WASHINGTON, D. C., – The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is proud to announce that Marianne Chirica, Priyanka Joshi, and Siddesh Zadey will be awarded the SOPHE/CDC Student Fellows in Injury Prevention Award during the 2025 Annual Conference in Long Beach, April 16-18.
“This recognition reinforces my commitment to advancing equitable health care and improving outcomes for vulnerable youth,” says Priyanka Joshi, MD, a T32 postdoctoral trainee in Critical Care Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and an attending physician in the Emergency department at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “I hope that our work contributes to meaningful changes in how we support adolescents with depression and suicidality, ensuring they receive the timely follow-up care they need.”
The award recognizes, assists, and trains students working on research or practice-based projects in unintentional injury prevention from the perspective of health education or the behavioral sciences.
“Receiving this award is both a professional and personal honor,” says Marianne Chirica, a fourth-year PhD student at Indiana University in the Psychological and Brain Sciences – Clinical Science Program. “It is an affirmation that the work I’m doing is seen as valuable in addressing a significant and urgent public health issue—youth suicide prevention. It motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of our understanding of suicide risk and contributing to the development of effective interventions.”
Siddesh Zadey, a doctoral student in Epidemiology at Columbia University, is honored and shares similar sentiments.
“As a young researcher entering the field of injury prevention, this award is invaluable. It provides a platform to showcase how research translates into real-world impact,” says Zadey.
Chirica, Joshi, and Zadey embody this award as dedicated researchers and practitioners committed to advancing injury prevention, with each bringing a unique perspective and expertise to the field. Their work tackles critical public health challenges and underscores the importance of evidence-based interventions.
Chirica’s research explores risk and protective factors for suicidal behavior among adolescents, utilizing a developmental psychopathology framework. She specializes in identifying behavioral, sociocultural, and biological markers that shape mental health trajectories. A licensed professional counselor specializing in youth anxiety and OCD, she previously earned a master’s in clinical counseling from Rosalind Franklin University. At the Annual Conference, she will present her research on “Distal, Developmental, and Proximal Risk Factors for Suicide-Related Outcomes.”
Joshi’s research focuses on improving health outcomes for underserved pediatric populations by addressing barriers to care and optimizing acute care utilization. Her work at PolicyLab at CHOP and as an associate fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at Penn examines how socioeconomic factors, such as the Child Opportunity Index, impact emergency department utilization for mental health crises and follow-up care. Her goal is to develop interventions that bridge gaps in health care, ensuring that high-risk youth receive the support they need. At the Annual Conference, she will present her research on “Neighborhood Factors Influence Primary Care Follow-up for Adolescents with Depression or Suicidality After ED Visits.”
“This award aligns closely with my mission to improve health outcomes for underserved pediatric populations by identifying and addressing barriers to care,” Joshi states. “Receiving this recognition not only validates our research but also amplifies the critical need to create pathways for all adolescents—regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or neighborhood conditions—to access consistent and reliable mental health care.”
Zadey is committed to studying the intersections of alcohol use, self-harm behaviors, and firearm violence. His research at The GAPS Lab and the Columbia Center for Injury Science and Prevention (CCISP) explores pedestrian safety in New York City, with a focus on cost-benefit analyses of physical environmental interventions aimed at reducing injury risks. “My work on pedestrian safety in New York City has immediate relevance not just for research, but for the safety of my family and my community,” Zadey shares. At the Annual Conference, he will present his research on “Cost-Benefits of Physical Environmental Interventions for Pedestrian Safety in New York City.”
Zadey has also co-founded the Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR) in India and contributes to global health policy efforts, including serving as Chair of the Asia Working Group of the G4 Alliance, a Fellow for the Lancet Citizens’ Commission for Reimagining India’s Health System, and a member of the Drafting Committee for the Maharashtra State Mental Health Policy. His research builds on the work of his team at The GAPS Lab, directed by Dr. Chris Morrison, and supports the Vision Zero program aimed at reducing traffic-related fatalities.
SOPHE will present all awards and scholarships to public health professionals, health education researchers, faculty, programs, and practitioners at the 2025 SOPHE Annual Conference. These awards and scholarships recognize significant advancements in the profession of health education and health promotion and outstanding contributions of veterans and rising stars to improving the public’s health.
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About SOPHE
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association that supports leaders in public health, health education, and promotion to advance healthy and equitable communities across the globe. SOPHE members work in health care settings, communities, organizations, schools, universities, worksites, and in local, state, and federal government agencies. For more information visit www.sophe.org.
