11/25/2025
📈Highlighting STEPtember Findings and Undergraduate Research in Falls Prevention 🎓
The NC Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at UNC Asheville is pleased to recognize both the outcomes of this year’s STEPtember Initiative and the scholarly contributions of Janaki Beharrysingh, a University of North Carolina Asheville Community Engaged Scholar who presented her work at the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium on November 18.
STEPtember, coordinated by the NC Falls Prevention Coalition, engages individuals and organizations across North Carolina in a month-long walking challenge designed to increase physical activity and raise awareness about fall prevention. The initiative continues to strengthen community participation in evidence-based strategies that support mobility, independence, and healthy aging.
As part of her Community Engaged Scholar project, Janaki collaborated with Ellen B. and the NC Falls Prevention Coalition to examine the processes and impact of STEPtember. Her work contributes to a growing understanding of how statewide health promotion campaigns function and how they can be improved to support population-level fall prevention efforts.
NCCHW remains committed to supporting student engagement in public health practice and research. Partnerships like this exemplify how academic inquiry and community collaboration can inform program evaluation and enhance public health initiatives and workforce entry points across the state.
