Sociology Researcher Named Health Rising Star During Research Week

During the University of Cincinnati's annual Research Week, Sociology Assistant Professor Danielle Bessett received the 2016 Health Rising Star Award for the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Bessett’s research focuses on women’s reproductive health, from the impact of health care reform on young adults’ access to sexual and reproductive health information to a bill restricting access to abortions. 

Earlier this academic year, she published her first ever Supreme Court amicus brief (a legal document about a court case by an expert) about abortion safety and clinic access.

Her drive to apply her research to the real world fuels her work and her teaching. “This kind of engagement with the legal arena helps me become a better teacher,” Bessett said. “I can talk about how this really matters in the real world.”

Other researchers highlighted during the College of Medicine’s week-long celebration of research excellence include Associate Dean Jennifer Malat, a sociology professor who directs the Kunz Center for Social Research and the Cincinnati Project, and Farrah Jacquez, an associate psychology professor who specializes in healthcare access and quality research partnerships with Latino immigrant communities in Cincinnati.

For a complete schedule of Research Week activities, click here.