KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 17, 2024

Evelina Sterling is the recipient of the 2024 Health Sciences Mid-Career Innovative Mentor Award, an honor bestowed by the Council on Undergraduate Research to honor exceptional higher education mentors across all health sciences subdivisions.  

Sterling, an associate professor of sociology in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, said the award is the culmination of 10 years working mentoring students. Sterling is currently working on a Georgia Department of Public Health grant that focuses on adolescent health throughout the state. 

Sterling became involved in undergraduate research when she was an undergraduate student herself, which helped supplement her traditional academic learning because she was able to see research in action.

“One of the strongest assets that KSU has is their focus on undergraduate research because many research-oriented universities give more attention to graduate students,” Sterling said.

Many students who work with Sterling begin their freshman year and work with her throughout their career at KSU. Sterling has worked with students from the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, College of Science and Mathematics, and Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“At such a large university, research helps make the environment smaller and gives students the opportunity to really get to do hands-on work,” Sterling said. “I want my students to be able to practice without the stress of a job hanging over them. I want them to have the freedom and flexibility to try new things and find out what they are interested in. It also helps me write strong recommendations for them, which can be very important for getting jobs or getting into grad school.”

Sterling was praised for the individualized attention she gives her students and the approaches she takes with each student to help them succeed.

“Simply stated, working with Dr. Sterling is insightful and it was a privilege to have a mentor such as her. She is great at giving quality advice and I believe that has helped guide me toward success," said Roger Otway, who conducted research under the guidance of Sterling before graduating from KSU in 2024. 

Much of Sterling’s research deals with vulnerable populations and health equity, and she recently completed a series of grants from the National Health Institute (NIH) studying low-income African American men who are self-managing multiple chronic conditions, including both physical and mental health issues. 

Sterling’s research is people-focused and she describes people as being one of her main tools she uses to complete her work; this includes the populations she is surveying, as well as the student she has working with her. Sterling works with a mix of undergraduate and graduate students and teaches them how to conduct interviews, survey populations, collect data, and analyze their data.

Sterling has multiple other grant submissions she has made in the past couple of months that show an expanded field of study as she brings in her interest in the integration of technology with AI machine learning regarding addressing health disparities. 

According to the Council on Undergraduate Research, the Innovative Mentor Award is for mentors who are leaders and role models for undergraduate research, scholarship, creative activities, or innovative projects. Health science disciplines focus on the core curriculum of health, wellness, disease, health care, or health management. In addition to traditionally considered health science disciplines, kinesiology, counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology are also considered part of health sciences. 

– Alyssa Ozment