PhD student receives Belfer-Aptman Scholars Award for Dissertation Research
Sharefa Duhaney recognized for meaningful violence prevention research
College of Public Health student Sharefa Duhaney received the 2026 Belfer-Aptman Scholars Award for Dissertation Research, a recognition for her work’s important implications for violence prevention and treatment in homes, schools and communities.
The honor was awarded by the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment.
Duhaney, a health behavior and health promotion PhD student, is researching chronic brain injury among people involved in the criminal justice system. Her work focuses on the effects of interpersonal violence, including injuries from repeated blows to the head, neck, and face and from strangulation.
Duhaney’s research examines how common these often-unrecognized injuries are, how they affect people’s ability to navigate community supervision, and what justice systems need to better identify and accommodate brain injury so they can help interrupt cycles of violence and system involvement, Duhaney said.
The award will support participant incentives for Duhaney’s primary data collection.