a diverse team of researchers in an inclusive environment to perform cutting-edge research on the structure and function of key proteins that cause human disease.
Ashlynn Boedecker
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Jim Hood, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
The state and transformations of colloidal phosphorus from agricultural ditches to Lake Erie.
Research Description
Harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and its watershed have had large ecological, cultural, and economic impacts over time. The forecasting, management, and mitigation of these blooms are premised upon the hypothesis that blooms are primarily driven by March-July bioavailable phosphorus. While the bioavailability of sediment phosphorus loads to Lake Erie has been studied extensively, the bioavailability of dissolved phosphorus loads has received little scrutiny because the research and management community have used the simplifying assumption that dissolved phosphorus is only comprised of orthophosphate. The pool can also contain colloidal phosphorus, including organic compounds and mineral compounds which may be rich in iron, aluminum, or calcium. It is essential to better understand the composition of the dissolved phosphorus pool, since each species likely has its own sources, spatial and temporal dynamics, role in phosphorus cycling, and degree of bioavailability to algae and cyanobacteria. Dr. Boedecker seeks to improve our understanding of the composition, controls, and bioavailability of colloidal phosphorus, which could benefit harmful algal bloom research, management, and policy in the Lake Erie watershed.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Reducing phosphorus exports to Lake Erie will help improve watershed quality over time, helping the communities that rely on its water. This is important, as Lake Erie provides water to 11 million people, and in the United States, African Americans, indigenous groups, immigrant communities, and low-income individuals living in rural areas are more likely to go without clean drinking water and basic indoor plumbing. Dr. Boedecker is also interested in science communication and has and will continue to use various social media platforms to highlight research from underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students. The Aquatic Ecology Lab also conducts targeted public scientific outreach by bringing in young students from schools with high minority enrollments to teach them about water quality and climate change and give them a chance to learn how we study the environment around them.
Nada Khattab
Department of Plastic Surgery, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Amy Moore, Professor and Chair
Research Summary
Developing treatments to make nerve regrowth more efficient and faster to improve function after devastating nerve injuries.
Research Description
We explore strategies for rewiring nerves with the goal of preventing muscle atrophy, restoring motion and relieving pain. The other major advantage of our research is the contribution to the initiative of reducing healthcare costs. Effective nerve regeneration treatments reduce the need for ongoing medical care and rehabilitation, leading to cost savings for the healthcare system and better accessibility to treatment.
Our research does not only address nerve injury patients but also focuses on other underserved populations through research on nerve preventive medicine. For instance, as the population ages, the incidence of insidious, progressive nerve disorders increases. The goal of our translational research on nerve injuries is to ensure the most efficient treatment and prevent the consequences of diseases with progressive course. This promises a good quality of life for all age groups, especially seniors, prolonging their independence and active lifestyles.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
The development of effective nerve regeneration treatments will reduce health disparities and would have a broad and positive impact on society, including underserved populations, who are disproportionately impacted by chronic medical conditions. By restoring function to damaged nerves, people with nerve injuries and conditions will live with less pain and disability. This leads to the improvement of overall health and well-being, as well as a greater capacity to engage in work, leisure, and other activities.
Hyun Ji Lee
Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology
Research Mentor: Eric Anderman, Professor
Research Summary
Roles of motivational climate and learning motivation in improving health equity for diverse adolescent populations.
Research Description
Dr. Lee’s research focuses on individual and contextual factors that affect learning motivation and on effective ways to promote students’ adaptive motivation and behaviors in academic settings. Under the guidance of her faculty mentor, Dr. Eric Anderman, she will investigate the role of motivational environments in enhancing adolescents’ learning motivation in the context of health education in a larger project that aims to scale up and enhance an evidence-based health intervention program in public middle schools within the Columbus City School District. Specifically, she will test whether prioritizing learning and mastery over grades and performance in health classes leads to adolescents’ motivated learning behaviors and better health outcomes. Further, she will examine whether the health intervention program equally benefits students from diverse backgrounds, focusing on the importance of tapping their learning motivation to mitigate the potential disparities.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Through her research, Dr. Lee aims to contribute to improving health, educational, and social equity for diverse adolescent populations. Also, with funding from the OK-PROS program and Dr. Anderman’s mentorship, she will involve at least one undergraduate or graduate research assistant from an underrepresented group in the research process and mentor the student throughout the process to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university.
Brooks Marmon
Mershon Center for International Security Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Teri Murphy, Associate Director of the Mershon Center
Research Summary
The importance of biographical narratives in Zimbabwe’s political history.
