2022 Honors Theses

Michele Anzabi, The Revitalization of the U.S. Menstrual Movement 

Natalie Doppelt, The Unsustainability of Hospital Waste: How Disposable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has Become Normalized Despite its Environmental Impact 

Sarah Finkelstein, Reframing Caregiving and Medical Professionalization: Using the History of Modern Doula Care to Recognize the Value in Viewing Care Work and Professionalized Technomedicine along a Continuum 

Mae Mouritsen, #Invisible: Identity and Community Construction Among Women with Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities on Visual Social Media Platforms 

Daryn Smith, The Intersection of Mental Health and Gun Violence: How Discourse Surrounding it Perpetuates and Reinforces Racial Hierarchies 

Noelle Kristen Smith, Unpacking “the American:” Opposing Neoliberal and Consumerist Ideologies in Characterizations of the Clinton Administration’s Health Security Act (1993-1994)

Nicholas Thomas-Lewis, Recovery of the Self…from Addiction, Adolescence, and Neuromedicalization 

Nikita Zinzuwadia, Criminal Justice, Mass Incarceration, and COVID-19: Understanding Prison Health and Prison Health Activism in the United States

 

Past years:

2020

Catherine Campbell, “But if you could see the difference the library and a woman has made in that place!”: Taking Care of Men and Books in World War I" (Adviser: Dr. Meghan Crnic)

Merobi Degefa, "Redefining Dignified Maternity Care in Ethiopia" (Adviser: Dr. Adam Mohr)

John Ortega, "Nun Left: The Changing Identity of Catholic Sisters and Catholic Hospitals" (Advisers: Dr. Meghan Crnic, Dr. David Grossman, Dr. Walter Licht)

Samantha Stein, "When All Is Experimental: Marshalling Ethics Aesthetics Through Autonomy Formulations In Urban U.S. Emergency Medicine Research" (Adviser: Dr. Justin Clapp)

 

2019

Lea Eisenstein, "From Icon to Bygone: The Rise and Fall of the Diaphragm in Twentieth-Century America"
(Advisers: Dr. Beth Linker and Dr. Meghan Crnic)

Lara Jung, "Reimagining the Country: A Landscape of Children's Health and Well-being, 1875-1975"
(Adviser: Dr. Meghan Crnic)

Folasade Lapite, "TSS (Tampax's Side Story): The Influence of Menstrual Product Manufacturers on Menstrual Education and Its Perception" (Adviser: Dr. Stephanie Dick)

Phoebe Ruggles, "Livestock Over Labor: The Prioritization of Non-Human Animals in the National Organic Program"
(Adviser: Dr. Ann Greene)

Leah Sprague, "The Government's Role as a Nutrition Expert in the United States, 1945-1980"
(Adviser: Dr. Kathy Peiss)

 

2018

Rive Cadwallader, 'Medicine in the "Athens of America": Physicians and the Neoclassical Movement in late eighteenth century Philadelphia' (Adviser: Dr. David Barnes)

Alisa Feldman, "Be Fruitful and Medicalize: IVF Risk Communication and the Politics of Assisted Reproduction in Israel". (Advisers: Dr. Adam Mohr and Dr. Frances Barg)

Isabel Griffith, "Obstetric Violence: A Subtext of Voiced Experiences of Childbirth and Maternity Care in Costa Rica's Public Healthcare System" (Adviser: Dr. Ramah McKay)

Joshua A. Jordan, "A War on Two Fronts: Race, Citizenship and the Segregation of the Blood Supply during World War II" (Adviser: Dr. David Barnes)

Madeline Leonard, 'Securing "Infectious Poverty": Analyzing the 2016 Olympics-Based Zika Response in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil' (Adviser: Dr. Andria Johnson)

Lauren Murski, "The System Will See You Now: Redefining Quality Care in the Era of the Electronic Health Record" (Adviser: Dr. Stephanie A. Dick)

 

2017

Mary Cerulli
, “Go Ask the Midwife: Professional Identity in Cape Town, South Africa”
(Adviser: Dr. Kimberly Trout)

Hannah Fagen, 
“The Happiest Place in the Hospital: Newborn Nurseries in American Hospitals, A History”  (Adviser: Dr. Meghan Crnic)


