ANNUAL GRADUATE SCHOOL HOOD PRESENTATION ...

PROFILES OF THE
DOCTORAL CANDIDATES 2012-2013
Laura Gabriella Straughn, Ph.D., Counseling Psychology. B.S., Florida State University, 2004; M.S., Fordham University, 2006.
Honors and Awards: Graduate Assistantship, 2006-2009. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Ivory Toldson. Dissertation Title: “Sociocultural
Factors That Predict Marital Satisfaction Among Black Couples”. Research Specialization: Counseling Psychology.
Present Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Counseling and Testing Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Lauren Rachelle Taffe, Ph.D., Physics. B.S., Howard University, 1997; M.S., Howard University, 2006. Dissertation Advisor:
Dr. Kimani Stancil. Dissertation Title: “Analytical Treatment of the Metabolic Effects of Isocaloric Stimulant on Heart Rate
Variability as Measured by Electrocardiograph”. Research Specialization: Non Linear Dynamics. Present Position: Knowledge
Engineer, United States Department of Defense, Ft. Meade, Maryland.
Charmaine L. Thomas, Ph.D., Communication and Culture. B.S., Bowie State University, 2000; M.A., Bowie State University,
2002. Honors and Awards: Regional TRIO Achiever Award, 2004; Maryland TRIO Achiever Award; Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, 1998 Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Carolyn Stroman. Dissertation Title: “Attention
Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder in Children: Psychosocial Factors That Influence Caregivers’ Treatment Decisions”. Research
Specialization: Communication and Culture-Health Communication. Present Position: Community Interviewer, Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry Department, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Rakeb Abbay Tilahun, Ph.D., Biology. B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore, 2003. Honors and Awards: Member, American
Society for Cell Biology, 2013; Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2013; Associate Member, Sigma Xi Scientific Research
Society, 2013; Teaching Assistantship, 2003-2010. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Clarence Lee. Dissertation Title: Trpanosoma
lewisi-Macrophage Association: IN VITRO Identification, Characterization of Cytokines Released, and the Role of Cell
Adhesion Molecules”. Research Specialization: Molecular Parasitology.
Nayda E. Torres Soto, Ph.D., Communication Sciences and Disorders. B.S., Carlos Albizu University, San Juan, Puerto Rico,
1999; M.S., Howard University, 2004. Honors and Awards: Hawthorne Dissertation Research Assistance Award, 2012-
2013; Minority Student Leadership Program, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2008; Graduate Assistantship,
2008-2009; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant, U.S. Department of Education, 2008;
Brazil Race, Development and Social Inequality, 2007; Maternal and Child Health Leadership Project, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, 2006-2008. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Kay Payne. Dissertation Title: “An Exploration of
Factors Related to Reading Comprehension: A Study of Third Grade English Language Learner (ELL) Students”. Research
Specialization: Speech-Language Pathology. Present Position: Speech-language Pathologist, Home Health, Professional
Healthcare Resources, Inc., Lanham, Maryland.
Ralph Agyei Twum, Ph.D., Mathematics. B.S., University of Ghana, 2003; M.S., Howard University, 2007. Honors and
Awards: Outstanding Graduate Student in Statistics, Washington Statistical Society, 2009. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Joshua
Leslie. Dissertation Title: “An Application of Enriched Category Theory to the Borel- Weil Theorem”. Research Specialization:
Lie Theory. Present Position: Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
30 Annual Hood Presentation Ceremony - Howard University Graduate School