April 30, 2025

CCHL Students Showcase Research at Annual Student Research Symposium

The annual event provides a forum for outstanding student scholarship and research to be shared with academic peers and the greater campus community through poster presentations

Posted in: College News and Events, Homepage News and Events

Dr. Fredrick Gardin and Dr. Luis Torres stand with graduate student Stephanie Maszera in front of her research poster.

The annual Student Research Symposium, hosted by the Office of Research, was held on Friday, April 25th and the College for Community Health (CCHL) was well represented at the event! Both student research and faculty participation highlighted the College’s commitment to addressing complex community health issues through multidisciplinary approaches.

The Review Committee included Dr. Dana Levitt, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and three faculty members from the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Dr. Robyn Becker, Dr. Grace Clark, and Dr. Kate Nealon. Additional event volunteers from CCHL included Dr. Amanda Birnbaum (Public Health) and Dr. Fredrick Gardin (Kinesiology).

A full list of student presentations from the College for Community Health can be viewed below:

Omayma Jabara
- Title: Is socioeconomic status the real cause of the 30 million word gap?
- Advisor: Robyn Becker
Madelyn Kwak
- Title: Exploring common misconceptions among SLPs related to the multi-tiered systems of support framework
- Co-Presenter(s): Alexandra Bond
- Advisor: Lesley Sylvan
Gabriella Pesantes
- Title: Participation-focused intervention in stuttering: Perspectives of stakeholders
- Co-Presenter(s): Stephen Wilkins
- Advisor: Michael Boyle
Gabriella Pesantes
- Title: The influence of orthographic representations on verb learning
- Co-Presenter(s): Madison Skibicki
- Advisor: Grace Clark
Madeline Russell
- Title: Utilizing AI to revolutionize perception training for children with residual speech sound disorder
- Advisor: Elaine Hitchcock
Meghan Santarelli
- Title: A preliminary investigation of the prevalence of motor speech and language disorders within a pediatric outpatient clinical setting, effect of listener experience on intelligibility, severity, and perceived listening effort in apraxia of speech
- Co-Presenter(s): Julia Pereira
- Advisor: Kate Nealon
Kaitlyn Verney
- Title: How do phonological/phonemic awareness and speech sound production influence one another?
- Advisor: Robyn Becker

Nivioska Bruce
- Title: Career expectations of future counselors
- Advisor: Amanda Baden

Elaine Les
- Title: Perceptions of Chatgpt in a college classroom
- Co-Presenter(s): Yasmine Perry
- Advisor: Miriam Linver
Donna Meeker-O’Rourke
- Title: Reclaiming strength: Voices of women who survived firearm intimate partner violence
- Advisor: Ashley Ermer
Chrishay Pearce
- Title: Examining the lived experiences of African American parents of children with disabilities
- Advisor: Pearl Stewart
Jose Rodas
- Title: Sibling relationships and influence among first-generation college students
- Advisor: Pearl Stewart
Erin Scott
- Title: “I almost broke”: Examining the mental health impact of gendered racism among black millennial women
- Advisor: Jason Williams
Nicole Sochaczevski
- Title: How adults volunteering with youth perceive the value of youth leadership
- Co-Presenter(s): Luisa Engeldinger
- Advisor: Miriam Linver
Anglin Thevaraja
- Title: Do students and institutions share the same values? Exploring student perspectives at Montclair State University
- Co-Presenter(s): Elaine Les, Yasmine Perry, Jackie Novak
- Advisor: Elyse Postlewaite

Melody An
- Title: How the timing of taking NSAIDs influence the progression of symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Alexa Antonelli
- Title: Exploration of lower-extremity range of motion in national collegiate athletic association Division-III field hockey players
- Advisor: Luis Torres
Danny Baroni
- Title: How may psychological support from an athletic trainer impact male collegiate athletes return to play outcomes?
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Luisa Davila
- Title: The effects of taping vs. orthotics on reducing plantar fasciitis/plantar heel pain
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Jordyn Defalco
- Title: The effectiveness of aquatic therapy on knee injuries
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Isabella DiVito
- Title: Heart rate variability impacts shoot/don’t shoot errors under high cognitive load
- Co-Presenter(s): Keyla Checo
- Advisor: Robert Horn
Julia Rose Duardo
- Title: Interrater reliability of the smooth pursuit and saccadic tasks of the VOMS among certified athletic trainers
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Rodolfo Giron
- Title: Correlation between grip strength and upper extremity injury risk among BJJ athletes
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Tyler Grieco
- Title: A critical appraisal of deep oscillation therapy and its effect on decreasing pain and swelling in acute ankle sprains
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Samantha Hagenbush
- Title: Prevalence of mental health symptoms among adolescent male student-athletes
- Advisor: Luis Torres
Elyse Ippolito
- Title: Balance training compared to strength training in recurrence of ankle sprains and return to function
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Nicholas Maccarone
- Title: Comparison of pitching styles causing UCL tears: A critically appraise topic
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Anthony Malfitano
- Title: Effects of pre-habilitation on recovery time and strength retention in female athletes with ACL tears
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Stephanie Maszera
- Title: A survey of medical coverage in the marching arts
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Mohamed Moustafa
- Title: Correlation between dynamic knee valgus and active hip external rotation in healthy active adults
- Advisor: Luis Torres
Kelly Negra
- Title: Effect of daytime napping on sports performance in adult athletes
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Caitlyn Tamayo
- Title: The relationship of menstruation and the risks of ACL tears on female adolescent athletes
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin
Caroline Walz
- Title: Taping vs bracing for patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Advisor: Fredrick Gardin

Karen Andrea Mendez Camacho
- Title: Breastfeeding education requirements in U.S. public schools
- Advisor: Lauren Dinour
Paige Dellosso
- Title: Exploring the association between social media and soda consumption among high school students
- Advisor: Lauren Dinour
Nicole Fontes
- Title: Dietary tribulations of Portuguese émigré consumers in a northeast U.S. Portuguese neighborhood: A qualitative investigation
- Co-Presenter(s): Shubham Gautam
- Advisor: Charles Feldman
Shubham Gautam
- Title: Effect of gluten-free ingredients substitutions on the antioxidant potential of antioxidant-rich based goods
- Advisor: Adrian Kerrihard
Amelia Kearney
- Title: Patient characteristics and growth outcomes among children with feeding difficulties
- Advisor: Jessica Bihuniak
Sarah Liz
- Title: Assessment of gastrointestinal/feeding symptoms, impacts, and treatments in patients affected by peroxisomal disorders
- Advisor: Mousumi Bose
Luna Takagi
- Title: Understanding premenstrual syndrome among college students and its association with dietary habits
- Advisor: Yeon Bai

Savanna Correia
- Title: The impact of food insecurity on healthcare access in New Jersey
- Advisor: Sze Yan Liu
Yaire Hernandez
- Title: What do families with young children value about an organization that helps them connect their kids with nature?
- Advisor: Amanda Birnbaum
Laura Hyppolite
- Title: Severe maternal morbidity and infant health and healthcare utilization: A scoping review
- Advisor: Sze Yan Liu
Bhumi Patel
- Title: Creating neuroinclusive workplaces: A literature review
- Advisor: Amanda Birnbaum

Check out photos from the event!