Cassidy Golden, 
“The Mother in the NICU” 
(Adviser: Dr. Renee Fox)

Alexandra Kimmel,  
“Medicalizing Meditation: The Incorporation of Buddhist Practice into the American Clinic, 1960-2000” 
(Adviser: Dr. Beth Linker)

Will Schupmann, 
“Public Schools as a Loci for Human Experimentation” 
(Adviser: Dr. Jonathan Moreno)

Katherine Senter, 
“The Life Cycles of Health Ministries” 
(Adviser: Dr. Rosemary Frasso)

Randa Som
, "Re-Imaging Transgender Health Care: Affirming and Promoting Optimal Evidence-Based Transgender Health Care" 
(Adviser: Dr. Lance Wahlert)

Andrea Maria Vargas Guerra, 
‘“Latinos Don’t Look After Each Other”: The Social Cohesion of Latin American Immigrants in North Carolina’ 
(Adviser: Dr. David Barnes)

Olivia Webb, “Voiceless: The Construction of Homelessness Policies, 1980-2016” (Adviser: Dr. Andria Johnson)

 

2016

Joia Brosco, “A Tale Of Two Theories: How The Methods Of Scientific Evaluation Are Still Not Helping Our Children, As We Turn Theories Of Child Uplift Into Practice” (Adviser: Chris Feudtner)

Lucia Calthorpe, “Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: A Case Study of Philadelphia and Two Neighboring Suburban Districts” (Adviser: Mary Summers)

Emma Chessen,“Following Doctors’ Orders: The Medical Community’s Shift and Influence on U.S. Abortion Policy, 1955-1973” (Adviser: Beth Linker)

Imran Cronk, “From a Land Down Under: Improving U.S. Diabetes Care Through Cross-National Learning” (Adviser: Patricia Danzon)

Chloe Getrajdman,“Triage: Historical Legacies and Contemporary Perspectives in Global Health” (Adviser: Adam Mohr)

Perry Goffner, “Medical Power: W.W. Keen (1837-1932) and the Defense of Vivisection” (Adviser: Beth Linker)

Kurt Koehler,“Stress, Agency and Hypertension: Perspective Among Hypertensive African Americans in Philadelphia” (Adviser: Lisa Lewis)

Jenny Markell, “The Long Road to the Establishment of the Maternal and Child Health and Mental Retardation Planning Amendments of 1963” (Adviser: Cynthia Connolly)

Ruchita Pendse, “The Experience of Medical Debt Among the Under-Insured” (Adviser: Peter Reese)

Eileen Wang, “Choice, Control and Childbirth: Cesarean Deliveries on Maternal Request in Shanghai, China” (Adviser: Adriana Petryna)

2015

Jacquelyn Andrews, “Exploring Potential Health Disparities in Urban Low-Income School Food Environments” (Adviser: Mary Summers)

Bakizada, Zayna, “Getting a Word in Edgewise: The Role of Medical Journals in the Malpractice Discussion”  (Adviser: Robert Aronowitz)

Biegacki, Emma, “Creating the Disaster Space: Social Mapping as a Novel Tool for Aid Delivery” (Advisor: Alison Buttenheim)

Emmanuel Cordova, “Interfacing Immigration and Health: Undocumented Latino Males, Health Status, and Perceptions of Health Care”  (Adviser: Emilio Parrado)

Caroline Kee, “Borrowing from Biomedicine, Trading with Traditional: How Medical Providers in the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalayas Defy Medical Pluralism Paradigms with a System of Specialized Care” (Adviser: Projit Mukharji)

Kim, Eun Kyung Ellen, “Exercising Towards A Cure: The Gymnasium of the Friends Asylum, 1889-1893”  (Adviser: Aaron Wunsch)

Gabriella Meltzer, “A Manufactured Global Health Crisis: Electronic Waste in Accra, Ghana”  (Adviser: Adam Mohr)

Danielle Mohabir, "Provider Perspectives on College Mental Health: Evaluating Structural Barriers to Care from the Inside" (Adviser: Jason Schnittker)

