Research that matters.
PREP is a student research RSO at UF focused on health related research. Students lead independent research projects to produce real output that gets published and presented nationwide.
40+
Posters at FURC 2026
50+
Members
12
Members published
What is PREP
More than a pre-health club.
PREP helps undergrads at UF get involved in actual research focused on the social determinants of health. We work alongside medical students, graduate students, and faculty mentors to make sure the work is real and rigorous, not just resume padding.
Members learn how to conduct systematic reviews, write manuscripts, and present at conferences. By the end of the year, you have something you actually did to show for it.
“PREP aims to advance undergraduate involvement in research focused on the social determinants of health through structured collaboration with medical students, graduate students, and faculty mentors.”
PREP Mission
Real Research, Real Output
Every project is built around getting published or presented. Members work through literature reviews in the fall, write manuscripts in the spring, and submit to conferences and journals in the summer.
Cross-Disciplinary Teams
Our projects blend medicine, public health, sociology, and economics. That reflects how health research actually works, and it gives members a much richer experience than working within a single field.
Mentored from Day One
Every member is placed on a team with a Research Chair who guides them through the whole process. We collaborate with medical students, graduate students, and faculty mentors along the way.
Research Model
A semester-based research cycle with defined output goals.
PREP operates on a three-phase annual pipeline. Each phase builds on the last — from literature to manuscript to publication.
Fall
Foundation PhaseMembers are placed into project teams based on interest areas — public health, cardiology, epidemiology, or social determinants of health.
- Literature review development
- Research question refinement
- Data collection or synthesis (primarily secondary data)
- Methodology design for meta-analysis or systematic review
Spring
Production PhaseTeams transition from literature foundation into active scholarly production — writing, analysis, and preparing work for external dissemination.
- Manuscript writing
- Statistical or thematic analysis where applicable
- Poster development for conference submission
Summer
Dissemination PhaseCompleted research is submitted for external review, conference presentation, and journal publication. This is where PREP work becomes scholarship.
- Submission to journals or conferences
- Presentation preparation for FURC and NCUR
- Publication pipeline advancement with Journal of Medical Sociology and Public Health
Research Areas
Interdisciplinary by design.
PREP projects integrate perspectives across disciplines to reflect the complexity of real-world health systems — the same approach used in graduate and faculty-level research.
Public Health
Population-level health outcomes, health equity, and the social and structural determinants that shape community wellbeing.
Medicine & Clinical Research
Synthesis of clinical literature on disease mechanisms, treatment efficacy, and evidence-based medical practice.
Epidemiology
Distribution and determinants of disease across populations using systematic review, meta-analysis, and secondary data methods.
Sociology & Social Science
Social, economic, and structural conditions that produce and perpetuate health disparities across communities.
Conference Presence
PREP at FURC 2026.
PREP members presented original research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference, Florida's premier undergraduate scholarship venue, hosted at UNF in Jacksonville.
Florida Undergraduate Research Conference 2026 · Jacksonville, FL
Research Outcomes
Work that reaches beyond the classroom.
PREP prioritizes systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and literature synthesis papers — research outputs designed for external academic dissemination at the highest undergraduate level.
Florida Undergraduate Research Conference
PREP members present poster and oral research at FURC, Florida's premier undergraduate research conference hosted annually.
National Conference on Undergraduate Research
Selected PREP projects are submitted to NCUR, a nationally recognized forum for undergraduate scholarly work.
Journal of Medical Sociology and Public Health
PREP's publication pipeline targets the Journal of Medical Sociology and Public Health for peer-reviewed academic output.
Leadership
Led by undergraduates,
built for scholars.
PREP's leadership structure reflects a research institute model — executive officers, research chairs, and operational leads working in defined roles.
Isabella Ruiz
Co-President
Isabella co-leads PREP's overall direction, manages executive operations, and represents the org in partnerships and institutional settings.
Aaryan Raj
Co-President
Aaryan co-leads organizational strategy, drives PREP's research portfolio growth, and oversees external partnerships and conference presence.
Jacob Damyan
VP of Research
Jacob oversees all active research projects, coordinates the research chairs, and makes sure every team has the support they need to produce quality work.
Arjit Nair
VP of Membership
Arjit handles member onboarding, engagement, and the internal structure of the organization to keep everyone connected and supported.