Honors and Awards

All-University Commencement Honors

Class Representative and Student Engagement Award
Toluwalase Akinluyi, MPH in Public Health Policy and Management

As a graduate of the University of Ibadan in her home country, Nigeria, Toluwalase “LA” Akinluyi thought she had fulfilled a lifelong dream in her work as a physical therapist. Instead, she felt “this daily nudge to go into public health, I would call it a healthy unrest. Like you love this, but you can do more with it.”

Resolved to go beyond treating symptoms after seeing her patients suffer preventable ills, LA came to NYC and earned her MPH in Public Health Management, balancing her clinical mindset with activism and policy. Nominated by her peers for a Student Engagement Award, she will also represent GPH at the all-University Commencement ceremony, accepting her diploma on behalf of her classmates.

With a special interest in occupational health, LA has embraced poetry as a tool of advocacy for workers’ health. Winning first place in NYU’s 20th annual MLK Spoken Word Contest, she‘ll use the momentum from her GPH experience to heal and strengthen communities with education, innovation and dedication.

Banner Bearer
Sarah Crisci, MS in Epidemiology

Sarah Crisci, who will proudly bear the GPH banner at this year’s all-University Commencement ceremony, began the path to her Master of Science in Epidemiology by first earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Rutgers University. Her subsequent passion for public health sprang from time serving in the Peace Corps in Thailand, where she witnessed health disparities and systemic inequity. She obtained an MPH from Monash University in Australia, working to understand health equity issues, but she wanted more training and came to NYU.

Here, Sarah has researched adverse event reporting for patients with lupus, and worked with Columbia University’s ICAP Initiative on research related to Covid-19 preparedness. She also served as president of GPH’s Epidemiology Club, wrote for its Journal of Public Health Disasters, and tutored beginning epidemiology students.

Sarah plans to continue advancing research related to real-world evidence generation to improve treatment safety. She’s grateful to her family and friends, and to the GPH community, for their support of her accomplishments.

Commencement Tribute Video
Zoe Howard, MPH in Global Health

A native New Yorker representing GPH in the all-University Commencement video, Zoe Howard heard the calling for public health as an undergraduate, earning her bachelor’s degree in the field from the University of South Florida. After arriving at NYU to pursue an MPH concentrating in global health, Zoe was elected Graduate President by her peers for her advocacy, her collaboration on research and initiatives to strengthen the GPH community.

As a member of the Implementing Sustainable Evidence-based Interventions through Engagement (ISEE) Lab at GPH, Zoe contributed research to projects that focused on global infectious disease outcomes; she was also an intern on an NIH-funded project to expand access to PrEP through pharmacies in New York City at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Zoe appreciates the support of her parents, who always encourage her to pursue her passions and dreams, and is grateful for her experiences at GPH.

GPH Graduation Awards

Public Health Research Award
Leroy Elikplim Kwami Akoto, MPH in Public Health Policy and Management

Leroy Akoto came to NYU to pursue an MPH in Public Health Policy after he developed an interest in the relationship between it and social determinants of health. A graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences, and of DePaul University with a master’s in sociology, at GPH Leroy became involved with research at its Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice, and Public Health (CASJPH). There he has explored the experience of long-Covid patients with their physician interaction, diagnosis and treatment. He also worked on a CDC-funded study of the impact of state alcohol-related laws on firearm violence.

Leroy has been named to receive a GPH Public Health Research Award for his contributions to CASJPH. In addition, he has worked as a health policy research assistant with the Correctional Associations of New York, and as a health promotions coach for survivors of domestic violence and for recently unhoused individuals.

Leroy is grateful for the opportunities he’s received at NYU GPH to explore and grow as an academic and public health professional.

Public Health Social Justice Award and Public Health Practice + Leadership Award
Oyinkansola Babayode, MPH in Global Health

Oyinkansola Babayode earned her medical degree from Babcock University in Nigeria and practiced medicine there before coming to NYU to pursue an MPH in Global Health. She graduates today as a recipient of two awards given by peers and faculty: one for social justice, the other for practice and leadership.

Recognizing education as a social determinant of health, Oyin applied for an NYU Changemaker Grant and renovated a rural school in western Nigeria, improving outcomes for over 300 children, who can now study in a safe and comfortable environment. She also founded Medicart Africa to reduce emissions in healthcare supply chains and improve access to medical equipment, and served as President of the all-University African Graduate Students Association.

