Jadyn Arter and Liz Hernandez Receive Honors Fellows Awards

From left: Jadyn Arter, Dr. Leslie Kaplan (Director of the Hicks Honors College), and Liz Hernandez at the Closing Ceremony of the Summer 2026 UNF Hicks Honors College Retreat.

HEAL Lab undergraduate research assistants Jadyn Arter and Elizabeth “Liz” Hernandez have each received a $1,500 Honors Fellows Award from UNF’s Hicks Honors College.

The awards will support Jadyn and Liz as they each dedicate 120 hours to experiential learning projects in the HEAL Lab during the Fall 2026 semester. In this work, they will help develop and refine research tools for federally funded studies currently underway in the lab.

Jadyn will apply his knowledge of research methodology to the development of the lab’s onboarding and eligibility surveys. These surveys help the research team identify community members who may be a good fit for a study and guide them through the process of getting started.

Liz will program surveys that will help the research team understand how participants perceive their health before and after completing a new program. Her work will help the lab collect information needed to evaluate participants’ experiences and the potential effects of its research interventions.

For Jadyn, the award also creates room to pursue a research question closely connected to his future goals. He is developing a research project exploring how social relationships may affect physical wound healing—a translational research topic that complements his long-term career goal of becoming a surgeon.

“This award has deepened my opportunities within the HEAL Lab in ways I could not have imagined,” Jadyn said.

Liz plans to become an anesthesiologist and is particularly interested in patient advocacy and helping patients feel informed and supported throughout their care. Her work with participant health surveys gives her an opportunity to build research and technical skills while remaining connected to the experiences and perspectives of the people participating in the lab’s studies.

“This award is a meaningful reminder that my hard work is seen and supported by both the HEAL Lab and Hicks Honors College,” Liz said.

The Honors Fellows Award recognizes students who have maintained a minimum 3.20 GPA and demonstrated significant involvement in the Hicks Honors College. The scholarship can help recipients cover educational and living expenses as they devote time to their experiential learning projects.

“Jadyn and Liz have already become valuable contributors to the HEAL Lab. These awards give them an opportunity to take greater ownership of work that is essential to our research, while developing skills that will serve them in their future careers,” said HEAL Lab Director Dr. Angie LeRoy.