In November, several students and professors travelled to Washington, DC for the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Annual Meeting. This conference is the largest gathering of public health professionals in the country.
Health Studies major, Fernanda Moya-Quezada ’26, was recognized for Outstanding Student Work in the Advancement in Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Policy category. She gave an oral presentation entitled “Social Networks and Their Impact on Perceptions and Characteristics of Substance Use in Undergraduate College Students: Findings from Phase 1 of an Exploratory Sequential Design.” She conducted this research as part of Dr. Courtney Blondino’s intendent study group along with Ella Karcewski ’26, who is double majoring in Health Studies and Biology.
Dr. Nigel James was honored with the 2025 APHA Cancer Forum Global Health Award, which is the highest award in the Global Health category. Two students who spent the summer researching with him, Julia Messerman ‘28 and Callia Nickels ’28, presented their poster entitled “Transforming Detection: Assessing the Impact of Task Shifting in Nurse-Led Breast Cancer Screening in Rural Ghana”. For this study, they collaborated with researchers at Penn State and the University of Ghana.
Dr. Solis Winters earned her PhD in Health Policy, Population & Data Science from the University of California Berkeley’s School of Public Health. She will be teaching HS 250 Epidemiology and Research Methods in the fall. Her primary research focuses on health and nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to age 2.
In her spare time, Dr. Winters enjoys traveling and cheering on her favorite women’s soccer teams, Bay FC and USWNT. She has a passion for baking but is also interested in finding the best cafes and restaurants that Richmond has to offer.
Dr. Winters is excited to join the web as 2 of her 3 brothers are Spider alumni. Stop by Richmond Hall to say hi this fall.
Dr. Hemali Oza earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia, after completing both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental science and engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Most recently, she spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Emory, where her research focused on climate resilience, wastewater surveillance for infectious disease monitoring, and science communication.
This fall, Dr. Oza will be teaching HS 101 Global Health. She brings expertise in microbiology, epidemiological analysis, scale development, and community engagement.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Oza enjoys painting, puzzles, puns, and the occasional late-night Taco Bell run. She’s new to Richmond and on the hunt for the best coffee spots and vegetarian friendly restaurants—feel free to share your favorites!
Spiders explored the food, music, and history of this West African country during International Education Week.
Margaret Tait, assistant professor of health studies, received the Anders Andren Faculty Fellowship for “Health and Hype: Exploring the Spread of Health-Related Misinformation Through Multi-Level Marketing Programs.” The fellowship, awarded by the University of Richmond, supports outstanding faculty members performing innovative teaching, scholarship, research, or creative work in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Hemali Oza, assistant professor of health studies, published “Household resilience and adaptation strategies for enhancing access to energy, water, and food during droughts and floods: A qualitative study” in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.
Hemali Oza, assistant professor of health studies, presented "Household Energy and Water Resource Disruptions and Coping Strategies During Floods and Droughts in Kenya" at the 2025 UNC Water and Health Conference.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, was awarded the 2025 American Public Health Association Cancer Forum Global Health Award for “Transforming Detection: Assessing the Impact of Task Shifting in Nurse-Led Breast Cancer Screening in Rural Ghana.” James received the highest award in the global health category.
Health studies professor Nigel James recently received a national award from the American Public Health Association for his research on breast cancer screening.
Richmond has once again been named to The Princeton Review’s list of “Best Value Colleges” for 2025. Richmond has been included on this list since 2013.
Mailing address:
Department of Health Studies
Richmond Hall, Suite G21
114 UR Drive
Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: (804) 662-3034
Department Chair: Dr. Rick Mayes
Academic Administrative Coordinator: Stephanie Fillman