Victor Soupene (21MS, 21CER), PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology, recently received a 2023 Rising Star Award from the Safe States Alliance. This award recognizes the professional growth and leadership of students and newer professionals working in the field of injury and violence prevention (IVP) less than five years. The award will be presented at the Annual Conference of the Safe States Alliance in Denver, Colorado, Sept. 11-13.

Soupene was nominated for a Rising Star Award by Christa Thelen, program manager at Safe States Alliance, who said Soupene excelled in his role as vice chair and then chair of the organization’s newly formed Student Special Interest Group and led efforts to focus student and professional development presentations on injury and violence prevention careers in research and practice, along with diversity in IVP.