Research Description
Dr. Marmon is a scholar of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. His work focuses on the wider impact of Pan-Africanism and international events on the thought, rhetoric, and actions of political groups in colonial Zimbabwe.
His project, designed in collaboration with Zimbabwean historians at universities in South Africa and Switzerland, will produce an edited volume of biographical accounts of key figures in Zimbabwe’s political history from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A mentoring workshop, targeting emerging scholars based in southern Africa will be hosted at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The OK-PROS award will help to support Dr. Marmon’s research in South African archives.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Marmon has formed close relationships with universities in the Global South and has undertaken activities to strengthen the research networks and contribute to the research profile of universities, historical associations, and media houses in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Faculty mentor Dr. Murphy, his mentor, is herself a graduate of the University of Cape Town and maintains strong links in the region.
This project will provide mentoring and networking opportunities for early career historians at underfunded southern African universities while simultaneously providing a vehicle for them to publish their research.
Leslie K Morrow
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach, College of Education and Human Ecology
Research Mentor: Ann Allen, Associate Professor
Research Summary
What are the implications and unintended consequences for queer and teacher educators of color in higher education where increasing educational gag orders seek to censor and restrict what is taught and what is discussed within college classrooms?
Research Description
Dr. Morrow’s research and praxis as a Black queer academic explores the lived experiences, labor, and strategies of resistance of historically marginalized, disenfranchised, and under-resourced groups, especially Black queer and trans folx in higher education. Specifically, her project will examine teacher educators of color, queer teacher educators, and educational policymakers on how we can understand their experiences, create better policies, and develop strategies to recruit and retain folx from underrepresented groups, especially Black women, and queer folx of color. Given the rise in legislation, the findings of this project are urgent as we continue to witness increasing surveillance of what faculty teach and heightened attempts to monetize and weaponize justice by scrutinizing critical race theory, diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion initiatives.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Morrow is invested in and concerned with how structural inequities shape social relations and the sociopolitical outlook for those relegated to the margins. Her work focuses on institutional practices and educational, political, and legal policies that shape the experiences of marginalized and historically disenfranchised populations in higher education. Working alongside her faculty mentor, Dr. Ann Allen and others, she seeks to better understand and address the complexities, challenges, and opportunities that colleges and universities must address as we all seek a more just world.
Juan Pablo Quimbayo Agreda
Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Marta Jarzyna, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Examine the effects of climate change on the distribution and composition of birds across North America.
Research Description
This research project, funded through the National Science Foundation, has the primary goal of evaluating the effects of climate change on the distribution and composition of birds across North America. The findings from this project have important implications related to the conservation of bird communities in the face of a changing world where human populations have become a key driver in the assembly of ecological communities. For instance, many tropical species of butterflies, birds, and plants have expanded their distributional ranges upward in elevation or toward more temperate areas in response to increasing temperatures. As a result of this expansion, some temperate species have contracted their distributional ranges or have gone locally extinct due to increasing inter-specific competition. Such species redistribution has also led to reshuffling of composition of ecological communities, with profound consequences for ecosystem functioning. Thus, understanding the past and present species distribution patterns in response to climate change is crucial to predict the future of the redistribution of species and their consequences for ecosystems and human well-being.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Quimbayo will offer training for the next generations of macroecologists and biodiversity scientists and will continue to mentor undergraduate students through a NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates project (funded through his faculty mentor, Dr. Jarzyna). He will also assist Dr. Jarzyna in developing a “Data Science Summer Camp” that will be hosted by Ohio State’s Translational Data Analytics Institute. Data Science Summer Camp is held annually and was created in 2018 with the goal of increasing exposure to, and interest in, data science and analytics for middle and high school students in Central Ohio. In 2018-2021, 100% of campers recruited identified as female. Changes to student recruitment in 2022 resulted in 61% campers identifying as female, and for future offerings, student recruitment will continue to focus on encouraging underrepresented minority girls to participate but will be open to all eligible rising 7-9 grade students across Central Ohio.
Sourabh Soni
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Yohannes Mebratu, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
The host cellular proteins, such as Bcl-2 interacting killer (Bik), play a crucial role in promoting influenza A virus (IAV) replication and disease severity in humans.