Katherine Sgarro, ‘The Social Construction Of Celiac Disease: How Biomedical Definitions Of “Diagnosis” And “Treatment” Affect Low-Income Americans With Celiac Disease’ (Adviser: Herbert Smith)

2014

Kathryn Barth, “Weighing On Energy-Dense Food Taxes: How Food Preferences Relate To Obesity” (Advisor: Catherine Maclean)

Janan Dave, “Having A Daughter Is Like Watering Your Neighbor's Garden": Migration's Effect On Gender Ideologies Of South Asian Americans In Philadelphia” (Advisor: Deborah Thomas)

Mia Garuccio, “Organ Transplants And HIV: A Historical Comparison And Policy Review”  (Advisor: Andria Johnson)

Victoria Goldman, “Intersexuality: How Cultural Expectations, Medical Innovations And Language Created The Perception Of Variant Genitalia As A Disorder” (Advisor: Ann Greene)

Monica Kang, “Inappropriate Consumers: The Construction Of Gender Through Eating Behavior In Children's Literature”  (Advisor: Jason Schnittker)

Megan McCarthy-Alfano, “Driving Without A Roadmap: Parents' Treatment Decisions In Autism Care”  (Advisor: Fran Barg)

Gina Orlando, “The Road To Water Filtration In Philadelphia” (Advisor: David Barnes)

Katherine Peck, “The Social Life Of Millennium Development Goal 5: Local Interpretations Of A Global Paradigm”  (Advisor: Fran Barg and Andria Johnson)

Maxwell Presser, “A Matter Of Lives And Deaths: The Transition Of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation From Physician To The Public” (Advisor: Benjamin Abella)

Sarah Schulte, “Why Are Hispanic Americans Getting Bigger? Understanding The Link Between Greater Acculturation And Higher BMI” (Advisor: Jason Schnittker)

Stephen Smilowitz, “Safe Spaces And Perilous Places: The Environmental Origins Of Fear Of Crime In Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala”  (Advisor: David Barnes)

Gabrielle Stoller, “Evolving Access To HIV Medications Under Medicare And Medicaid”(Advisor: Jalpa Doshi)

Abigail Worthen, “'Trust In God, But Tie Up Your Camel': Perceptions Of Cervical Cancer Screening Among African American Muslim Women In Philadelphia"  (Advisor: Jonathan Moreno)

Christina Wu, “Comparing “Culturally Specific” Conceptions Of Barriers-To-Care: Eye Care Among Chinese Immigrant And African American Elderly Populations In Philadelphia” (Advisor: Giang Nguyen)

2013

Charlotte Ezratty, “Bulimia: Multi-Causal Perspectives and a Look to the Future”

Courtney Ng, “Womanhood and Maternal Health-Seeking Behaviors in Periphery China: A Hani Perspective”

Pallavi Podapati,  “Invisible Coalfields and the Politics of Knowledge: The Struggle to Ensure the Health and Safety of Coal Miners”

Line Stenland, “Feast on Fat to Look Fab: The Scandinavian LCHF Diet Phenomenon and Its Implications for Food Beliefs and Health in Norway”

2012

Maria Bellantoni, “Factors Affecting Age-of-Entry into Long-Term Care” (Adviser: Jason Schnittker)

Erica Catalano, “The Social Perceptions of Infant Feeding Practices: A Study of Penn Undergraduates" (Adviser: Claudia Valeggia)

Andrea Cheung, “Accounting for the Low Usage of Drug Addiction Treatment Services by Aboriginals Living in British Columbia, Canada” (Adviser: James McKay)

Reni Ellis, “Comfortable, Safe, Supported and Cared For: Exploring Conceptual Definitions of Child-Friendliness in Children’s Advocacy Centers” (Adviser: Carolyn Cannuscio)

Alina Kim, “South Korean and U.S. American International Health Volunteers: The Nature of the Relationship between Country of Origin and Volunteer Variables” (Adviser: Kent Bream)

Regina Lam, “Dissecting the Trust in Acupuncturist-Patient Relationships: Experiences of  Breast Cancer Survivors”  (Adviser: Jun Mao)

