Michelle Chevalier
Harvard University
Major: Biology

Mentor: Mei-Chiung Shih , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biostatistics

Project: "Utilization of Dental Services at Children's Hospital, Boston"

Last summer, I had the opportunity to conduct an epidemiological study of Type I Diabetes in a population of individuals of African descent on an island in the Caribbean. It was because of my work last summer that I realized that I wanted to pursue a masters degree in Public Health in addition to an MD.

However, although I knew that I was interested in Public Health, when it was time to make decisions about my future during my senior year in college, I was still unsure as to which area I wanted to focus for my MPH. While in college, I had always wanted take a course in Biostatistics and quantitative methods, because I had a great desire to know how statisticians were able to analyze, interpret, and apply seemingly obscure and massive data sets collected in clinical research studies. I did not have the opportunity to do so while in college, and this program seemed like the perfect chance to pursue this interest of mine while affording me the opportunity to learn more about study in the field of Public Health through the numerous workshops on Epidemiology, and Health and Social Behavior. It was for these reasons, coupled with the fact that the program length provided me with ample time during the remainder of the summer to do other projects, that this program was an ideal choice for me.

The project I worked on this summer consisted of analyzing the results from a Dental Survey conducted at Children’s Hospital Boston. My role in this project was to characterize the patient population seeking dental care at Children’s as a means of providing information that would enable the hospital, health care providers, and insurance companies to better cater to the needs of the patient population. Through working on my project, I learned how to apply the statistical methods I was learning in our Biostatistics classes to real life settings and data. Additionally, I learned how to translate statistical findings into real life implications. Through my experience in the program, I gained a better understanding of what field I would like to obtain my masters in, and through the various resources and contacts provided for us I feel better equipped to apply to graduate programs in the future. This is a really good program.

Jennifer Dillon
Mills College
Major: Mathematics, Psychology

For our project, my fellow students and I analyzed an HIV data set using standard survival analysis to test two hypotheses: 1) That patients on a three-drug combination would survive longer than patients on a two-drug combination, and 2) that white blood cell count and viral load are reliable markers for survival time. The two most exciting aspects of working on this project for me were that I got to work with a real and large data set, and that I got to learn some survival analysis. Working with Greg (our faculty mentor) and Yannis (our grad student mentor) was fabulous.

Overall, I met numerous remarkable and brilliant and fun people, and it was a highly rewarding experience."

Katya Giovannetti-Rivera
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
Major: Psychology

Mentor: Janet Rich-Edwards , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology

Project: "Is there a Correlation between BMI and Depression in Pregnant Women?"

I just graduated with a major in Psychology, but decided that an academic career in public health, specifically in Epidemiology, is the right match for me. My mathematical background is not strong enough and that is the reason why I decided to join the summer program in Quantitative Methods at HSPH. This past month was not only a new challenge for me but it was also a complementary training that put me in a competitive level in any graduate school.

It is my belief that this summer program gives students the necessary tools and knowledge to enter the statistical world of public health. Public health is not a career for everyone, so one of the most rewarding factors of this summer program is that it allows undergraduate students to explore the world of public health (specifically Biostatistics and Epidemiology), a world that they may have never heard of before. It is good to have a taste of what public health really means.

This August I will start my MS in Epidemiology, but during my trajectory in this summer program, I made the important decision of pursuing a PhD in Biostatistics. Now, after this summer program in quantitative methods, I am more determined that public health is the best academic career to help and improve the quality of lives in our community. I now know that my passion is to develop preventions and treatments for the different diseases, epidemics, disorders, and illnesses that are affecting our society. Thank you HSPH for giving me the opportunity to find my dream career.

Alane Izu
Brigham Young University
Major: Biostatistics

Project: "HIV-1 RNA and CD4 T Cell Count as Markers of Efficacy in a Clinical Trial"

The lectures in the afternoon were very helpful. I learned about the different options I have after I graduate. It was beneficial hearing from people who work in biostatistics, epidemiology, and health and behavioral sciences. It gave me the opportunity to see which disciplines I liked and which disciplines didn't appeal to me as much.

My research project was really fun. I learned about survival analysis. I have never done anything with survival analysis so I am glad I was able to learn about it and use it in our project. The presentation was a great opportunity to practice speaking in front of people and presenting our work.

