Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment

08/21/2026

On Wednesday, CPSHE hosted an evening social event with the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation to bring together our faculty researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and staff members to celebrate our accomplishments from the past year and foster new collaborations. Thanks to everyone for coming out!

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Emma Grimes, who has been selected as a Millennium Fellow for the Class of 2026!

The Millennium Fellowship is presented by the United Nations Academic Impact and Millennium Campus Network. Through the program, Fellows undertake a project that addresses one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), applying their knowledge in real-time to create tangible social impact.

The Fellowship application process was rather competitive this year, with over 76,000 people applying from across 6,000 campuses; 330 campuses were chosen to host just 5,500 fellows.

Emma began working with CPSHE as a research assistant through the UROP program at FSU, and has since continued her efforts with us. In addition to her work at the center, she is a House Representative legislative intern and serves as the Founding Assistant Director of the First-Generation Student Union at FSU.

07/28/2026

Arwa began working for Dr. Casey Xavier Hall as a research assistant through the UROP program at FSU and has continued her work since in researching mental health, health disparities, and artificial intelligence. Congratulations Arwa on your well-deserved acceptance and scholarship!

07/28/2026

We are so proud of Dr. Wang! She has been incredibly dedicated to her work on this award and it has certainly paid off. Please join us in congratulating her!

05/05/2026

On April 29th, CPSHE postdoctoral scholar Dr. Eduardo De La Vega was published in JMIR AI for his article titled "A New Model for Youth-Driven Community Change: Exploratory Testing of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Citizen Science". You can read the full article at the link below. Congratulations to Dr. De La Vega!

Background: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly used in health and community settings, yet empirical evidence on how they function within participatory, youth-led action frameworks remains limited. Large language models can provide structured feedback to support planning...

04/22/2026

We are incredibly proud to share that Florida State University College of Social Work doctoral candidate & CPSHE GRA Rachel Harris successfully defended her dissertation yesterday! This monumental milestone reflects years of her dedication, scholarship, and passion in researching social determinants of health and wellbeing, focused on maternal and child health populations.

Drs. Eugenia Flores Millender and Frankie Wong co-chaired Dr. Rachel's dissertation. The other committee members were Drs. Amy Burdette, Yaacov Petscher, and Stephen Tripodi.

Please join us in extending our congratulations to Dr. Rachel Harris!

04/02/2026

Congratulations to our Center members, Dr. Casey Xavier Hall, Dr. Jairo Pena, and Crim Sabuncu, along with Associate Professor Dr. Jessica Bahorski for winning the 2026 NAPNAP Research Poster Award at the 47th National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners' Pediatric Health Care Conference! Read more here: https://cpshe.fsu.edu/article/cpshe-con-researchers-win-napnap-research-poster-award

07/07/2025

Congratulations to CPSHE faculty Dr. Adam Hanley!

Congratulations to these Florida State University faculty and staff members from across campus on receiving national and international recognition for their notable achievements!

🔸 Read more at news.fsu.edu

05/02/2025

🎉 Wrapping Up an Amazing Spring Semester! 🎉

As we close out the spring semester, we want to give a huge shout-out to Merrill Sonne and Tamia Siplin, two outstanding UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) students who presented at this spring’s Undergraduate Research Symposium!

Their research on Factors influencing HIV-related partner communication among adolescent girls and young women in a cash transfer program in South Africa is a crucial contribution to global health. 🌍

👏 Merrill Sonne is double majoring in Public Health and International Affairs, and Tamia Siplin is majoring in Biomedical Sciences and on the Pre-Med track. These second-year students are already making a mark in health research, and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments!

Here's to finishing the semester strong – excited to see where your research journey takes you next! 💪🙌



Florida State University College of Social Sciences & Public Policy
FSU College of Medicine

04/30/2025

We are proud to announce that Professor Eugenia Flores Millender has been appointed as the Marie Cowart Endowed Professor at the College of Nursing — a prestigious honor recognizing her exceptional leadership in nursing research, education and community health engagement.

Established by Dr. Marie E. Cowart, a nurse and former dean at FSU, this prestigious professorship ensures enduring support for visionary nurse scholars who elevate the profession and empower communities.

This appointment represents a significant milestone for the College of Nursing, further reinforcing our commitment to nurturing bold, community-driven nursing leaders and scholars.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Millender on this well-deserved honor!

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4jFTLhi

Eugenia Isabel Flores Millender Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment