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Portia Nartey, MSW ’22, MSP ’22, a doctoral student in social work at the WashU Brown School, has been selected to receive the 2026 Public Health Social Work (PHSW) Student Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA).
The award recognizes outstanding student research in public health social work. Nartey’s award-winning abstract, titled “Poverty is the killer of dreams”: A socioecological qualitative exploration of the drivers of adolescent girls’ vulnerability in the eastern region of Ghana,” examines how poverty and interconnected social, family, educational and community conditions contribute to health vulnerabilities among adolescent girls in Ghana. The research draws on perspectives from adolescent girls, caregivers and community stakeholders.
Her research was supported by a Global Doctoral Pilot Research Grant from the Brown School’s Global Programs Office. The grant supported Nartey’s study of poverty and associated risk behaviors among adolescent girls in Ghana.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the APHA Public Health Social Work Section,” she said. “I am especially grateful to the Brown School’s Global Programs Office for funding this research and to the APHA PHSW Section for recognizing its contribution. This work is grounded in the experiences and voices of adolescent girls in Ghana, and I hope it contributes to a greater understanding of the challenges affecting their health and well-being.”
Nartey will be honored at the APHA Annual Meeting & Expo, Nov. 1-4 in San Antonio, Texas, where she will also present her research to public health and social work professionals from around the world.
Nartey’s broader research focuses on women and girls in the Global South, including the intersections of poverty, gender and economic conditions with health and well-being. Her work includes research on HIV and reproductive sexual health and aims to inform evidence-based approaches to improving health and social outcomes.