MPH Student Earns First Place at OPHA Conference for Antibiotic Stewardship Research

Hoorieh Alamolhoda, a Master of Public Health student in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at the Hudson College of Public Health, earned first place in the student poster competition at the 2026 Oklahoma Public Health Association (OPHA) Conference. Her award-winning research focuses on improving antibiotic prescribing practices in Oklahoma and addressing antibiotic resistance, a growing public health concern.

Alamolhoda received the recognition for her poster, Oklahoma Dental Antibiotic Stewardship, which highlights the importance of appropriate antibiotic use in dental care and its role in protecting patient and community health.

The project grew out of Alamolhoda’s MPH practicum with the Oklahoma State Department of Health, where she helped develop an Antibiotic Stewardship Toolkit for Dental Care Teams. Drawing on Oklahoma antibiotic prescribing data and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the toolkit provides dental professionals with practical strategies to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing and incorporate stewardship into everyday patient care.

Her research identified concerning prescribing trends in Oklahoma, where antibiotic prescriptions from dental providers have increased over time, even as prescribing among medical providers has declined. These findings underscore the importance of providing dental professionals with resources to help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, protect patients from avoidable side effects and combat antibiotic resistance.

“Receiving this award meant a lot to me because antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat,” Alamolhoda said. “As an MPH intern, it was encouraging to have this work recognized and to know that my contribution has the potential to make a difference in Oklahomans’ lives.”

For Alamolhoda, the project also provided an opportunity to connect her previous clinical experience with her public health education. As a foreign-trained dentist, she brought a unique perspective to the research, combining her knowledge of dental care with the population-level approaches and research skills developed through her MPH program.

The experience further strengthened her interest in bridging dentistry and public health to improve health outcomes in communities. It also demonstrated how hands-on learning opportunities, such as the MPH practicum, allow students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world public health challenges while contributing to meaningful initiatives with community partners.

Alamolhoda’s first-place recognition reflects both the significance of her research and the potential for public health students to make an impact through collaboration, research and practical solutions to pressing health concerns.

Congratulations to Hoorieh on this outstanding achievement and her continued commitment to improving public health in Oklahoma!