The University of Florida International Center recognized two College of Public Health and Health Professions graduate students at its Outstanding International Student Awards Ceremony held Nov. 17 in celebration of International Education Week. Jay Nair and Jingnan Zhang were honored for exemplary academic achievement and contributions to the UF campus and community.
Nair is a doctoral student in the rehabilitation science program’s movement science concentration and is a native of India. In his research he studies how sensory afferent neurons in the diaphragm are influenced by spinal cord injury. A licensed physical therapist, Nair is a graduate research assistant in the college’s department of physical therapy and a volunteer therapist for Balance 180 Gymnastics & Sports Academy, a Gainesville non-profit organization offering recreational and adaptive gymnastics classes for children and young people with varying abilities and needs.
Zhang, who is originally from China, is a doctoral student in the department of biostatistics at the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine. Her research interests are in the development of statistical models for infectious disease surveillance in order to help scientists and public health officials understand and potentially prevent the outbreak of disease. She also works as a biostatistician at the Center for Research Design and Data Analysis at UF, providing statistical support and applying statistical methodologies to various kinds of medical research.