Ninth Annual Atlanta Research Conference to Showcase Student and Faculty Scholarship

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Atlanta Research Conference 2018
Dr. Carl Hill
Dr. Carl Hill

ATLANTA – Mercer University’s ninth annual Atlanta Research Conference will take place on April 13, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., to showcase work by students and faculty from the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus and Regional Academic Centers.

“The annual Mercer Atlanta Research Conference showcases outstanding student and faculty research projects. The conference highlights the excellent quality and breadth of the research programs on the Atlanta campus and demonstrates Mercer’s expanding research focus,” said Dr. Wayne Glasgow, senior vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies.

Following the opening ceremony, poster presentations and concurrent speaker sessions will be offered throughout the day until 2 p.m. A keynote address and student awards ceremony will take place during lunch. All events will be held in the Atlanta Administration and Conference Center.

The conference’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Carl Hill, director of the Office of Special Populations at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Dr. Hill was a member of the inaugural class of the Master of Public Health program at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. He came to NIA from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), where he was a contract officer’s technical representative with the National Children’s Study after serving as health scientist administrator for the Extramural Associates Research Development Award (EARDA) in the NICHD Division of Special Populations.

In addition to his keynote, Dr. Hill will conduct a workshop, titled “Health Disparities Research with the National Institute on Aging,” where he will provide an introduction to the NIH, its mission and institutes and centers. He will discuss topics related to the NIA’s funding priorities, available resources and its framework for health disparities research. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Additionally, the Monroe F. Swilley Jr. Student Research Awards will be presented to the two students whose research submissions best incorporates the use of the University Library’s collections and services and demonstrate active critical thinking, with first place receiving a $250 cash prize.

Presenters will represent Penfield College, the College of Pharmacy, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, College of Health Professions, McAfee School of Theology, School of Medicine, Stetson School of Business and Economics, and Tift College of Education.

Dr. Cameron Miller, assistant professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Human Services and Psychology in Penfield College, has coordinated the conference since 2016.

“It’s inspiring to see the wide array of research and scholarship happening across disciplines at the Regional Academic Centers and Atlanta campus,” said Dr. Miller. “This conference serves as a great platform to bring together faculty and students alike to share their research activities.”

This year’s conference planning committee, chaired by Dr. Miller, includes Dr. Sheena Brown in the College of Health Professions, Dr. Nadar Moniri in the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Kevin Jenkins and Dr. Pamela Larde in Tift College of Education, Florence Tang with the Swilley Library, and Dr. Morgan Kiper Riechel, Dr. Wesley Barker, Dr. Laurie Lankin, Dr. Kevin Williams, Dr. Arla Bernstein, Dr. Feng Liu and Dr. Merrin Oliver in Penfield College.