Faculty member and PhD candidate represent School of Public Health at inaugural Prevention Summit

Prevention experts of the Morgantown community and West Virginia University gathered in the Mountainlair Ballrooms for the first-ever Prevention Summit on Sept. 30 to share their work. The School of Public Health was represented in this conference by associate professor Danielle Davidov and PhD candidate Caterina DeFazio.

At the start of her PhD program, DeFazio found that Davidov’s research aligned with her interests, and the two started a four-year partnership together.

“Dr. Davidov has this exceptional ability to make students feel valued and included while very organically teaching,” she said. “I am lucky to be one of her students, and I could not have asked for a better mentor. I am also very excited about our upcoming work together.”

Their presentation, titled "A Blessing and a Curse: The Impact of Sociopolitical Events & National Discourse Surrounding Sexual Violence on College Campuses,” explored how national events like the #MeToo movement and the “It’s on Us” campaign impact how campus sexual assault is addressed. 

Davidov said she hopes that “colleges can harness the power of current sociopolitical events and contexts to create positive change at the campus level.”

A key finding presented during this talk came from one of the participants Davidov interviewed.

“[They] stated, ‘so much about the way we understand our world has just become nationalized,’” Davidov added that “while this nationalization has sometimes created barriers for addressing campus sexual assault, it has also led to important opportunities for intervention and cultivated greater support for survivors.”

Davidov and DeFazio are looking to submit their research findings to a manuscript focused on violence prevention and are hoping to present at other venues.

The Prevention Summit was held by Title IX, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, the Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership and WELLWVU.