This year’s Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award recipient is Ashleigh LoVette, a PhD candidate in the department of Behavioral and Social Health Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health. The award, granted by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), commemorates Dr. Mariam Chamberlain, who shaped a legacy of leaders poised to advance women’s issues in the realms of social justice.

"I am honored and filled with gratitude. The award's emphasis on supporting the work of a first-generation doctoral student is particularly meaningful to me as someone who is the first in their family to pursue a doctorate,” says LoVette. 

Her research focuses on understanding the psychological resilience of girls and young women facing sustained HIV risk in South Africa. The Award acknowledges her as a first-generation doctoral student whose studies are committed to expanding appropriate care and equality for women around the world.

LoVette hopes her work can better inform preventive care for these young women, which aligns well with Dr. Chamberlain’s efforts to strengthen the bridge between research and policy changes to support social justice for women.

While LoVette is being acknowledge for her own leadership, she shares, “I greatly appreciate that the award explicitly recognizes my advisors, Abigail Harrison and Caroline Kuo, for their continued mentorship and support." Harrison and Kuo are Associate Professor sof Behavioral and Social Sciences and Kuo is also an Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.