Project: "Gene Polymorphisms and Endometrial Cancer Risk"

I applied to the Summer Program in Quantitative Methods in order to get a feel for whether or not I wanted to pursue a graduate degree in biostatistics. I was drawn to biostatistics because I like math and I also like biology, and I was intrigued by the idea of somehow integrating the two disciplines.

The research project helped me to get a sense of how statistics is used in biological problems. I worked with another student on a project that looked at how two polymorphisms in the progesterone receptor might affect the risk for endometrial cancer. Our data came from a subcohort within the Nurses' Health Study. We first looked at some potential environmental risk factors, and once the significant risk factors were identified, we used a logistic regression model to control for those factors and look at the independent effects of the two polymorphisms on risk for endometrial cancer. We used STATA for the model and to also do some tests of significance in the preliminary analysis. In the end, we put together a PowerPoint presentation and presented our findings to faculty and other program participants. Since my project was in epidemiology, the balance of biology and statistics was not completely representative of what is done in biostatistics, but through talking to current graduate students and faculty, I did get a good sense of the type of work I would be doing in a biostatistics graduate program and afterwards as a professional. The biostatistics course in the mornings also illustrated a few applications, and Dr. Bellamy, our instructor, was very helpful in describing her own experiences as a graduate student and currently as a professional. This program has made me feel more confident of my ability to do a graduate degree. Most importantly, I feel, this program has given me a much greater awareness of public health, and I am certain that whatever career path I pursue, it will concern improving health outcomes for individuals and populations.

Brittany Owens
Hampton University
Major: Mathematics

HSPH has been a great experience for me. I decided to apply to this program because I am a math major. I enjoy math; but I wanted to see how it applied to more areas. I also thought I may be interested in pursing a career in public health, but I did not know much about it. I hoped that by attending this program I would gain a better understanding about public health and discover some areas I can pursue after I get my math degree.

My experience in the program was great. I was able to gain some brief but detailed information in the biostatics class. I learned basic principles of biostatics that led me to an area that interested me. I also gained more knowledge from other areas of public health through lectures. For my research project I worked with a Dental Survey of the patient population at Children Hospital Boston. In the project, we were able to learn more about STATA through our statistical analysis. Presently I am a junior in my undergraduate studies and I am unsure what exactly I will do, but I do know I want to go into Public Health. I am glad I attended this program; it was a great opportunity. I would not have been exposed to all the areas I am interested in if I had not attended this program. I plan to apply to graduate programs in public health before I graduate.

Tracy Salisbury
North Carolina State
Major: Biology/African Studies

Mentor: Randi Paynter
Doctoral Student
Department of Epidemiology

Project: "Gene Polymorphisms and Endometrial Cancer Risk"

Last summer, I attended a program that really encouraged me to think about pursuing an MPH (masters in public health) in addition to an MD degree. The Summer Program in Quantitative Methods really caught my attention because I figured that I would have the opportunity to learn more about public health and see if it is a career path that I would be willing to take. I was also really interested in seeing how math could be used in medicine, such as in the study of diseases.

During the relatively short time period that I spent at the Harvard School of Public Health, I learned so much from our research experiment. My partner and I studied progesterone receptor polymorphisms to see if they affected endometrial cancer risk. Our graduate mentor was amazing, as she helped us to learn the biology of endometrial cancer, as well as methods to test for statistical significance in our data set. In addition, I really appreciated the way we were able to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to our research projects. I can truly say that this has been a very valuable experience. Not only did I learn in the classroom, but I also had the chance to learn from each summer program participant. Each person was quite unique, from various backgrounds and/or cultures, and had something special to contribute to the group.

In the future, I hope to pursue an MD-MPH and learn about methods to prevent diabetes, especially in the African American community where the prevalence is quite high compared to other ethnic groups. I also have some interest in learning about ways to prevent autoimmune diseases such as lupus, particularly, systemic lupus erythematosus.

Daisy Zamora
University of Texas - San Antonio
Major: Biology

Mentor: Janet Rich-Edwards , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology

Project: "Is there a Correlation between BMI and Depression in Pregnant Women?"

I applied to this program because I wanted to get an introduction to biostatistics. The lectures, seminars, and group project were a great learning experience, yet being able to witness the diversity of ideas and interests that come together here was the best part of my experience.

The purpose of our project was to investigate the association between body mass index and depression in pregnant women from the Boston area. Our mentors were there to guide us in every aspect of our research, from developing an analysis plan to practice for our presentation. Once I receive my BS in Biology, I will start working towards my doctoral degree with the goal of becoming a specialist in obesity research.