Graduates of the school’s 2023 Public Health Science Academy will be presenting their study results at the 45th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
A monthlong summer program hosted at the School of Public Health to immerse high schoolers in the science of public health will introduce two Pittsburgh-area students to an even grander venue when they present their research at one of the foremost scientific meetings in behavioral medicine.
Eleventh graders Natalia Connor and Julian Whaley Miller – graduates of the school’s 2023 Public Health Science Academy – will be presenting their study results on the use of social media to market electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes and other vaping devices) to youth at the 45th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (March 13-16) in Philadelphia. They will be joined by their Academy mentors Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH, and Jaime Sidani, PhD, MPH, both assistant professors of behavioral and community health sciences.
"I was so impressed with Natalia and Julian's eagerness to work on this project, and so happy that their hard work paid off,” says Hoffman, also codirector of the Academy. “Their project was part of a larger research study looking at the marketing of e-cigarettes in youth-oriented social media, so their input as both researchers and young people was tremendously valuable."
With the guidance of Hoffman and Sidani, Connor and Whaley Miller analyzed and coded 300 YouTube “shorts” – videos less than a minute in length – for electronic nicotine delivery content. Of these, 89% promoted the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems, featuring colorful devices and other content (individuals unboxing and using the devices) to increase their appeal among youth. Only 6% of the video shorts included themes that encouraged the user to quit, with 4% and 1%, respectively, mentioning the negative health effects and dangers of addiction.
The research was part of a larger National Institutes of Health-funded project awarded to Sidani to examine nicotine and tobacco misinformation on social media.
"Working with Natalia and Julian was a great experience for my entire research team,” says Sidani. “Their input—both as young people and as future health sciences students—helped us to hone some of our research questions. We were also excited to take a step back while they successfully navigated their own project with gentle guidance and are thrilled with their success!"
Connor wasn’t certain what public health was before she decided to apply to the Academy. She can now imagine herself pursuing public health as a career and would like to apply to the school’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health program once she graduates from Allderdice High School.
“Like all other teenagers, I love social media, so the idea of a project focused on how social media impacts youth was very appealing to me,” she says.
Whaley Miller, who attends the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, is interested in studying microbiology and found the project equally engaging. “It was definitely a good experience and broadened my horizons,” he says.
“We couldn’t ask for better ambassadors for the Public Health Science Academy than Natalia and Julian,” says Hannah Covert, PhD, codirector of the Academy and research assistant professor of environmental and occupational health. “Their interest and commitment to research surpassed all our expectations and it’s really exciting they will present the project results with the rest of research team.”
Connor happily seconds that. “Youth can make an impact. We’re as curious and committed as anyone else and our participation is important.”
In addition to Covert and Hoffman, the Public Health Science Academy is codirected by Toni Deslouches, MD, PhD, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health. It was founded by Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH, dean of the School of Public, with funding in 2023 from The Grable Foundation and other generous donors.
For those interested in the program, the application period for this summer’s program is February 1 to April 1, 2024. Applicants can apply here: https://www.sph.pitt.edu/academics/public-health-science-academy/public-health-science-academy-how-apply.
-Clare Collins