HPEB Outstanding Masters Student Award: Bria Singleton

Bria Singleton will receive her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in May 2026. She also earned her B.S. in Public Health from the University of South Carolina in 2024. Her Masters thesis focused on adolescent health, exploring how identity, digital environments, and perceptions of safety shape youth well-being. Using a mixed-methods approach, Bria explored the social, cultural, and health-related experiences of 370 local middle school students, to contribute more responsive, youth-centered public health strategies. While completing her MPH, Bria worked as a Graduate Assistant with Healthy Carolina, contributing to campus-wide health promotion initiatives and alcohol and other drug education. In addition to her graduate studies, Bria serves as a youth storytelling and communications lead with MH Boxes, where she amplifies the voices of Black girls and supports national growth efforts. 

Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award: Anna Chupak

Anna Chupak is a doctoral candidate in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, mentored by Dr. Caroline Rudisill and Dr. Andrew Kaczynski. She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Vermont, where she conducted research on cognitive function in individuals with multiple sclerosis. Prior to her doctoral training, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, contributing to research advancing Alzheimer's disease treatment. Her current research focuses on cognitive aging, dementia risk, and health disparities in later life, with a particular emphasis on how cognitive status relates to healthcare engagement and mental and physical health outcomes among U.S. and European adults aged 80 and older. She aims to advance research and policy that promote equitable, healthy aging and improve healthcare access and outcomes for aging populations.

HPEB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research Award: Amber Buckingham

Amber Buckingham will receive her B.S. in Exercise Science and a minor in Medical Humanities and Culture, with Leadership Distinction in Research in May 2026 from the University of South Carolina While at USC, she worked as a research assistant on multiple studies in the BRIE Lab, led by Dr. Brie Turner-McGrievy.  Amber assisted with recruitment efforts for the Mobile Lifestyle Intervention with Food and Exercise study (mLife), the development of the Self-Monitoring with Internet Technology to Choose Healthy Diets study (SWITCH), and the implementation of the DINE-GLP1 study, which focuses on improving diet quality among individuals taking weight loss medications. She has disseminated study findings with a poster presentation titled "Exploring the Link between Dietary Tracking and Weight Loss Success" at Discover USC and contributed to a peer-reviewed manuscript, "Enjoyment, Engagement, and Burden: Insights from a Gamified mHealth Weight Loss Intervention." After graduation, Amber is attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.