Research Description
Under the guidance of Dr. Yohannes A. Mebratu’s mentorship, the goal of Sourabh’s current research project is to elucidate the role of host cellular proteins, such as Bik, in promoting IAV replication in airway epithelial cells (AECs) and disease severity in humans. He will investigate the mechanism by which IAV hijacks and subverts Bik and other cellular proteins to promote viral replication. This research would possibly pave the way to identify small molecules or peptides that inhibit proteins like Bik or their interaction with viral proteins. This represents a novel approach that may lead to a universal treatment effective against multiple subtypes and strains of influenza viruses. Their findings suggesting the role of Bik in promoting viral replication and disease severity in humans using cohorts of influenza-infected individuals can be safely extrapolated to a larger population without any regional or racial bias. This could be of great clinical significance and broad societal impact given the seasonal epidemics and pandemics caused by the influenza virus. Considering the extensive similarities between IAVs and SARS-CoV-2, the studies in their laboratory may also lead the way to design novel research and therapeutic efforts against SARS-CoV-2. Moving forward, Dr. Soni would like to focus his research on elucidating the mechanistic insights of host-virus interaction and generating knowledge in this field of research.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
To advance his career and gain mentoring and leadership experience, Dr. Soni plans to train undergraduate and graduate trainees in his laboratory at OSU. This will help him develop the necessary skills to become an independent scientist and educator in the future. He strives to be fully inclusive and welcoming in mentorship role. He is learning this art from the mentorship of Dr. Mebratu, who throughout his scientific career has strived to enhance diversity and provide opportunity for individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Dr. Soni plans to seek scholarships and fellowship opportunities for underrepresented minority students in his laboratory and the department and strives to motivate his laboratory members to uphold these principles. He has been actively involved in the university’s Postdoctoral Association (PDA) and is presently serving as the chair of the Social and Professional Development Committees, both of which organize events to provide equal and fair opportunities for social, professional, and academic networking and development to the university’s postdoctoral community.
Marion Urvoy
Department of Microbiology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Matthew Sullivan, Professor
Research Summary
Impact of phage infection on the bacterial cell’s output to the environment
Research Description
Microorganisms play a crucial role in the ocean. They fuel global biogeochemical cycles and ultimately impact how the ocean functions as a carbon reservoir, which constitutes a key buffer against climate change. Phages, viruses that infect bacteria, infect and lyse 20-40% of bacterial cells each day and thus mediate large carbon and nutrient fluxes. In addition, phages metabolically reprogram their host throughout the infection, making the phage-infected cells a distinct ecological entity. During her time at Ohio State, Dr. Urvoy will study the impact of phage infection on the host’s functioning and extracellular output, which is still poorly characterized.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
During this project, Dr. Urvoy and her faculty mentor, Dr. Matt Sullivan, hope to contribute positively to Ohio State’s mission to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. At least one undergraduate or graduate student from an underrepresented background will be mentored with a DEI-inspired hiring and training philosophy. This will be an excellent opportunity to train new scientists in an accelerating field of societal relevance.
Brett Zehner
Translational Data Analytics Institute, Global Arts and Humanities, and the Department of Comparative Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Kris Paulsen, Associate Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Studies
Research Summary
Artificial intelligence and its effect on the formation of identity and digital citizenship.
Research Description
Dr. Zehner’s research focuses on critical data studies within the arts and humanities, specifically investigating artificial intelligence and its effect on the formation of identity and digital citizenship. At Ohio State, he is currently working to develop his dissertation into his first book project – White Skin, White Code: Behavioral Dispossession and Racial Capitalism. This project examines racial capitalism throughout the history of artificial intelligence. In this project, he situates capitalist modes of identification as part and parcel of digital media histories.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Dr. Zehner’s research is both archival as well as public-facing. At Ohio State, he has co-initiated a working group at the Global Arts and Humanities Institute called Abolitionist Epistemologies, which will host a series of methodological workshops on racial justice throughout the academic year. In October 2023, his working group will host a workshop with Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme fellows and will include programming to connect with members of underserved communities.
2022 OK-PROS Cycle 1 Awardees
During this inaugural cycle of OK-PROS, we received fifty-four applications for review. Many of the applications we received were highly competitive and fundable, making this a challenging decision. All applications were reviewed and scored by at least two faculty and staff reviewers, using a standard evaluation rubric.
2022 Cycle 1 Awardees:
The OPA is pleased to announce the twenty-two awardees from the Cycle 1 competition, who have been selected to receive OK-PROS awards. Details for each finalist can be found below:
Stacey Armstrong
College of Social Work
Research Mentor: Alan Davis, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Breakthrough therapies for adolescents struggling with treatment-resistant PTSD and major depressive disorder.
Research Description
Mental health issues among youth have been increasing, and many psychotherapies and medications designed to treat adolescents struggling with treatment-resistant PTSD and depression are insufficient. “Breakthrough therapy” status has been assigned to MDMA and psilocybin to treat treatment-resistant PTSD and major depressive disorder in adults. Given the promising outcomes, the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) for other populations, such as adolescents, are being considered; however, barriers to the investigation and implementation of PAT must first be assessed. Because stigma surrounding psychedelic substances likely exists, it could negatively impact mental health providers’ attitudes about PAT for adolescents. Exploring the acceptability and feasibility of PAT for adolescents among social workers will provide data needed to design education and training materials, allow for protocol development to recruit youth into PAT clinical trials, and set a foundation for how this discipline can adopt this treatment once approved.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
We will use inclusive participant recruitment approaches to investigate PAT’s benefits among diverse adolescents in a clinical trial setting. Additionally, at least one graduate student from an underrepresented group will be mentored and involved in the study’s primary recruitment and data collection phases.
John Paul Anders
Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology
Research Mentor: Brian Focht, Professor and Vice Chair
Research Summary
Body adaptations to acute and chronic exercise.
Research Description
Dr. Anders is interested in understanding the influence of acute, fatiguing exercise on neuromuscular and cognitive function; how exercise training can enhance resiliency and mitigate the neuromuscular and cognitive detriments associated with fatigue; sex differences in exercise responses; and the influence of nutritional supplements in optimizing performance and facilitating exercise training adaptations.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Given gender biases in exercise research Dr. Anders’ actively recruits female participants to increase their representation in exercise science research. Further, his research engages with health-related initiatives aimed at improving the nutrition, exercise and physical activity in underserved and racial/ethnic minority populations.
Darwin Baluran
Glenn College of Public Affairs and Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.
Research Mentor: Shahidul Hassan, Professor
Research Summary
How racialization and racism shape life and criminal legal outcomes in underserved communities, with a focus on people of Asian descent.
Research Description
During his tenure as an OSU postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Darwin will focus on how racialization and racism are understood and experienced across place and over time, particularly by communities that have been largely overlooked in research. Specifically, he will look at the social factors that shape that shape policing and criminal justice outcomes; and, building on his prior research, examine how race, racialization, and racism impact the life outcomes of people of Asian descent.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
These projects contribute to scholarly and popular discourses regarding the role of criminal legal institutions in the United States. The findings from these projects can help researchers, the public, and policymakers to develop solutions to the pressing issue of the role of criminal legal institutions in perpetuating racial inequality in U.S. society. Moreover, these projects will also unmask the heterogeneity among Asian-origin communities, such that we can address the barriers that they face, particularly with regard to health and criminal legal institutions.
Jasmine Bruno
Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Mark Moritz, Professor
Research Summary
Causes and consequences of social and ecological change in livestock systems.
Research Description
Linked climatic and societal changes force the intersection of livestock production, rural communities, and rangelands towards undesired and unsustainable tipping points. In previous research, livestock keepers in Colorado, USA and Oromia, Ethiopia identified a need for deliberate transformations, the intentional change of a system to a new state when the previous is no longer feasible. Thus, at The Ohio State University, Jasmine, under the mentorship of Dr. Moritz, will collaborate with ranchers in the western United States and pastoralists in eastern Ethiopia to examine social-ecological change and support socially just and environmentally sustainable rangeland transformations. Jasmine’s research will use a transdisciplinary approach—research that engages scientists and other stakeholders to seek solutions to challenges jointly.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Global environmental change research is often conducted at tier-one universities, and as such, many communities report a disconnect between their needs and the research objectives. As a result, natural resource-dependent and especially underserved communities can lack a voice and representation in research and decision-making. In response, this research will bring together stakeholders, including scientists, to jointly frame problems and seek solutions to urgent social and environmental challenges.
Marjorie Dixon
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences. Research Mentor: Gerald Carter, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Social and sensory ecology of vampire bats
Research Description
Dr. Dixon’s research will investigate communicative function of social calls made by bats foraging around cattle. Their program will work closely with cattle ranchers and other stakeholders to 1) investigate possible novel vampire bat deterrents 2) disseminate research about the efficacy of existing methods, and 3) produce resources to help ranchers discriminate vampire bats from other beneficial bat species.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Dr. Dixon is a founding organizer of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (STRI-IDEA). Sexual harassment and misconduct have been rife in field research and Drs. Dixon and Carter are developing and providing training to field biologists in creating safe field work environments and safety plans, hosting workshops, and advocating for policy changes that increase equity and inclusivity at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Ellen Feiss
Department of History of Art, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Jody Patterson, Associate Professor
Research Summary
A book project that tells the two entwined stories of art in the War on Poverty: how it was used as part of quelling civil unrest, but at the same time, the ways that artists maximized federal funds to seed grassroots art institutions in divested black and brown communities.
