Noor Arfeen

Pronouns: she/her
Year: Junior
Majors: Public Health, Sociology
Hometown: Valparaiso, IN

How have you benefited from the Gannon Scholars program thus far?

Being a Gannon scholar has allowed me to find a community of like-minded, socially conscious students that I can have critical conversations with, but also rely on in difficult times. I feel immensely grateful to have a tight-knit community of peers that I can learn from when it comes to unique issues that can be otherwise difficult to encounter. The Gannon Scholars program has also allowed me to connect with alumnae in similar career fields, making it easier to navigate my own pre-professional plans.

What are you interested in researching? Why?

Having passions for both medicine and social justice, I am interested in researching epigenetic trends in public health that relate to disparate social contexts. More specifically, I hope to use molecular biomarkers to determine the potential impacts of prolonged stress conditions on metabolic and nervous processes. This topic carries significant importance not only in clinical spaces, but for the general social science sphere as well as it helps create an understanding of the impact of social conditions (like racism and poverty) on health and wellbeing. By exploring the impacts of marginalization on biological outcomes, social justice is uniquely promoted.