KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 10, 2026

Few undergraduates can add “lead author in a peer-reviewed journal” to their list of accomplishments. Kennesaw State University student and Harry S. Truman Scholarship finalist Allisa George is one of them.

George, an Honors student double majoring in public health and biology, is the first author of a National Institutes of Health-funded study examining alcohol and mental health among women in Uganda recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“It’s honestly surreal seeing the work published,” said George, a senior in KSU’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. “To be able to learn how to develop a manuscript and go through the publication process is a rare opportunity. KSU invests so much time and effort in supporting undergraduate research, and I’m incredibly grateful.”

The publication built on an already remarkable year for George, who also made KSU history as the University’s first finalist for the Truman Scholarship, a prestigious, national award given to college juniors who plan to pursue careers in government, advocacy, or public service.

“Allisa’s selection as a Harry S. Truman Scholarship finalist is truly an historic achievement,” said Jamie Elliott, associate dean of the Keeping Sights Upward (KSU) Journey Honors College. “Her remarkable rise as a scholar, researcher, and campus leader demonstrates the impact one student can have when given the opportunities to excel. Her success reflects both her extraordinary personal drive and the culture of excellence we are building at KSU."

George studied the lives of women residing in an informal settlement in Kampala, Uganda using a participatory method called photovoice. Researchers gave participants phones and asked them to photograph their own environments and daily lives. They then spoke about what those images meant in focus groups.

From the responses, she found that while alcohol supported livelihoods and social interaction for some residents, its widespread availability and promotion were also associated with violence, financial strain, psychological distress, and disruptions in family life for the women.

“The environment these women live in kind of leads them to engage in risky behaviors because of the lack of opportunities," George said, noting that the findings will help identify interventions that are gender-focused and culturally tailored to the region and highlight the need for policy change.

"Being the lead author on a peer-reviewed publication is an exceptional accomplishment for any researcher, and it is especially impressive for an undergraduate student," said KSU’s Executive Director of Undergraduate Research Amy Buddie. This achievement is a wonderful example of what can emerge from a strong undergraduate research culture that emphasizes early and sustained involvement."

George, who is also KSU’s Student Government Association president, has her sights set on becoming a physician-scientist, specializing in treating and solving the mysteries of aging.

"I really love the trial and error of science and being able to think of novel ideas that might help people in the future, specifically those with different neurological disorders," she said. “But I also want to be able to care for patients, to bridge clinical practice with science.”

While she always knew she wanted to become a doctor, it was her grandmother’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease that first sparked her curiosity on aging and diseases.

“At first I was like, this is a really terrible disease,” she said. “But then it kind of got me thinking, why does it affect certain people and are certain people more at risk for certain diseases?”

In pursuit of that mission, she spent this past summer at the University of Pennsylvania in a summer training program focused on aging research and neurodegenerative disease. That experience complemented her research here at KSU, where she studies prenatal cannabinoid exposure and how it affects the baby’s brain, learning and memory with Professor of Biology Vishnu Suppiramaniam.

Now serving her second term as SGA president, George wants to spend her final year at KSU supporting students the way KSU supported her.

"Half the things I'm doing right now, I wouldn't be able to do unless people helped me along the way," she said. "I want to be able to do that same thing for other people.”

– Story by Christin Senior

Photo by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.