Why did you choose BU School of Public Health and the MS in Population Health Research?

I believed that BUSPH would provide me with the ideal combination of available coursework, faculty expertise and guidance, and research opportunities necessary to prepare me for further study. I was particularly excited about the  400-hour mentored research experience as an opportunity for me to gain direct experience with public health research and contribute to the field.

I chose the Custom Option because I knew my research interests required interdisciplinary  training that would combine theory and skills from both Biostatistics and Epidemiology. I knew that this option would give me the flexibility to create my own academic path and would prepare me for the research that I wanted to do.

Why Public Health?

My interest in population health research first came after studying epidemic models in my undergraduate courses, from both mathematical and biological perspectives. I was fascinated upon learning of the various ways in which they could be generalized to real-world conditions.

My desire to study population health has also been shaped by exposure to and involvement with activism in marginalized communities that have long been disproportionately affected by public health crises. I’m particularly interested in developing statistical network methods for disease surveillance and modeling in marginalized populations that are systematically underrepresented in public health data collection, as well as networked interventions to improve outcomes in these populations using what we learn from models.

How have the faculty helped make your experience exceptional?

One of the reasons I decided to apply to BUSPH was how prompt and helpful faculty replies were when I was a prospective applicant. The professors I reached out to all pointed me in the right direction to decide which program was best for me. Since enrolling, Dr. Andrew Stokes has been especially helpful in providing guidance on course selection and connecting with research opportunities. I’ve also been able to start working early on my Mentored Research Experience with Dr. Laura White, who so far has been a great mentor as we get the project up and running.

What do you plan to do with your degree once you graduate?

I plan to pursue a PhD, most likely in Biostatistics.