We asked Indira to share a bit with us about her experience working on a community-engaged research project and what advice she might give other students who are interested in undergraduate research experiences. Below are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.
What public impact research means to me
To me, public impact research means walking with communities to determine how to best serve and benefit them. The data map that I created with the POD Center’s PIRI Grant has been used to run focus groups with community members and community non-profit organizations to learn about health needs in the Yolo County region, and to brainstorm future programs and research that will help address these needs. I think that as a large research university with extensive funding, one of UC Davis’s primary roles should be to support the community around us, in this case through public health research, data collection, and programs which benefit maternal and child health.
As someone interested in public health and specifically addressing health disparities, it is imperative that my work has public impact either through programs that directly expand access to care or through policies that work to address inequality.
While public health is often seen as a community, state, or country-level endeavor, ultimately implementing public health measures has a lot to do with individual choices and our responsibilities to each other in a society. We have seen this clearly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Because of my Human Rights Studies minor, I will reference the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 29, which states that “Everyone has duties to the community.” I think this is applicable to not only the field of public health but to how I see my work as a whole. It is all of our jobs to take care of one another, and therefore my current and future work must have public reach to benefit others.
When I came to UC Davis to study Global Disease Biology, I took a course called Political Origins of African American Health Inequality. This course fundamentally changed my perspective on public health because it showed me that policy and the inherent structure of systems in the United States leads to poorer health outcomes in certain populations. As a result, I became more interested in policy and government as a way to address health inequality and improve these systems. One area of impact that is particularly important to me is reproductive health and access to reproductive care. As Vice President of Students for Reproductive Freedom at UC Davis, I work on advocacy and education relating to reproductive health and abortion access on campus. My roles with the Perinatal Origins of Disparity Center and Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic role are also related to the topic of reproductive and maternal health, so I think reproductive health is an issue that I hope to continue working on. Some potential career paths that I see myself following are as a policy/advocacy director for a non-profit organization or a program director at a city or regional health department.
Working at the Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic
A UC Davis student-run clinic, Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, hosted a food drive. (Courtesy photo)
Of all the student-run clinics, Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic (JVMC) stood out to me because of its philosophy of harm reduction and de-stigmatization of substance use. As undergrads, our primary role in the clinic is to facilitate overall clinic flow by checking community members in, keeping paperwork and records in order, and sanitizing exam rooms. I am so glad that we were able to come back to the clinic in person in Summer 2021 after over a year of COVID-19 restrictions! Currently, I serve as the Reproductive Health Committee Head within the clinic. I work with 3 other undergraduate students in my committee, and we strive to promote reproductive health access and education within our clinic space. In Fall 2021, we collaborated with Davis Period, another student org, to run a menstrual product drive. We purchased over 3000 menstrual products with the donations and were able to create almost 100 menstrual product kits for our community members who live outside! Our next project is to set up a specialty Reproductive Health Clinic within JVMC that will have an OB/GYN preceptor and provide birth control, pap smears, STI testing, and other reproductive care to community members.
Finding research positions
I began looking for lab positions by researching departments and faculty doing public health-related work and reaching out to them via email. This is how I was able to interview for and then join the Social Environment & Stress Lab at the UC Davis Center for Mind & Brain, where I work on developmental psychology research. This work is related to public health because a main focus of the lab is how positive social relationships serve as a buffer to relieve early life and adolescent stress related to socioeconomic status and other factors. My involvement with the Perinatal Origins of Disparity Center followed a different path. The Global Disease Biology Academic Advisor sent out an email about the launch event for the POD Center, which I attended to learn more about the center’s goals and projects. At the event, I introduced myself to the Co-Director of the center, Dr. Leigh-Ann Simmons. When I indicated that I was interested in perinatal research, Dr. Simmons asked that I send in a resume, and my work with the POD Center began!
Connecting with professors and scientists
As a student sitting in the middle of a 500-person lecture hall, it can be really easy to forget that professors and researchers are people, too! This was something that I realized almost as soon as I joined the POD Center and the Social Environment & Stress Lab.
Ultimately, we are all just trying to balance our work with our personal lives while trying to treat people kindly along the way. Especially during COVID while I was at home on Zoom, it was so important to connect with my research supervisors by asking about their kids or their (very limited) travel plans.
Indira D’Souza
Something else that I had to get used to was being asked to hop on a new project, jumping into a quick training meeting, and then completing research tasks on my own. I think many students completing virtual research during the pandemic have had to do this, but one important part of being a student researcher is being flexible and responsive to new instructions while also managing your own time effectively!
Advice to Other Students
Start early! I think that because I was able to start working in the SES Lab and at the POD Center early on in my undergraduate career, I have been able to build real connections with the professors and graduate students in these settings. I’ve also been able to work on projects over multiple quarters, which has led to opportunities to co-author on research papers that have been submitted to academic journals.
I cast a really wide net when I was looking for the right lab to fit my interests. I started by Googling “UC Davis public health” or “reproductive health UC Davis” and seeing what centers and faculty came up! Every time I would email a professor, I included a line at the end saying “if you are unable to accommodate an undergraduate research assistant at this time, it would be awesome if you could recommend the names of some colleagues who might be accepting students.”
I was surprised at how many more connections I was able to make just through these recommendations from professors!
I would also say that meeting with professors (virtually or in-person) to discuss their work and their lab dynamic can be a deciding factor. I met with at least five professors in my search for a lab, and was usually able to tell from these meetings if I was passionate about their work or not. As a current Global Disease Biology Peer Advisor, I would like to advertise the Research tab on our website which has tips and tricks for our students on how to find research opportunities on campus! We have a Practicum Podcast series where we interview 4th year GDB students on how they found their research project mentors. These resources would be helpful for non-GDB majors, too!
My involvement in student organizations since my first year has allowed me to pursue leadership roles and take on more responsibilities. One example is my role as Reproductive Health Committee Head in Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, which I only pursued after being a clinic volunteer for over a year. A final tip I have is to always keep your eyes open for new opportunities and events where you can network! I was able to join the POD Center because I attended their launch event, so never underestimate the power of introducing yourself and conveying your interest in someone’s work!
All blogs are the personal accounts and opinions of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the those of Public Scholarship and Engagement or UC Davis.