As a William Rom Climate Fellow and Global Environmental Health Scholar, Oyin conducted fieldwork on climate change, household air pollution, and hypertension prevention in Nigeria. She has also co-authored scholarly works, including a recent article on pediatric heat stress and climate inaction. Oyin is grateful to God, her family, mentors and loved ones for their support.

Student Engagement Award
Maya Angelina Caple, MPH in Community Health Science and Practice

Maya Angelina Caple’s academic career began with a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from Azusa Pacific University, and she has worked full-time at Stanford University School of Medicine for the past two years as a clinical research coordinator. Motivated by the health disparities she saw growing up, Maya enrolled in GPH and earned her online master’s degree with a concentration in Community Health Science and Practice, receiving a Student Engagement Award.

During her time at GPH, Maya served as co-president of the Black Women’s Health Collective and founded the Women in Medicine Club. She contributed to GPH’s Implementing Sustainable Evidence-based Interventions through Engagement (ISEE) Lab, focusing on integrating multiple female cancer screenings in low- and middle-income countries, and to the Global Action for Urban Health Lab, where she helped develop a curriculum on building safer cities for women and girls.

Maya extends her deepest gratitude to her family, friends and mentors for their support. In the future, she plans to become a physician who integrates public health principles into clinical care.

Public Health Research Award
Yanbing Chen, MS in Biostatistics

Yanbing Chen came to NYU with a bachelor’s degree in applied statistics from Minzu University of China, and she graduates today from GPH with a Master of Science in Biostatistics. In recognition of her skills at applying machine learning methods to public health problems, using medical imaging and clinical data, she will receive a Public Health Research Award.

Yanbing has worked with Prof. Hai Shu on research and is first author on two papers: one introduces a novel, three-dimensional model for brain tumor segmentation; the other improves data efficiency in generative language models. She also contributed to projects on Covid-19’s impact on pediatric dentistry and health equity research in medical education, working with large-scale datasets from NYU Langone, including over 150 million rows of electronic health record data. As a teaching assistant in GPH’s Biostatistics Lab she supports other students, helping them use Stata to solve public health challenges.

Yanbing will pursue a PhD in biostatistics at Penn State University in the fall, gaining expertise with statistical analysis methods to drive data-based benefits for global public health.

GPH Student Speaker
Nora Caroline Day, MPH in Public Health Policy and Management

Hailing from Phoenix, Nora Day earned a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation studies from the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College. While an undergrad there she was a strong advocate for students with disabilities to have a more equitable college experience, serving as vice president of the university’s largest women’s organization, securing funding for a cultural center, and making university housing more accessible.

It was these experiences that inspired Nora to enroll in NYU, culminating with her MPH in Public Health Policy and a role as the Class of 2025 student speaker, where she will address her fellow GPH graduates. While pursuing her degree, Nora conducted research focused on empowering female-identifying patients with disabilities to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings. She also co-founded the Reproductive Rights Club to educate and mobilize students in support of reproductive health equity.

In her free time, Nora enjoys visiting local bookstores and attending Broadway shows. After graduation, she will return to her undergraduate alma mater for medical school.

Student Engagement Award
Natalia Isabel De La Viña, MPH in Global Health

Natalia De La Viña’s public health education began with dual bachelor's degrees in neuroscience and Spanish from the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College. She was employed as a community health worker, a Spanish medical interpreter and a diabetes educator for clinics in Tucson and Northern Mexico.

Natalia came to NYU to pursue an MPH concentrating in global health, but it was her commitment to equity, community-based care and cultural humility that led to her immersion in campus life and to being chosen for a Student Engagement Award.

At GPH Natalia has conducted research focused on the surveillance and prevention of mycetoma in Ethiopia; on the diagnosis of congenital heart disease via ultrasound in Mexico; and on the building of stronger health systems in low-resourced populations. She also served as the founder and president of the Latin and Indigenous Native Health Equity Network (LINEN) and as co-director of the Applied Global Public Health Initiative (AGPHI).

After graduation Natalia plans to use medicine and her newfound skill set to build culturally rooted clinical partnerships and stronger health systems in underserved communities around the world.

Student Engagement Award
Elizabeth Gomez Lomeli, MPH in Community Health Science & Practice

A California native, Elizabeth Gomez Lomeli was profoundly shaped by her undergraduate studies in international development at UCLA, and by her experience studying abroad in the Amazon of Peru. There, she witnessed firsthand the stark disparities in health care access for underserved Indigenous communities.