Research Description
While most histories of public art in the United States end with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs of the 1930s, the project is the first to uncover the art and artists patronaged by the federal anti-poverty project in the 1960s. Spanning community muralism, modernist painting, and experimental film practices, the project shows that a large spectrum of art sought to incite the “maximum feasible participation” of the poor—a central goal for the program.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Given the role of murals and elaborate protest visuals in the nationwide uprisings around the murder of George Floyd, and the place of dance on the empty platforms of former confederate monuments, the present moment attests to the centrality of art within movements for social justice. Feiss’s research demonstrates the unique power of art, in movements of mass mobilization but also as a key coordinate of formal public policy around racial redress and economic justice.
Martín Fuchs
Department of Spanish and Portuguese, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Scott Schwenter, Professor
Research Summary
Language change research
Research Description
One of the most interesting observations about language is that very different languages tend to change in very similar ways. Why does this systematicity arise? The goal of Martín’s research is to answer this question and explain how and why languages change. His work has focused on different Spanish dialects, and as a postdoctoral scholar at OSU, he will work with Dr. Schwenter to expand his research to the different dialects of Spanish spoken in the United States by Spanish-English bilinguals.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Within Linguistics as a field, expanding language change research to bilingualism will shed light on the nature of bilingual grammars, ultimately providing input for the development of new pedagogical strategies that can improve the educational experience of bilingual students from underrepresented groups. More importantly, doing research on US Spanish can have a broader social impact by countering the common misconception that the Spanish spoken in the US is not ‘proper Spanish’, because it is different from the Spanish taught in schools. Creating awareness and underscoring the value of US Spanish as a language, and as a research topic, can also make students coming from Hispanic and Latinx backgrounds be prouder of their identity, and of how it contributes to American diversity.
Andrea Garcia
Nationwide Children’s Hospital and College of Medicine
Research Mentor: Mary Fristad, Professor Emerita and Principal Investigator
Research Summary
Interdisciplinary, family-centered approaches to address gaps in the integrated care of children and their families from minority and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Research Description
Children of minority and of low socioeconomic status continue to lag behind their more affluent peers in health care and status. As a Latina American, I have seen first-hand the current barriers in meeting the diversifying needs of minorities within the behavioral health system, such as barriers in culturally responsive treatment for diverse populations, addressing language barriers, and limited engagement with the child’s community.
My current research program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital-Behavioral Health (NCH-BH) is embarking on an ambitious roll-out of a measurement based clinical assessment tool (MBCAT) in acute and ambulatory settings. NCH-BH is the largest hospital-affiliated BH service in the country.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
With my success, I will develop interdisciplinary relationships that can help support family centered programs such as addressing gaps in the integrated care of children and their families, especially families and children struggling with mental and physical health problems and from minority and low socioeconomic status backgrounds. Additionally, through the resources provided by the OK-PROS program and other programs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University, I will be able to also build strategies that allow me to forge stronger relationships to underserved communities in my research and scholarship.
Tuba Gezer
Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology.
Research Mentor: Minjung Kim, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Immigration, globalization and K-12 language acquisition
Research Description
With growing immigration and globalization, the K-12 student populations of the United States and western countries more broadly continue to diversify. As a result, there are many students who are not proficient in English within these school systems. English Learner (EL) is defined as someone who is between 3-21 years old, enrolled in elementary or secondary school, and who was not born in the United States or who has a native language other than English (ESSA, 2015). English learners’ education becomes critically important since English-speaking western countries need to accommodate diverse learner population as the number of immigrant students is increasing (Liasidou, 2013). Dr Gezer is interested in understanding the teacher and student related factors with English Learner (EL) academic achievement that will improve EL educational programs and identify EL student needs for academic success.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Considering these EL population increases, educational resources and programs are needed to ensure EL students can successfully meet the high expectations needed to transition into jobs and postsecondary education. Understanding the teacher and student related factors with EL academic achievement will allow improving EL educational programs and identify EL student needs for academic success which will positively impact equity and inclusivity in our research. The results of this study benefit teachers, parents, department of education staff, and EL students to expand fairness and equal educational access.
