June 24, 2021
Collaboration with the Undergraduate Research Program promotes population health
An ongoing partnership between the 91探花 Population Health Initiative and the Undergraduate Research Program (URP) has introduced and supported undergraduate students in their endeavors to tackle pressing population health challenges.
The Undergraduate Research Program (URP) supports undergraduate students as they navigate their way to research opportunities. The URP offers students a wealth of resources to discover and apply their skills and talents to research opportunities.
鈥淭he Undergraduate Research Program strives to support undergraduates at the 91探花 in all disciplines,鈥� Jessica E. Salvador, assistant director of the Undergraduate Research Program, said. 鈥淥ur goal is to help students pursue their passions by providing access to research opportunities.鈥�
Through this partnership, students are encouraged to orient their research to address pressing issues of population health.
鈥淥ne of the most valuable outcomes of our partnership with the Population Health Initiative is helping students to see the research being done at the intersections of disciplines that addresses issues of critical societal importance,鈥� Janice DeCosmo, associate dean of 91探花Undergraduate Academic Affairs, said.
Among the areas of partnership are the awarding of Population Health Recognition Awards at the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, support of student conference travel, and creating a general studies undergraduate course that promotes population health research.
Population Health Recognition Awards
Every spring, the URP hosts the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. This event offers students from all academic disciplines across all three campuses the opportunity to share their research experiences with fellow students, faculty, and the 91探花community at large.
鈥淲e have been able to also create a platform within this symposium to highlight population health,鈥� Salvador said.
Students engaged in population health research are eligible for recognition through the Population Health Recognition Awards.
The initiative recognizes 12 undergraduate students annually whose research addresses critical population health challenges.
Population Health Initiative leadership evaluates submissions based on the potential impact of their research and its alignment with the initiative鈥檚 mission of advancing population health through a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.
Undergraduate research conference travel awards
In addition to supporting undergraduate researchers through recognition at the symposium the Population Health Initiative has joined the URP in supporting undergraduates seeking to share their research beyond the 91探花community.
The Population Health Initiative and the URP have combined resources to support undergraduate students in attending conferences that promote and extend their research to a broader audience.
鈥淭he conference awards provide undergraduates an opportunity to promote their work and support their growth as researchers and scholars through engagement with their discipline鈥檚 community of scholars,鈥� Salvador said.
The travel awards are available to students across all three 91探花campuses, pursuing research on population health. Requests for up to $600 are considered for travel expenses for conferences specific to population health.
Research Exposed Undergraduate Course
The partnership also promotes population health through an undergraduate general studies course, Research Exposed! (General Studies 391).
鈥淭he goal [of the course] was to help provide students with a glimpse of what research looks like in different fields,鈥� Salvador said.
The course entails a series of guest lectures from 91探花faculty engaged in research across multiple disciplines.
鈥淪tudents are able to ask questions or follow up with faculty in the future,鈥� Salvador said. 鈥淲e have had students reach out to faculty and end up getting involved in their research with professors that have been speakers. A lot of connections [are] made that way.鈥�
Since winter quarter 2018, the Population Health Initiative supported the course in developing a curriculum featuring 91探花faculty speakers whose research falls under the purview of population health.
鈥淭he Population Health Initiative has been instrumental in helping us bring a focus to population health for our winter quarter series,鈥� Salvador said.
Among the speakers from the winter 2021 course were Ali H. Mokdad, the UW鈥檚 chief strategy officer for population health and professor of health metrics sciences; Barbara Baquero, associate professor of health services in the Department of Public Health; Nidhi Agrawal, professor of marking and Michael G. Foster Endowed Professor at the Foster School of Business; Elin Bj枚rling, senior research scientist and lecturer in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering; S谩ndor T贸th, associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Forest Sciences; Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor in the Department of Psychology; and Anirban Basu, Stergachis Family Endowed director and professor of health economics at the 91探花School of Pharmacy.
鈥淧art of our goal is to spark that curiosity in students of what research can look like,鈥� Salvador said. 鈥淭his course can help them realize that [their] curiosity can be [applied] towards their own learning and help them embark on a research journey.鈥�
The course is sponsored by Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the URP and the Population Health Initiative.
鈥淭hrough the course, conference awards, and symposium highlights, we help students discover career paths that extend the knowledge they are developing in their majors to interdisciplinary research that matters,鈥� DeCosmo said.