Abby Schueller has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to injury and violence prevention, receiving the Rising Star Award from the Safe States Alliance. This national award honors early-career professionals who are making meaningful strides in advancing the health, safety, and well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
Through her work and collaborations across Iowa, Abby is helping strengthen prevention efforts and improve public health outcomes. Her dedication to this field reflects a strong commitment to protecting and supporting communities.

Sophia Misterek’s work got published, titled “Timeliness in Public Health Emergency Response: An Epidemiological Assessment of a Statewide SARS-CoV-2 Testing Initiative (April 2020–July 2021),” a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of Test Iowa data, evaluating the timeliness of diagnostic testing for COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic. Delayed testing (defined as more than four days between symptom onset and testing) was associated with age ≥50 years, known exposure, and moderate to severe symptoms, while earlier testing was more likely among healthcare workers and those reporting systemic symptoms. The findings indicate that testing delays were most common in the early stages of the pandemic among high-risk groups, highlighting the need for improved scheduling pathways and increased access to testing in future public health emergencies.

Abby Frescoln is contributing to research on occupational and individual risk factors for adverse respiratory health outcomes among Washington State orchard workers. Her abstract, titled “Occupational and Individual Risk Factors for Adverse Respiratory Health Outcomes Among Washington State Orchard Workers,” has been accepted for poster presentation at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology North American Chapter (ISEE-NAC) Conference, to be held this June at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.