With her MPH concentrating in community health science and practice, Elizabeth has deepened her understanding of the complexities of global health systems and the intersection of culture, access and equity in healthcare. She received an SGA Initiative Fund Grant to launch the GPH Marketplace, which provides cost-free essential services to all students across NYU. She also worked on developing programs and policies that address food insecurity, social determinants of health and holistic community care. And in recognition of her contributions to the GPH community, her peers have nominated her for a Student Engagement Award.

Through research, advocacy and hands-on engagement, Elizabeth will use the knowledge and skills from her degree to create meaningful change in both local and global health landscapes.

Public Health Research Award
Dr. Priyanka Lanka, MPH in Global Health

Dr. Priyanka Lanka learned the value of public health while working as a prosthodontist and implantologist in India, where she witnessed how limited access to care could shape a person’s health and well-being. Over years in the clinic rehabilitating oral cancer patients, she realized the challenge was rooted not in treating disease, but in preventing it. This insight became the driving force behind her MPH in Global Health, where she has dedicated herself to addressing healthcare disparities through research.

While pursuing her degree Priyanka contributed to systematic reviews in public health and implementation research. She also worked on projects in climate resilience with the Global Action for Urban Health lab, and on projects related to correctional health as a family-based justice center fellow at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management. In recognition of her contributions, GPH has named her a recipient of a Public Health Research Award.

In addition to the work of raising two young children, Priyanka looks forward to applying the skills she has gained at GPH to drive meaningful change in global and urban health care.

Public Health Research Award
Jingxuan Ma, MS in Biostatistics

Born and raised in China, Jingxuan Ma earned a bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of British Columbia, collaborating as a student statistician with researchers across disciplines. Eager to contribute her analytical expertise and drive meaningful insights into global challenges, she enrolled in GPH for her MS in Biostatistics, her work meriting a Public Health Research Award as graduates with her degree today.

Jingxuan’s primary interests examine the intersection of mental and physical health, and focus on health disparities in underserved populations. As a research assistant in GPH’s Attachment and Health Disparities Lab, she conducted in-depth analyses of nationally representative datasets to examine health outcomes such as inflammation, sleep and physical activity patterns. She also led workshops to help researchers navigate public health data platforms, strengthening the research community’s analytic capacity.

Grateful for her experience at NYU GPH, Jingxuan is committed to leveraging her skills to drive data-informed strategies that advance global public health.

Public Health Research Award
Lorena Lee Martínez, MPH in Public Health Nutrition

Lorena Lee Martínez is dedicated to preventing nutrition problems globally, having graduated magna cum laude from the University of Monterrey in Mexico with a bachelor’s in nutrition, doing fieldwork for a study focused on the double burden of malnutrition on the population level (the coexistence of overnutrition alongside undernutrition). She also did internships in food service, clinical nutrition and public health, conducted in-person nutrition workshops, and developed an online platform with a family meal program.

Lorena’s undergraduate experiences motivated her pursuit of an MPH at NYU, concentrating in Public Health Nutrition. As a member of the Applied Global Public Health Initiative (AGPHI), she led a team on evaluating neonatal health services in Queretaro, Mexico. She was also a research associate at NYU Langone for an NIH-funded study on maternal health.

In addition to receiving a GPH Public Health Research Award, Lorena is enrolled in NYU’s Didactic Program in Dietetics, with the goal of becoming a Registered Dietician Nutritionist. After graduation she will complete her RDN, and aspires to create nutrition programs that improve hormonal balance and enhance fertility outcomes.

Public Health Research Award
Kaylen (Lijing) Wei, MS in Biostatistics

Kaylen Wei received her bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of Toronto where she worked at the Health System Performance Network. Researching the Canadian health system influenced her decision to come to NYU and pursue a Master of Science at GPH.

During her tenure in the Department of Biostatistics, Kaylen has contributed to Prof. Yang Feng’s research lab on developing statistical methodologies for longitudinal data, and she has collaborated with Prof. Jemar Bather on examining the impact of remote work on mental health. She has also assisted with statistical analyses for the Department’s Biostatistical Collaboration and Consultation Core, and participated in the ENAR DataFest, where her team became finalists and presented at the 2024 conference. For her accomplishments, Kaylen will receive a Public Health Research Award.

Kaylen is deeply grateful to her family, friends and faculty mentors for their support, and she is excited to continue conducting research in biostatistics with the skills she acquired at GPH.