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Research

A woman with brown hair wearing a white coat and blue lab gloves observes samples with a microscope.

The Student Health and Wellness Office of Research Excellence (SHORE) facilitates the exploration of scientific study pertaining to the student population with the goal to improve student health and well-being. The SHORE team assists with enrolling student research participants who are representative of our collegiate populations with the utmost respect for each individual and assuring research projects are managed in full compliance with regulations and guidance. Our inclusive mission facilitates student participation in quality research with the goal of benefiting the student population, higher education, and society as a whole. For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Ferrara, BS, MS.

Patient Recruitment

The type of research we do at the Department of Student Health and Wellness (SHW) is targeted toward young adults, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. We strive to look at health and wellness issues pertinent to the maintenance of well-being of a college population. Our goal is to be inclusive and extend the opportunity to participate in research to as many qualified student-patients as possible. If you come to SHW, you may be approached by a member of our team if you potentially qualify for a study. Remember, the choice to participate or not participate is always yours!

Team

The SHORE team assists with enrolling student research participants who are representative of our collegiate populations with the utmost respect for each individual and assuring research projects are managed in full compliance with regulations and guidance. Our inclusive mission facilitates student participation in quality research with the goal of benefiting the student population, higher education, and society as a whole.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Ferrara, BS, MS.

Research Team

Christoper Holstege, MD, Senior Associate Vice President, Student Health and Wellness

Education

  • BS, Chemistry, Calvin College (1988)
  • MD, Wayne State University School of Medicine (1993)
  • Residency, Emergency Medicine, Butterworth Hospital (1996)
  • Fellowship, Medical Toxicology, Indiana University (1998)

Clinical and Research Interests

  • Clinical Toxicology
  • Chemical agents utilized in terrorism/murder
  • Substance use disorder trends in student populations
  • Emergence of new substances of abuse
Meredith E. Hayden, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Education

  • BS, Magna Cum Laude, Biology, Davidson College (1996)
  • MD, Medical University of South Carolina (2001)
  • Pediatric Intern, University of Virginia (2001–2002)
  • Pediatric Resident, University of Virginia (2002–2004)

Clinical and Research Interests

  • Primary Care
  • Resident Education
  • Quality Improvement
  • Infection Control

Certification(s)

  • Board Certified General Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Nephrology Fellow, University of Virginia (2004–2005)
Rita Farah, PharmD, MPH, PhD, Epidemiologist

Education

  • Pharmacy Doctor, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Lebanon (2003)
  • MPH, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon (2011)
  • PhD in Epidemiology, Paris Est University, France (2015)
  • International Fellowship in Toxicology, Emory University, USA (2022)

 

Research Interests

  • Clinical Toxicology
  • Disease Surveillance
  • Surveillance of emergent substances
  • Data linking
Rebecca Ferrara, BS, MS, Public Health Data Specialist

Education

  • BS, Summa Cum Laude, Biology, Old Dominion University (2020)
  • MS, Biology with a Concentration in One Health, Old Dominion University (2023)

Research Interests

  • Data Science for Healthcare

Other Members

  • Danielle D'Andrea, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
  • Margaret Phillips, Director of Administration
  • Jennifer Slaughter, Special Advisor to the Executive Director