July 8, 2014
SVSU nursing student Jessica Asaro wins ‘best paper’ at international conference
The Ira native’s paper compared the medicine of the United States to that of Indonesia and Nepal
Saginaw Valley State University nursing student Jessica Asaro’s honors thesis recently was selected “Best Student Paper” at the Global Science and Technology Forum’s 2nd Annual Worldwide Nursing Conference in Singapore.
Health care professionals from about a dozen nations including the United States attended the conference June 23-24, when Asaro presented her thesis paper titled “Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage Across Nations.”
The Ira native’s paper compared the medicine of the United States along with Indonesia and Nepal, two nations she visited during study abroad trips sponsored by SVSU in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Asaro, who will earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing this August, visited villages in both countries to study the various methods of health care practiced abroad.
The Singapore-based Global Science and Technology Forum earlier in the year selected Asaro’s work as a candidate for “Best Student Paper.” About 30 other students presented papers at the conference.
“It was neat I could turn this into an opportunity,” said Asaro, who called the starting point of that award-winning honors thesis — joining SVSU’s honors program — “one of the best decisions I made” at the university.
“Even though the classes are challenging, they prepared me for the nursing program, which is writing intensive,” she said. “The professors who taught honors classes expected more out of their students, which helped me to develop the skills I needed to succeed in the nursing program and throughout the rest of my career at SVSU. I would not be the person I am today without the support from the honors program.”
Asaro has been invited to publish her paper in the Global Science and Technology Forum’s Journal of Nursing and Healthcare. The publication features peer-reviewed scholarly articles selected from conferences.
Asaro, a 2010 Marine City High School graduate, said she was motivated to pursue nursing after helping her mother cope with rheumatoid arthritis.