Four students in Arcadia University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program participated in the annual public health student poster session at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. At the May 6 event, Jessica Beck ’26MMS, MPH, Sydney Bowman ’24MPH, Christina Foley ’24MPH, and Alisha Vegdani ’26MMS, MPH each created their own poster and presented their research findings.

The College’s Section on Public Health and Preventative Medicine hosts this session for public health students and professionals from across the region, allowing them to share ideas, build connections, collaborate, and further their research within their respective disciplines.

“This was an opportunity to see the wonderful work that other students in Philadelphia are doing and see if there is any possibility to connect in our research or in the professional world ahead,” said Vegdani. “I also took this as a moment to realize how much I have progressed over the past year and appreciate myself.”

For her poster, titled “Systematic Literature Review of the Role of Faith, Religion, and Spirituality in Managing Type 2 Diabetes,” Vegdani combed through 13 articles and found that faith, religion, and spirituality were effective in increasing self-management behaviors and improving Type 2 diabetes (T2D) health outcomes.

Bowman presented her capstone research titled “The Misinformed Promotion of the Ketogenic Diet: A Twitter Content Analysis,” which details the scientific risks associated with a ketogenic diet and explores the levels of accuracy in the content that is commonly shared while promoting the diet on social media. She found that regions with higher levels of obesity had posts with significantly lower average accuracy scores, and vice-versa, meaning that people who live in an area with higher levels of obesity are exposed to more inaccurate information on the ketogenic diet on Twitter. 

“The sharing of health advice on social media is so popular, but anyone can pose as an expert, so many unsuspecting consumers will take false and possibly dangerous information and act on it, believing it to be suggested by a medical professional,” added Bowman. “Social media is a major public health issue, but a major public health opportunity, for PH professionals and healthcare providers alike.”

For Foley’s presentation, “Analyzing the Quality of Sexual Health Information and Resources Accessible to LGBTQ+ Youth,” she analyzed online resources to determine the presence, accuracy, comprehensiveness, and inclusivity of sexual health information and education materials targeted toward and available for LGBTQ+ youth. The presentation emphasizes increasing access and improving quality of affirming sexual health information.

“Participating in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia poster presentation night allowed me to advocate for and amplify the LGBTQ+ community and the need for sexual health inclusion,” she said. “This experience further fueled my passion for addressing the unique health needs of marginalized communities.”

Beck conducted a systematic literature review of randomized control trials published since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic comparing usual in-person healthcare to synchronous telehealth for her presentation, “Trends in Telehealth.” The purpose of this work was to understand whether patient outcomes from telehealth support is a viable tool for expanding access to healthcare. She found that the two healthcare settings are generally comparable, but that more research is needed for marginalized populations.

“This was a great opportunity to meet other researchers in other public health programs across the Philadelphia region,” she added. “I intend to use this work to jumpstart my focus as a future medical practitioner in improving patient access, education, experience, and healthcare navigation.”