As a seasoned student at the Zilber School of Public Health I’ve had the unique opportunity to participate in numerous enriching personal and professional projects. Some of my most rewarding experiences have been my research/project assistantship positions with the former dean, my professors and my main advisors. In these positions, I’ve been able to explore a breadth of public health topics ranging from public health administration to non-profit program evaluation to Instagram research on vaping marketing practices to the nationwide implications of the lack of quality care for women experiencing long COVID-19. These positions have allowed me to experience all stages of the research process, exposed me to various research designs and techniques and provided me the opportunity to share and collaborate at American Public Health Association conferences across the US throughout the years.
As a former clinician, the education I’ve received at the Zilber School has allowed me to expand my clinical skills and use evidence-based practices to turn research into policy and program change. At the completion of my coursework and preliminary exam, I immediately utilized my new skills by engaging in various consulting opportunities in the Milwaukee community. In these positions, I provided in-depth data analysis to advocate for systems change benefiting our most underserved populations.
One of my most memorable student experiences was the opportunity to share my dissertation research at the 73rd annual International Communication Association Conference, Reclaiming Authenticity in Communication,in Toronto, Canada this May. I was honored to be accepted for an in-person session in a highly competitive year with the second largest number of applicants in ICA history. In addition to sharing my own work, I was able to support my advisor in a paper we co-authored entitled Promotion of the Daysy Application for Pregnancy Prevention by Instagram Influencers. The opportunity to share my work with an international audience of scholars and receive feedback to finalize my dissertation was incredibly valuable.
I’m currently wrapping up my time at the Zilber School as I work toward the completion of my dissertation entitled Vaping Identity and Implications for Health. My research focuses on the process of social identity formation around vaping among 18–21-year-olds in the mid-west. Through qualitative exploration, I’ve examined how a vaping identity is formed and how that identity can impact health. My hope is that my research will shed light on the importance of vaping identity as a factor impeding cessation and challenge existing public health programs to move beyond just nicotine cessation to include steps that promote identity shifts to non-vaping social identities.
During my time at Zilber, I’ve been honored with the Vera Zilber Scholarship, been the awardee of the Dissertation Support Program Award and been the several time awardee of the UWM Graduate Student Travel Award. As I reflect back on my education, I’m incredibly grateful to the Zilber School for the professional experiences and for the incredible support I’ve received as I’ve built my career in public health.