Ximena Oyarzún-González
Department of Outcomes and Translational Sciences, College of Pharmacy.
Research Mentor: Macarius Donneyong, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
The effects of medications, polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in the cognitive status of the elderly population.
Research Description
Ximena is a pharmacist from Universidad de Chile, with a MSc in epidemiology from the University of Louisville and a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Kentucky. During her postdoctoral studies, she plans to continue her work on polypharmacy in the elderly and will begin to work on the effect of hormonal replacement therapy on the cognitive trajectory of elderly women.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The results of this research will provide information that could help improve the health of elderly populations, who are usually underrepresented in clinical trials in pharmaceutical research.
Laura Hildebrand
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Kentaro Fujita, Professor
Research Summary
Confrontations, prejudice reduction and conflict resolution
Research Description
Confrontations are a powerful prejudice reduction strategy: Confronting, or calling out bias, reduces future expressions of prejudice. Yet, people who are confronted (i.e., confrontees) direct social costs, or negative interpersonal evaluations, at the confronter. These social costs hurt the confronter and reduce the likelihood that would-be confronters will confront. Confrontations are thus difficult to make and receive. In her proposed research, Dr. Laura Hildebrand and Dr. Kentaro Fujita argue that confrontations represent a self-control conflict for both confronters and confrontees. The proposed research will examine the content of these conflicting goals and how people resolve such conflicts. By integrating the confrontation and goal conflict literatures, this research will advance both motivation and prejudice reduction theory.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This research will offer evidence-based insight on strategies to increase the frequency of confrontations and make reactions to confrontations more positive. In doing so, this research ultimately aims to foster more inclusive and equitable environments for people with marginalized identities.
Colin Hisey
Biomedical Engineering
LEGACY Postdoctoral Scholar
Mentorship Team: Drs. Eduardo Reátegui, Zachary Schultz, Derek Hansford, Tanya Nocera, and Andre Palmer.
Research Summary
His research involves the use of micro- and nanotechnology to develop tools for extracellular vesicle (EV) research. His primary interests are related to cancer engineering, but he also explores applications related to infectious diseases and reproduction to ultimately improve human health.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
He aims to transition to a tenure-track faculty position in Biomedical Engineering, where he can help create a lasting culture of inclusive excellence in his research, teaching, and service roles.
Megan Jordan
Department of Arts Administration, Education, and Policy, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Rachel Skaggs, Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Assistant Professor of Arts Management
Research Summary
Social movement scholarship
Research Description
Megan’s research investigates activists’ burnout experiences and coping strategies via in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Social movement scholarship has often oversampled White, privileged activists. Even further, when it does step outside of this norm to examine the experiences of activists of color, the research often takes a so-called “deficit approach,” highlighting issues the activists face but largely leaving solutions and assets of this community unexamined. To counter previous narratives and fill these gaps, Megan’s research sample is intentionally diverse across race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and nationality axes. Second, her research examines solutions to the issue of activist burnout as told by the activists themselves.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As a first-generation college student and Black womanist artist-activist-scholar, Megan brings an intersectional and asset-based perspective to her research on social movements. Working with her mentor Dr. Skaggs, an interdisciplinary scholar and fellow sociologist at the nexus of social science, policy, and the arts, Megan will continue to grow and diversify her research sample and publish solution-based findings across these multiple fields.
Paige Kelly
Division of City & Regional Planning in the College of Engineering and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Research Mentor: Jason Reece, Associate Professor and Interim Executive Director, City & Regional Planning, Knowlton School of Architecture, COE.
Research Summary
Public policy, economic justice and well-being
Research Description
Dr. Paige’s research is motivated by understanding why economic justice and well-being vary so distinctly across places. Her research seeks to account for differences in economic well-being across places by asking, how does public policy influence inequality and opportunity across communities? To address this question, her research examines whether the quality of state and local governments and their policies produce inequality among racialized populations as well as rural and urban places.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
During her postdoctoral, she will contribute to the Kirwan Institute’s mission to create a just and inclusive society where all persons and communities have the opportunity to flourish. Working with her faculty mentor, Dr. Jason Reece, she will examine the community contexts that produce or fail to produce economic opportunities for residents depending on their race/ethnicity. Through her work at The Ohio State University, she aims to illuminate possible community-based interventions by local governments to promote economic justice and well-being across racialized populations and communities.
