News | College of Health and Human Sciences

Natalia M. Rodriguez, associate professor in the Purdue University Department of Public Health, received the 2025 American Public Health Association Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award for her years of successful development and implementation of innovative health technologies, such as rapid diagnostic tests and patient self-sampling tools, to reduce cancer disparities among underserved populations. 

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu Natalia M. Rodriguez, associate professor in the Purdue University Department of Public Health, received the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award for her years of successful development...

When it comes to the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Galit Beraja understands what creates the ideal combination of flavors. A nutrition and dietetics and food science double major in Purdue University’s colleges of Health and Human Sciences and Agriculture, Beraja spent the summer in product development at the J.M. Smucker Company where her projects worked to perfect the company’s product lineup.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu When it comes to the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Galit Beraja understands what creates the ideal combination of flavors. A nutrition and dietetics and food science double major in Purdue University’s colleges of...

Elizabeth Coppola knew she wanted to make a difference for military service members, veterans and their families when she saw friends deploy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom after high school and later return to civilian life. Now a health scientist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and an associate research scientist in the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Coppola has continued the work she began during her graduate education in the Purdue University Department of Human Development and Family Science, to better understand rates and patterns of intimate partner violence in relation to military status using data from the Department of Defense-funded Millennium Cohort Family Study.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu Elizabeth Coppola knew she wanted to make a difference for military service members, veterans and their families when she saw friends deploy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom after high school and later return to...

Abigail Hayes, a 2020 Purdue University White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) alumna, took Indiana University Health’s West Region (which includes hospitals and medical offices in the west central part of Indiana) from low performance in patient experience to one of the highest-performing parts of the organization in just two years, pushing the region’s metrics toward some of the best patient experiences in the nation.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu Abigail Hayes, a 2020 Purdue University White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) alumna, took Indiana University Health’s West Region (which includes hospitals and medical offices in the west central part...

At just 17 years old, Makenzie Kelley already had an associate degree, zero student debt and her sights set on Purdue after completing a dual enrollment program in high school through Ivy Tech Community College. As a first-generation college student in the Purdue University Department of Psychological Sciences, Kelley noted having a head start really boosted her confidence about the college experience.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu At just 17 years old, Makenzie Kelley already had an associate degree, zero student debt and her sights set on Purdue after completing a dual enrollment program in high school through Ivy Tech Community College....

“Tell us about your participation in an experiential learning activity in only three minutes.”

That’s the task that lays ahead of a group of students in the Purdue University Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) as they prepare their elevator pitches for the second annual Say It BIG competition, which will enter its final round at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in Meredith South Residence Hall, Room 1063.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu “Tell us about your participation in an experiential learning activity in only three minutes.” That’s the task that lays ahead of a group of students in the Purdue University Department of Human Development and Family...