In 1876, Edward Alexander Bouchet became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in physics. In 2005, Bouchet's alma mater, Yale University, honored his legacy by founding the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, which promotes excellence in academic achievement at the doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty levels. This April, doctoral nursing students Tericka "Teri" Cesar, Ph.D. '25, and Alexa Parra, B.S.N./B.S.P.H. '16, Ph.D. '25, traveled to Yale from the University of Miami with some of their faculty and peers for induction into the ranks of this prestigious society.
Society membership is available to doctoral students in good standing who have "shown outstanding promise as a scholar, as evidenced by independent investigation or current work on a dissertation project," states the University of Miami web page about the Bouchet Society and Conference. Both nurse scientists, who defended their dissertations in May, certainly fit this description. Cesar's research has several aims, with the primary two being to validate the Family Health Scale for African Americans and to analyze the relationship between family health and obesity based on the parent study by public health researcher Dr. Ali Crandall, of Brigham Young University. Parra's research focus is on identifying the impact of social determinants of health on Afro-Latina maternal morbidity and birth outcomes in Florida.
"Having a diversity of professors helping with research expanded my view of what is possible," said Parra. Her nominations came from Dean Hudson P. Santos Jr. and her program mentor, Dr. Cynthia Lebron, an assistant professor. Because Dr. Lebron is already a member of the society, said Parra, "sharing this accomplishment with her has been especially meaningful." She is scheduled to defend her Ph.D. dissertation, titled "The Effects of Intersecting Identity and Social Determinants of Health on Afro-Latina Maternal Morbidity and Infant Birth Outcomes in Florida," on May 2.
Cesar's nomination came from Dr. Arsham Alamian, associate dean for Health Studies, and Dr. Victoria Behar-Zusman, director of the school's Ph.D. in nursing science program. "Membership in the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society provides a source of inspiration and energy that will enable me to empower others, serving as an endless and renewable resource," said Cesar, who is scheduled to defend her dissertation on May 5. "Being a part of the Bouchet Society represents scholarly ambition, advocacy, and collective advancement of the missions of the society's key thrusts of Scholarship, Character, Leadership, Service, and Advocacy."
Cesar and Parra were inducted with three University of Miami doctoral students from different disciplines and dozens of other nominees from institutions around the nation. Additionally, Cesar was invited to present her research poster "Valid and Valued: A Validation Study of the Family Health Scale in a Subpopulation of African Americans." "When you see the world coming together like this, you see the threads of humanity," said Cesar. "We're all interested in being a part of something that makes sense of the world. We all have a goal to make an impact, and that's what makes this an enriching experience."