Noemi Linares-Ramirez
Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology.
Research Mentor: Jay Plasman, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Race and social change in educational institutions
Research Description
Dr. Linares-Ramirez examines how racially underrepresented groups (Black, Latinx, and Native American) demand and experience change in educational institutions. She is especially interested in how race shapes the role that students, school personnel, and external organizations play in the outcomes of diversity initiatives in education settings. With an emphasis on comprehensive school experiences, this work is part of a broader conversation on race, class, equality, and education.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
With funding from OK-PROS and mentorship by Jay Plasman, Noemi will have the opportunity to work with undergraduate research assistants on a project examining the experiences of racially diverse students participating in an industry sponsored computer science (CS) program in Ohio. These research assistants will be involved in the entire research process from recruitment of participants to data collection and analysis as well as writing and dissemination of findings through reports and presentations. This work will support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM by highlighting the barriers these students face in computer science programs. This study also identifies factors at home and school that could improve the CS interest and knowledge of students.
Emily Moscato
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Biobehavioral Health and the Ohio State Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine.
Research Mentor: Cynthia Gerhardt, Professor, Pediatrics, COM, and PI, NCH.
Research Summary
Inclusive practices and digital health interventions
Research Description
Dr. Moscato’s research focuses on developing digital health interventions to mitigate health disparities for underserved pediatric populations with neurodiverse abilities. Specifically, her current work focuses on adapting a positive parenting intervention to improve quality of life for young childhood cancer survivors who live in rural and Appalachian areas. Dr. Moscator will conduct a stakeholder analysis to better understand the needs of this underserved group and those who care for them (i.e., caregivers, early educators, medical providers). She will then transcreate a digital health intervention, while partnering with a community advisory board, to ensure the cultural responsivity of the intervention.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In addition to her inclusivity-focused research, Dr. Moscato is committed to diversifying the pipeline of future psychologists and medical professionals. She engages in joint/tiered mentoring with Dr. Gerhardt for a diverse cohort of undergraduate and post-baccalaureate trainees at Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Madhura Phansikar
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Ruchika Prakash, Professor
Research Summary
Efficacy of mind-body approaches in improving cognitive and psychosocial functioning among middle-aged and older adults.
Research Description
A key contribution of the planned research is that it focuses on representing the demographic characteristics of Columbus, Ohio. Generally, most research in the mindfulness field has focused on Caucasian and non-Latinx populations. This may lead to erroneous conclusions about the generalizability of the results as well as an underappreciation of sociodemographic and cultural factors that affect both mindfulness engagement and cognitive functioning. Given this, papers from this data will substantially contribute to the literature by showing the cognitive effects of engaging in a mindfulness intervention and factors that affect engagement in such interventions, in a representative population, with a relatively large sample size.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Apart from research activities, Madhura is on the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Taskforce in the Department of Psychology and has actively contributed to discussions on climate and communication within the department, and graduate and faculty issues related to diversity. Additionally, she is a co-chair of the International Committee of the Ohio State Postdoctoral Association, organizing informational webinars to assist international scholars in smoothly transitioning to the US.
Liva Pires do Prado
Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Research Mentor: Rachelle Adams, Assistant Professor
Research Summary
Neotropical ant diversity
Research Description
The proposed research seeks to document and describe the diversity of ants in the Neotropical region, combining field, laboratory, and museum work. Since finishing her doctorate, she has focused her research on a very special group of ants (species of the genus Megalomyrmex). Now, as a postdoctoral scholar at the Adams Mega Ant Lab (https://megalomyrmex.osu.edu/) at The Ohio State University, under the supervision of Dr. Adams, she will use an integrative approach to elucidate broader evolutionary questions, related to topics such as morphological diversification, the study of the species complex, reproductive strategies, and venom evolution of Megalomyrmex species.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In addition to investigating fascinating questions about the life histories of an extremely diverse group of ants, our project will devote efforts toward training of new scientists, within an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment. She will engage with the public through outreach activities such as elaboration of Ohio ant field guides, and sharing her experience and knowledge concerning biodiversity conservation.
Cydni Robertson
Department of Human Sciences and Fashion and Retail Studies program in the College of Education and Human Ecology.
