BSN student awarded Tammy Flake Senior Class Honors Award for research on schizophrenia
October 24, 2024
Congratulations to Ricarte Jin “RJin” Atienza, a Carolina Nursing BSN-4 student, for being awarded the Tammy Flake Senior Class Honors Award! This recognition will support RJin as he pursues his honors thesis, focusing on the study of inflammatory markers in the serum samples of patients with schizophrenia.
RJin’s research aims to explore the link between inflammation and schizophrenia, contributing to a growing field of study in immunopsychiatry. His honors thesis will be conducted in the School of Nursing’s Biobehavioral Laboratory during the Fall and Spring semesters, under the guidance of Rose Mary Xavier, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, Director of the Biobehavioral Lab.
Dr. Xavier, RJin’s mentor, expressed her support saying, “Rjin is interested in the applications of immunopsychiatry in nursing and plans to pursue his graduate studies in this area. With funding support, he will conduct his honors thesis project on examining differences in specific inflammatory markers in people with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. This award is a well-deserved recognition of his hard work and potential for future success.”
For more information on the Tammy Flake Senior Class Honors Award and other student support opportunities, visit UNC Nursing Student Support Funds.