Aileen Palmer, “Possible Effects of Observing Kashrut on the Conceptualization of Food, Dieting and Body Image in Jewish American Women” (Adviser: Jane Kauer)

Lora Rosenblum, “Obesity, Public Health Legislation and the Role of Industry: A Closer Look at the Calorie Labeling Mandate and the Soda Tax” (Adviser: Mary Summers)

2011

Matt Amalfitano, “For Better or For Worse: Coverage of Sexual Assault on a college campus and reporting of sexual assault” (Advisor, Susan Sorenson)

Andrea Frantz, “Understanding Oral Health from A Caregiver's Perspective” (Adviser, Fran Barg)

Melissa Gradilla, “Comparing Childbirth Practices: Connections, variations, and conflicts in traditional and biomedical obstetric care in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala"(Adviser, Claudia Valeggia)

Pavithra Jaisankar,  “Anandibai Joshee at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania: Negotiating Representations of Birth” (Adviser, David Barnes)

Masha Jones, “The Community Navigator Experience: A Case Study of the Community-Based Navigator Program for Cancer Control” (Adviser, Fran Barg)

Alexandra Lipschultz, “Euthanasia in Disguise?: An Interview Study of Hospice Families’ Experiences with Pallative Sedation” (Adviser, Autumn Fiester)

Emer Lucey, “Autism in the News, 1943-1983”  (Adviser, Michael Yudell)

Brian Mertens, “The Crusade for Pure Milk Has Begun: Science, Politics, and Municipal Milk,Regulation in Philadelphia, 1889-1914”  (Adviser, David Barnes)

2010

Elena Blebea, “The Latin American Diet Pyramid: Serving the Latino Population?”(Advisor, Fran Barg)

Anup Das, “Obesity: Attitudes and Beliefs of Indian Physicians”  (Advisor, Robert Aronowitz)

Shayleigh Dickson, “”The Experience of Latina Mothers of Children Diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder” (Advisor, Ellen Giarelli)

Andrew Gaffney, “ Abortion in the Case of Anencephaly: How Brazilian Bioethics is Affecting the Debate   “ (Advisor, Jonathan Moreno)

George Karandinos, ‘”You Ridin’?”: The Moral Economy of Violence in North Philadelphia’ (Advisor, Philippe Bourgeois)

Sheyla Medina, “The Relationship between Parental Educational Attainment and Perceived Racial Discrimination among African-American Female Adolescents.” (Advisor, Susmita Pati)

Clara Ng, “Opportunity Amid Crisis: Development of Social Enterprise as a Response to Diabetes in Mali” (Advisor, Adriana Petryna)

Alix Pruzansky, “How Pre-operative Depressive Symptoms and Aberrant Eating in Adolescents Affect Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery”  (Advisor, David Sarwer)

Alix Winter, “Adolescents’ Perceptions of Their Futures and Cigarette Smoking”(Advisor, Jason Schnittker)

Fan Zhou, “The Effect of the 2007 Recession on Health Behaviors” (Advisor, Arnold Rosoff)

2009

Janene Brown, “Human Interaction in the Asthma Clinic of the Children's Hospital of
     Philadelphia."                      
Rachel Crystal, “Food-Insecurity, Coping Strategies, and Health in Las Vegas
     Consumers During the Current Economic Crisis.”           
Daniel Eisenberg, "The Impact of Select Characteristics of Government on Life
     Expectancy at Different Levels of Economic Development."          
Christina Eklund, “HIV Testing: A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Philadelphia
     Health Care Providers.”          
Sara Flanagan, "Examining Funding and Need in Humanitarian Action: The 2004 
     South-Asian Tsunami Response."          
Markley Foreman, "The TRIPS Agreement and Developing Countries: India's
     Experience With Patent Law and Public Health."
Lena Gottesman, “Transplant Access and Success in a Pediatric Renal Unit: An Ethical
     Perspective on Social Support.”          
Jessica Ho, "The Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on Population Health: An
     Aggregate Analysis."          
Ashley LeMaire, “Student Motivations for Binge-Drinking at the University of
     Pennsylvania.”          
Lavanya Madhusudan, “A Mixed-Methods Study of Child Nutritional Status in the Urban
     Slums of Bangalore, India.”