Research Mentor: Tasha Lewis, Associate Professor
Research Summary
Participation of underrepresented groups in fashion studies in higher education
Research Description
Dr. Robertson, working with her faculty mentor, Dr. Lewis, proposes a research study that aims to enhance the participation of students from groups who are largely underserved in higher education through: 1) The evaluation of curricula, and teaching strategies for the Fashion and Retail Studies (2374), 20th Century Fashion History course; and, 2) By conducting research to develop and include new multicultural course content. This intentionally inclusive course augmentation will be implemented in the Autumn 2023 session. More specifically, Robertson and Lewis aim to include research that centers Black/African American, Latinx, Asian-American, and Indigenous populations contribution to the fashion, dress, and American culture.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Drs. Robertson and Lewis believe that the new content in this course will assist in the recruitment and retention of students of color for the Fashion and Retail Studies program, while also positively impacting diversity, equity, and inclusivity thought leadership at Ohio State.
Sefa Secen
Mershon Center for International Security Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Teri Murphy, Associate Director, Mershon Center
Research Summary
Refugees, international security, Middle East, Europe, and mixed-methods research
Research Description
Dr. Sefa studies the social construction of threats and security policies, known as securitization, by focusing on the performative, strategic, and symbolic power of security. Their project “Whose Security? Humans, Communities, Humanitarian NGOs, and States A Case Study from Turkey” is designed with the objective of producing grounded and contextualized knowledge by working with NGO leaders, government officials, and host/refugee communities in real-time, ambiguous, and politically complex settings. The research agenda, design, analysis, and policy-to-practice translation will be co-created and co-led with Doctors of the World-Turkey and their partners. In addition to understanding the multiplicity and complexity of, and the interplay between different security conceptions, this project aims to learn from as well as support the practitioners in their efforts to identify and meet the needs of their beneficiaries based on survey and interview data.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The beneficiaries of the proposed work, irregularly documented and undocumented migrants, are the most vulnerable in this context and this project will promote their inclusion and peaceful co-existence with other refugees and host communities.
Ye Shen
Department of Educational Studies and Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education and Human Ecology.
Research Mentor: Emily Rodgers and Jerome D’Agostino, Professors
Research Summary
Multilingual language development and literacy acquisition among culturally and linguistically diverse children
Research Description
Dr. Shen examines cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying multilingualism and multiliteracy, as well as external factors (e.g., literacy practices, bilingual programming, socioeconomic status) that impact child development. With the support from the OPA OK-PROS, Dr. Shen will gain more experiences in mentoring students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. She will work with a Spanish-speaking undergraduate students to better understand the literacy development of Spanish-English bilingual children, in order to serve the needs of this historically underrepresented and underserved group.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As a bilingual educator and researcher, Ye aims to contribute to an educational landscape that enables students from diverse backgrounds to have positive experiences in formal schooling, and empowering them to value their many identities, cultures, histories, and communities. Dr. Shen, along with her mentors, will continue this research agenda grounded in improving equity and access to quality education for culturally and linguistically diverse children.
Van My Truong
School of Music, College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Mentor: Danielle Fosler-Lussier, Professor
Research Summary
As we witness an unprecedented global rise in forced migration, the unauthorized migrant boat crossing has gained increased attention from media outlets that flatten narratives, leaving little room for engaging with the deeper experiences of those who embark on such desperate and uncertain crossings. At the same time, there is a proliferation of literature, art, music, and film depicting the emotional and embodied registers of the migrant boat crossing as foundational to understanding our current historical moment.
Research Description
Van’s research is situated within several cultural historical convergences and underscores the critical role of culture in helping us make sense of the more complex, unquantifiable aspects of the human experience. To that end, her first book project, The Utopics of Migrant Melancholia, explores representations of unauthorized migrant boat crossings out of Vietnam, Haiti, and North Africa and theorizes the utopic imagination in contemporary migrant life. Her second project, These Oceans Among Us, continues to focus on contemporary migrant life and culture through the collection and archive of migrant family photos that have been damaged in boat crossings, leaving material traces of the trauma—from saltwater, gasoline, blood, sweat, tears—upon the image. Through the curation of a photographic exhibition, online digital archive, and accompanying written component Van will explore the impacts of this collection on how we think about the image as a sedimented archive in and of itself, as a materially and metaphorically layered document of migrant memory and history.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Van’s projects seek to reveal the deeper experiences of people representing many cultural backgrounds who are forced to migrate. The public-facing exhibition, online archive, and book project will be accessible by general audiences and scholars interested in migrant life and culture, with the ultimate goal of engaging a broader public by expanding the reach and depth of the public humanities.
Acknowledgements
The OK-PROS program is made possible through the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Grant #: P-60076160-2022 Ohio State University.