Roanoke student’s project selected for prestigious national program

As many nationwide are learning the importance of staying socially connected, one Roanoke student’s nationally recognized research project is especially timely and impactful.

Hannah Guthrie ‘20 began research in May 2019 into the relationship between social connection and childhood obesity. Guthrie, a Public Health Studies major who grew up in Salem, was particularly interested in the 42 percent of Roanoke children who were overweight or obese.

Guthrie found that, essentially, if people perceive that they have strong social connections in their neighborhood, children in that neighborhood are more likely to be healthy. Dr. Liz Ackley, Brian H. Thornhill Associate Professor of Health & Human Performance, and Guthrie’s research supervisor, said the study is particularly poignant now as people are physically separated to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Many people are finding that they underestimated the importance of social connection to their health, Ackley said, and this study sheds light on that.

“I think her data really highlights that for the first time,” Ackley said. “It’s the first study that we’ve been able to find that actually looks at this relationship in small children.”

Ackley wasn’t the only one impressed by Guthrie’s research. The Council on Undergraduate Research, based in Washington, D.C., selected Guthrie’s project from hundreds of submissions nationwide to include in its annual Posters on the Hill session. During the event, student researchers have an opportunity to present their studies to members of Congress and their staff, who in turn,  learn about the importance of undergraduate research. Only 30 students nationwide are selected each year to participate.

This year, the presentations will take place in a virtual poster session on Tuesday via Twitter. Guthrie’s study will be highlighted alongside other impactful, vital studies that lawmakers will review.

The study is the result of hundreds of hours of research that takes into account data from more than 7,000 Roanoke residents. Data came from the 2017 and 2019 Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index, a health survey that monitors health outcomes, healthy behaviors and barriers to healthy living among students enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools.

The research project is part of the College’s Center for Community Health Innovation, which conducts research to find ways to reduce community-level health inequities across the Roanoke Valley. Ackley, who founded CCHI, said Guthrie’s enthusiasm in doing the study was evident.

“The fun thing is, because this work does have a lot of tentacles, it’s been neat to have Hannah take the lead in an area that is meaningful to her,” Ackley said.

Guthrie’s selection to participate in Posters on the Hill puts Roanoke College alongside some of the largest and most prestigious schools in the country — and it’s not the first time a Roanoke College student has received this honor. Just last year, a project by Anna Ford ‘19 was also selected for Posters on the Hill. 

The fact that Roanoke students have been selected in consecutive years for this program highlights the opportunities and flexibility available to them as they embark on research projects, Ackley said.

“Hannah’s section is really a testament to the quality of research that gets done at Roanoke College,” Ackley said. “I really think this is one of the things that sets Roanoke College apart from other institutions, that students have such easy access to really impactful research opportunities, and that’s been noticed on a national level.”