Jeffrey Keith Mattison Outstanding Student Achievement Award - Makiyah Lewis
Recognized for her initiative, leadership, resilience in the face of challenges, and sustained commitment to public health and community engagement, Makiyah Lewis is a May 2026 graduate of the Department of Health Services Policy and Management’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program. Throughout her graduate studies, Lewis has demonstrated a strong dedication to advancing population health, strengthening community partnerships, and supporting the development of future health care leaders.
As part of her MHA program, Lewis has served as a Graduate Assistant with Lexington Health for the past two years. In this role, she has supported the operational and educational coordination of residency programs that train the next generation of physicians serving communities across South Carolina. She works closely with program leadership, faculty physicians, and resident physicians to support educational programming, resident development, and community-focused initiatives that strengthen health care delivery and workforce development. Her mentors note that her work contributes to strengthening the health care workforce pipeline while promoting patient-centered care, preventative health initiatives, and community engagement.
Lewis’ contributions to health care leadership and public health also extend to her extensive involvement in professional organizations. She served as President of the Healthcare Leadership Association, where she strengthened professional development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, supported incoming students’ transition into the MHA program, organized networking and leadership events, and launched a website to expand the organization’s visibility and resources. Lewis has additionally served on the Young Professionals Committee for the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) as Membership Engagement and Chapter Liaison committee member, helping increase engagement among emerging health care leaders at both the local and national levels. Through this role, she has worked to strengthen connections between young professionals, mentorship opportunities, and leadership development initiatives within the organization and the South Carolina chapter. She also serves as a student associate with the American College of Healthcare Executives, which recognized her commitment to health care leadership and service through the Albert W. Dent and Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarship.
Beyond her professional leadership, Lewis has remained deeply committed to community service and mentorship. Through her five years of involvement with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she has participated in numerous community outreach and service initiatives in both Charleston and Columbia focused on supporting community wellbeing and expanding access to resources and educational opportunities. Lewis has also dedicated significant time to serving her local community through the Westwood High School Alumni Association, where she serves as Secretary and Scholarship Co-Chair. In this role, she has helped expand scholarship opportunities for students pursuing not only traditional four-year colleges, but also trade schools, military service, cosmetology and esthetician programs, real estate programs, and other career pathways. She has additionally helped develop mentorship and leadership programming for students through resume workshops, interview preparation sessions, essay-writing assistance, and college and career readiness initiatives aimed at strengthening student success and long-term community engagement.
This award is presented each year to the master's level graduating student who best exemplifies the special characteristics of Jeffrey Keith Mattison, an epidemiology and biostatistics student who passed away early on during his program. To remember his life, initiative and motivation for work in public health, the Student Public Health Association (now the Dean’s Student Advisory Council) created the Jeffrey Keith Mattison Outstanding Student Achievement Award.
Doctoral Student Achievement Award - Morgan Boncyk
Morgan Boncyk is completing her Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, where she studies how climate-related heat exposure affects food systems and nutrition. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences and a Master of Public Health from Purdue University, where she was recognized with the Outstanding Student Award for both programs and began her research in global nutrition.
At the Arnold School, Boncyk has broadened her interdisciplinary expertise at the intersection of climate, food systems, and nutrition. Her research integrates qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial methods to examine how environmental conditions modify food availability, food environments, and food choice behaviors. She combines geographic information systems, thermal remote sensing, and community-based research methods to study the impact of heat exposure on food systems in East Africa and South Asia. By integrating environmental and geographic methods into nutrition and public health research, Boncyk advances approaches to studying climate-related challenges affecting food systems in low-resource settings. Following graduation, Boncyk will continue pursuing opportunities to advance the global agenda for improving food systems, food environments, and food choices to support healthier diets.
Colleagues describe Boncyk as a highly productive and independent researcher, collaborative team member, and emerging leader in global nutrition and food systems. During her doctoral training, Boncyk secured nearly $70,000 in competitive research funding from United Nations agencies, USC SPARC, Big Data Health Science Center, and departmental fellowships and awards. She has authored 12 peer-reviewed publications, including four as first author, and produced numerous briefs, reports, and book chapters. Her expertise has led to invitations to lead analyses and writing of papers, reports, and training activities for the International Food Policy Research Institute, United Nations Children’s Fund, and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Boncyk has presented her research extensively at university, national, and international conferences through invited talks, oral presentations, and poster presentations, demonstrating sustained productivity and broad engagement across nutrition, public health, and climate research communities.
Boncyk is committed to advancing global nutrition and food systems research through mentorship, collaboration, and methodological training, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. She has developed and facilitated workshops and training sessions on food choice and nutrition research methods, strengthening research capacity by sharing interdisciplinary methods and tools with students, trainees, and global research teams. Boncyk also contributes to the scientific community through leadership and service roles across departmental and professional organizations. She frequently serves as a panelist, committee member, and reviewer in professional organizations, consistently contributing to her field. In addition, she has mentored six undergraduate researchers, supporting them as they secured more than $12,000 in research funding and conference awards. Boncyk continues to expand her expertise through advanced training and teaching certifications, consistently strengthening her interdisciplinary approach to research, mentorship, and education.
This award is presented to an outstanding doctoral candidate graduating from the Arnold School. Students are nominated by Arnold School faculty, and selection is based on academic performance and achievements as well as their potential for professional contribution.
Department Awards
Outstanding M.S. - Residential Student of the Year Award - Letizia Tamburini
Outstanding M.S. - Distance Education Student of the Year Award - Eandra Goldsmith
CAPCSD Frances F Levin Award - Alexia Hopkins
Sharon Webber Fellowship - Allison Jansen
Sharon Webber Fellowship - Emily Cokley
Elaine M Frank Fellowship - Zeinab Khoshhal Mollasaraei
ENHS Ph.D. Student of the Year Award -
Outstanding Environmental Microbiology Student -
Outstanding Nanomaterials Science Student -
Outstanding Oceans and Human Health Student -
Outstanding Sustainable Farming Student -
Outstanding Public Health Service Award -
Outstanding Public Health Service Award -
Check back to read about this year's winners.
Outstanding Epidemiology Doctoral Student Award - Paddington Mundagowa
Outstanding Epidemiology Master's Student Award - William Capell
Biostatistics Doctoral Achievement Award - Yuanzhen Yue
Department of Exercise Science Outstanding Student Achievement - Doctor of Physical
Therapy - Kamryn Taylor
Outstanding Student for the Master of Science in Advanced Athletic Training - Victor Delgado
Outstanding Doctoral Student Award - Olivia Finnegan
Department of Exercise Science Outstanding Student - Beth Davis
Outstanding Master's Student in Exercise Science - Erika Hagen
Outstanding Master's Student in Exercise Science - Alexander Artur Andersen
Outstanding Exercise Science Student Award - Lauren Stauffer
HPEB Outstanding Masters Student Award - Bria Singleton
Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award - Anna Chupak
HPEB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research Award - Amber Buckingham
Susie J. Yates Award for Excellence in Scholarship - Ryan Hunter
AUPHA Foster G. McGaw Scholarship Award - James (D'Andre) Good
AUPHA Foster G. McGaw Scholarship Award - Taryn Senger
ACHE Albert W. Dent and Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarship Award - Makiyah Lewis
Outstanding Public Health Student Award (Bachelor of Arts) - William (Will) Barnes
Outstanding Public Health Student Award (Bachelor of Sciences) - Beau Fox Tran
Outstanding Public Health Student Award (Bachelor of Sciences) - Ella Forester