Beginning in June 2010, graduate student Amber Koblitz will be part of a competitive program that provides the most up-to-date training for researchers and clinicians in cancer prevention and control. She has been accepted into the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program.
The three- to four-year program accepts many different types of scientists, including medical doctors, epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, biologists, geneticists. During the first year, Koblitz will earn a Master's of Public Health. She has applied to programs at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Koblitz will spend the rest of her fellowship at the National Cancer Institute working with researchers at the forefront of cancer research. The fellowship provides opportunities for sharing research through conference presentations and publications. It also provides opportunities for professional development such as how to best apply for positions after the fellowship ends, and commentary and critique about her own speaking style.
Originally from Paola, Kan., Koblitz earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in English from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. Following graduation, she enrolled at NDSU in the social/health psychology program and began working with Kevin McCaul, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. She earned a master's degree in 2006 and will finish her doctorate in the spring.
"Briefly, the primary goal of my current research is to better understand how people use affective information when making health-related decisions," Koblitz said. "The majority of my research has focused on smoking cessation and prevention, but I am interested in a number of health behaviors."
The title of her dissertation is "The Effects of Expressed Affect in Health Communication."