Funds from Giving Day allow students to travel to conference

Gifts to the College of Health and Behavioral Studies (CHBS) on Giving Day provide students access to opportunities they may not otherwise have. Funds from last year’s event allowed 16 health sciences students to attend the Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) Annual Conference at George Mason University. Two students, Shannon Belcher (’19) and Rachel Perez (’19), even presented their research at the conference. Although Belcher and Perez were the only undergraduates presenting, they received the third place award among the 29 presentations from graduate students and professionals at the conference. 

Because student-initiated undergraduate research is an emphasis of the Department of Health Sciences, department head Andy Peachey said they sought to support Belcher and Perez in sharing their research in a professional setting by using funds from Giving Day. “Research results in the creation of knowledge which must be shared to foster change,” Peachey said.

Peachey also said that conference attendance, specifically as a presenter, represents the apex of engaged learning, as it promotes personal and professional growth while making meaningful contributions to the field.

“As future healthcare professionals, they are able to see themselves contributing to the development of evidence-based practices and participate in advancements in their fields,” Peachey said. “As students, they gain skills in communicating complex ideas to colleagues, confidence in their abilities as scholars and experiences that will make them stand out as they apply to competitive graduate programs.”

Attending this conference allowed the students to see the many opportunities research can bring, recognize the importance of presenting at conferences and the value of sharing their research beyond JMU.

“It was a very worthwhile experience to be given the chance to present at a regional conference,” Belcher said. “We were really excited and a bit nervous to present our topic to judges and graduate students, but when the first judge approached our poster, we got into a comfortable groove.”

It was an opportunity provided to students, thanks to support on Giving Day.

“Participation on Giving Day is a way to give back in a way that continues the tradition of opening doors to great opportunities,” Peachey said.