P.E.O. SCHOLAR AWARDS | PSA
Rebecca Crowther NOMINATING CHAPTER: DP, Cincinnati, Ohio SCHOOL: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine FIELD OF STUDY: Medicine and immunology DEGREE: M.D.\Ph.D.
Meghan Goyer NOMINATING CHAPTER: D, Atlanta, Georgia SCHOOL: Georgia State University FIELD OF STUDY: Clinical and community psychology DEGREE: Ph.D.
Rebecca Crowther’s interest in medicine was sparked after her father became ill while she was a senior in high school. Until then, she intended to become a high school teacher because she loved helping others learn. After interacting with her father’s doctors, she realized medical professionals work to teach patients how to live their healthiest lives. Thus, she was inspired to become a physician. She graduated summa cum laude from Rowan University with a B.S. in biological science. She has completed the Ph.D. portion of her M.D.\Ph.D. program and is currently finishing her medical school curriculum. One of her professors writes that Rebecca is top in her class, always willing to put in the hard work and comes with a detailed plan and follows it to succeed. While her research and academics are time-consuming, Rebecca finds time to play the flute in the university band and sing with the choir. Her long- term goal is to become a physician-scientist studying the intersection of infection and immunity. Rebecca is a Marian K. Hume endowed scholar.
Meghan Goyer grew up with a preacher father and attended inner-city public schools. Her mother modeled female independence and initiated Meghan’s love of science. Tragically, her mother died when Meghan was 16, but she writes it taught her about resilience and the power of community. With a B.A. and M.A. in religion from the University of Georgia, she changed focus and received an M.A. from Georgia State University where she is currently working on her Ph.D. Her research focuses on developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions using positive psychology to prevent and treat anxiety and depression and promote resilience across development from childhood to emerging adulthood. A professor writes Meghan can effectively bridge academic and non-academic worlds, serving as a knowledge broker for individuals and communities. After graduation, she plans to obtain a position at an academic medical center. Meghan is a Margaret O’Connell Crow endowed scholar.
Kristy Ferraro NOMINATING CHAPTER: C-O, Hamden, Connecticut SCHOOL: Yale University FIELD OF STUDY: Ecology and environmental science DEGREE: Ph.D.
Hannah Greenwald NOMINATING CHAPTER: PX, San Leandro, California SCHOOL: University of California, Berkeley FIELD OF STUDY: Environmental
engineering DEGREE: Ph.D.
Kristy Ferraro is “a kind and thoughtful neighbor who helps me (I am blind) by grocery shopping, running errands and checking on my well-being.” Kristy’s care for her P.E.O. neighbor is reflected in her research choices. As a student of philosophy, Kristy felt a deep tug to study moral obligations of humans to the natural world, yet as an environmental scientist she also wanted to understand the nitty-gritty of how that natural world worked. Integrating both fields, Kristy holds a B.S. in environmental geoscience and philosophy (cum laude) from Boston College, an M.S. in earth and environmental science from Vanderbilt University, and an M.Phil. in environmental studies from Yale University, where she seeks a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental science. She is a conservation ecologist, seeking to untangle how large mammals impact their ecosystems. She is also a conservation ethicist, applying philosophical principles to guide ethical conservation practice and interactions with wild animals. She plans to uplift and support underrepresented groups in academia and conservation. Kristy has received the Mary Ellen Stafford Sesquicentennial Scholar Founders Award .
Hannah Greenwald lived in Panama for a summer, working on a permaculture farm in the jungle, where she lacked access to clean drinking water and drank, bathed in and cooked with untreated river water. Consequently, she became very ill from waterborne pathogens and spent much of the summer suffering from extreme gastrointestinal illnesses. She later realized that the illnesses she and the surrounding villagers had experienced were preventable with drinking water treatment and sanitation infrastructure. Ensuring access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation led her to study environmental engineering. She holds a B.S. (summa cum laude) from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an M.S., and soon, a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. Her interests lie in engineered water systems and public health. Her research aims to expand access to microbially safe drinking water and develop sanitation infrastructure to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. She wants to be a professor of environmental engineering, where she can combine her passions for research, teaching and mentorship. Hannah has received the Mary Louise Remy P.E.O. Scholar Award.
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THE P.E.O. RECORD | September–October 2022
Women helping women reach for the stars
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