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Westhampton Beach HS senior’s research published

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As a Westhampton Beach High School sophomore during COVID-19, Morgan Donahoe was interested in participating in a research project. Now, two years later as a senior, her work has been published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health.

“I’m very excited,” said Donahoe. “It’s huge that I’ve become a published author before going to college.”

The article, titled “Domestic violence calls for police service in five US cities during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020,” was accepted for publication following months of research conducted by Donahoe along with Dr. Jaymie Meliker, a professor in Stony Brook University’s public health program. The pair were linked through Donahoe’s science research teacher, Dr. Dianna Gobler.  

For her research, Donahoe data mined for months, sending emails and making phone calls to obtain information that she added to a detailed spreadsheet.

“It was a lot of work,” said Donahoe, who acquired emergency calls from major cities around the U.S. to see if there was a correlation between COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders, quarantine periods and domestic violence reports.  

The work has inspired Donahoe’s future plans. She intends to study neuroscience on a pre-med track in college.

Donahoe is an accomplished student and member of her school’s National, Math, Foreign Language and Science honor societies. She also participates in her school’s Youth to Youth club and is a volunteer officer for the Westhampton Beach Junior Ambulance.

“I am so proud of her,” said Dr. Gobler.

Date Added: 1/10/2023