Dr. Melinda Ickes

Program Director

Dr. Ickes is an Associate Professor in Health Promotion in the College of Education. She received her PhD from University of Cincinnati in Health Behavior and Health Promotion at University of Cincinnati in 2010. Dr. Ickes has a wealth of experience in tobacco prevention and control, youth empowerment, and intervention research. She serves as the Co-Director of Tobacco Policy for BREATHE in the College of Nursing and is the Director of Tobacco-free Take Action and Go Tobacco-free, efforts to promote evidence-based tobacco policy.

Julia Estes

Julia is from Memphis, TN and recently graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Political Science. As program coordinator, her goal is to expand the reach of #iCANendthetrend and discover innovative ways to engage youth.

Gabrielle Cochran

Gabrielle is from Columbus, Ohio and is a current graduate student at the University of Kentucky. She received her Bachelors of Public Health at the University of Kentucky in May of 2022. She is excited to meet students across Kentucky and empower them to find their passions and be their own advocates for change!

Hannah Brown

Hannah is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and is currently a junior at the University of Kentucky. She is studying healthcare administration with a focus on healthcare consulting. She has been a part of #iCANendthetrend as a college facilitator since January 2022 and loves having the opportunity to help educate youth across Kentucky to take control of their health.

Abby Lay

Abby is from London, Kentucky and has been a college facilitator with #iCANendthetrend since November 2021. She is a senior at the University of Kentucky and is studying Public Health. Abby enjoys traveling across Kentucky to connect and empower students within the state.

Courtney Martin

Courtney is from Manchester, Kentucky and is a current graduate student at the University of Kentucky in Health Promotion. She recently joined the team in Spring of 2022. Courtney is very excited to be a part of the team and is looking forward to working with youth, and educating and empowering youth to be advocates and leaders in their communities.

Grace Evans

Grace is from Barbourville, Kentucky, and is a rising senior at the University of Kentucky. She is studying Human Health Sciences on a pre-dental track while also minoring in Business. Grace recently rejoined the team after serving as a College Facilitator for a year. She is excited to be back and incorporate new ways for youth to become involved in our prevention efforts.

Sierrah Miley

Program Coordinator

Sierrah is from Frankfort, KY and recent graduate from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Kinesiology. This year, Sierrah’s goal is to encourage and give youth the resources and information to make a difference in their communities. Sierrah has been with the team since Spring 2019 as a former college facilitator and is currently the #iCANendthetrend Program Coordinator.

Dillon Lay

Research Assistant

There is so much to say about my time as a #ICETT Research Assistant from team retreats, sharing research at conferences, and building life-long friendships, but one of the most valuable memories I have is traveling across Kentucky learning from youth themselves. Having the opportunity to speak with youth about their experiences and building on their ideas for empowerment taught me so much about the indomitable, positive influence that youth have within their community. My time with #ICETT led me to continue learning with youth as I am now a 7th grade science teacher. I cannot be more grateful for my experience with the #ICETT team and the joy we shared over the last 4 years!

Olivia Wilds

Olivia was born and raised in Somerset, Kentucky and is the youngest member on our team. She is currently majoring in Kinesiology and Health Promotion with plans to go to Dental school. Olivia loves connecting with students all over Kentucky and hopes to inspire them to bring change in their community.

Holly Volz

#ICETT taught me so much about myself, my state, nicotine prevention and empowerment, and health promotion as a whole. In my time with #ICETT I was able to present to schools all across Kentucky, talk with school staff, meet community members and network with those who are also working in the prevention field. End the Trend really ignited my passion for prevention & empowerment work and public speaking with youth. I currently am the Youth Empowerment and Prevention Specialist with New Vista serving 17 counties! I am forever thankful for #ICETT and everything and everyone it brought me.

Olivia Zidzik

Serving as a #iCANendthetrend college facilitator was one of the most fulfilling parts of my colligate experience. As a team, we engaged with thousands of young Kentuckians and empowered them to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. I had the privilege of starting #iCANendthetrend’s social media pages, which prepared me for the next step in my career – an associate marketing specialist for Ally Financial (Detroit, MI)!

Trey Schadt

My time with Icanendthetrend helped me get in the community an serve. It was an absolute pleasure to be apart of something bigger than myself making a real difference. The community they have fostered is so much more then a work environment, it’s a family. The professional skills I learned while with the team helped me jumpstart my career in marketing and I’m proud to say I’m now working full time with a digital marketing agency named Creekmore Marketing.

Camille Wright

My time at #iCANendthetrend was definitely unforgettable! The incredible people I got to work with and the kids I got to educate truly made it a worthwhile experience☺️ Now that I’m graduated, I’m living in LA working at an advertising agency!

Claire Miller

I had the pleasure of working with the #ICETT team while I was in graduate school at the University of Kentucky. As a health advocate and student researcher I worked with the team on a variety of tobacco prevention projects. #ICETT allowed me to travel to conferences to present research findings on how this program impacts Kentucky youth, lead a manuscript development team, and be in the content creation space for their social media and newsletter. I give credit to #ICETT for helping me build my confidence and skills to advocate for HB219, which was recently passed and signed into legislation in July 2022.

Background on HB219: HB219, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, establishes a lung cancer screening program in the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Working in tobacco prevention is key to catching this disease earlier so that less Kentucky families are impacted.

Thank you, #iCANendthetrend!

Katherine Rowe

My time with #icanendthetrend introduced me to public health and really gave me a passion for the field. I enjoyed learning more about tobacco prevention and awareness through research with the team at ICETT and sharing that information directly with the community. It was always so fun and interesting to interact with the students and community members through the presentations we gave. I’m really thankful to Dr. Ickes and everybody at #icanendthetrend for being a great and supportive team. I love seeing the organization continue to grow and do amazing things in their community.

Currently, I live in Washington and work for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department as a Group Supervisor. I’m also completing the M.S. in Global Studies and International Relations degree program with Northeastern University. I hope to continue working in public health in the future.

Cameron Rostron

At #ICETT, I had the chance to help expand our virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic and carry out research to better understand how our program and others can best function to impact young people! Now, I am a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

Hayley Leach

Former facilitator

“As one of the first #iCANendthetrend College Facilitators, I had the opportunity to watch our program grow and develop into one of the leading e-cigarette prevention programs in Kentucky. Serving as a college facilitator was the highlight of my undergraduate education. Serving as a college facilitator also allowed me to gain the much needed classroom management, presentation, and lesson planning experience I will utilize as a teacher during my next two years as a Teach For America corp member. In addition, the advocacy experience and tracking e-cigarette legislation gained through our program will be incredibly useful as I complete my Master’s Degree in Public Policy & Administration. “