Distinguished Dissertation Awards
Each year, Duquesne University recognizes exceptional and unusually interesting scholarly work produced by doctoral students as evidenced through their dissertation projects, in the form of Distinguished Dissertation Awards. The nominees' overall academic accomplishments are also taken into account.
See Eligibility and Application to learn more about these awards.
The Graduate Council and the Office of Research Congratulates
2022 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Social Sciences
Ivan Irizarry "Counselors Dumbfounded: Implications for Counseling Ethics"
Dr. Matthew Joseph, Advisor
Carol Schoenecker "Different Strokes: A Critical Race Discourse Analysis of the Experiences of Four Black Women Rowing for a Predominantly White Institution (PWI)"
Dr. Gretchen Generett, Advisor
Humanities & Fine Arts
Jayme Jenkins "Culturally Therapeutic Approaches to Prejudice and Discrimination: Formulations, Interventions, and Structural Change"
Dr. Elizabeth Fein, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences, and Nursing
Tarun Naresh Bhatia "Sex-specific Effects of Chaperone and Glial Defenses on Experimental Lewy Body Disease"
Dr. Rehana Leak, Advisor
2021 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Physical and Biological Sciences
Joshua Imperatore "RNA Structure and Function: Biological Relevance in Neurodegenerative and Infectious Disease Pathogenesis"
Dr. Rita Mihailescu, Advisor
Social Sciences
Leland Guthrie "A Phenomenology of Challenging Psychedelic Experiences: From Relational Trauma to Relational Healing"
Dr. William Adams, Advisor
Humanities and Fine Arts
Sila Ozkara "Circle of Circles: Rethinking Idealism through Hegel’s Epistemology"
Dr. James Swindal, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences, and Nursing
Akshita Bhatt "Targeting the MEK5, MEK1/2, and/or PI3K Pathways Reverses Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Enhances Chemotherapeutic Sensitivity in Breast and Brain Cancers"
Dr. Jane Cavanaugh, Advisor
2020 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Biological Sciences
Michael Wells "The Physiology and Evolution of Selenite Respiration in Bacteria"
Dr. John Stoltz, Advisor
Humanities and Fine Arts
Mary J. Eberhardinger "A Rhetoric and Philosophy of Gifts"
Dr. Erik Garrett, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences, and Nursing
Daniel Mason "The Influence of Age, Gender, and Thiol Repletion in an in vivo Model of Lewy Body Disorders"
Dr. Rehana Leek, Advisor
2019 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Social Sciences
Nisha Gupta "Illuminating the Trauma of the Closet Among Sexual Minorities: A Cinematic-phenomenological Research Study of Existential Rights"
Dr. Will Adams, Advisor
Biology/Life Sciences
Brandon Vernier "Nontraditional Hydrogen Bonding In Asymmetric Lewis Acid Catalysis"
Dr. Jeff Evanseck, Advisor
Humanities and Fine Arts
Martin Krahn "Externality in Hegel's Philosophy of Nature"
Dr. Jennifer Bates, Advisor
2018 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Humanities and Fine Arts
Karim Barakat "On Hypothetical Contracts"
Dr. Daniel Selcer, Advisor
Social Sciences
Jessica Payton "Forming Ranks: The Impact of Negative-Destructive Leadership in the Aftermath of Miliary Sexual Assault and Reporting"
Dr. Eva Simms, Ph.D.
2017 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing
Renee Gilhousen "The Lived Experience of Individuals Living with HIV and AIDS While Residing in a Rural Region of Northern Appalachia"
Dr. Lenore Resick, Advisor
Physical and Biological Sciences
Katelyn Sadler "Nociceptive Processing in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala"
Dr. Benjamin Kolber, Advisor
Humanities and Fine Arts
Sara Tavela "What a Poor, Passive Machine: The Psychosomatic Heroine from Richardson to Austen"
Dr. Laura Engel, Advisor
Social Sciences
James Wortman "The Utility of a Theoretical Framework of a Culture of Leadership"
Connie Moss, Advisor
2016 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Humanities and Fine Arts
Rufus Burnett, Jr. "Decolonizing Revelation: A Spatial Reading of the Blues"
Dr. Gerald Boodoo, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing
Jeffrey Michael Katz "Multi-component Characterization of Strain Rate Sensitivity in Pharmaceutical Materials"
Dr. Ira Buckner, Advisor
Social Sciences
Natalie Toomey "Online Multimedia Learning: Predicting Learner Media Selections in the Visual and Verbal Domains"
Dr. Misook Heo, Advisor
Award Review Committee: chaired by Dr. Lina Dostilio, included Dr. Jim Drennen, Dr. Erik Garrett, Dr. Kathy Glass, Dr. Jeffry Madura, Dr. Melissa Kalarchian, Dr. Lori Koelsch, and Dr. Jim Schreiber.
2015 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Humanities and Fine Arts
Emily R. Rutter
Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing
Robert W. Bondi, Jr.
Physical and Biological Sciences
Erin Divito
Social Sciences
Karin Arndt
2014 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Humanities and Fine Arts
Marianne Mallia Holohan
Thomas P. Kinnahan, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing
Darlene Monish
Jane Cavanaugh, Advisor
Physical and Biological Sciences
Alice Blice-Baum
M. Rita Mihailesca, Advisor
Social Sciences
Rong-Bang Peng
Leswin Laubscher, Advisor
Award Review Committee: chaired by Dr. Michael Cascio, included Dr. Greg Barnhisel, Dr. James Drennen, Dr. Lina Dostilio, Dr. Erik Garrett, and Dr. Gretchen Generett.
2013 Distinguished Dissertation Award Winners
Humanities
Jacob N. Graham
Michael Harrington, Advisor
Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing
Brian M. Zacour
Carl A. Anderson, Advisor
Physical and Biological Sciences
Kristen M. Kruszewski
Ellen S. Gawalt, Advisor
Social Sciences
Lina D. Dostillo
Connie M. Moss, Advisor
Award Review Committee: chaired by Dr. Darlene Weaver and Dr. Alan Seadler.