St Paul, Minnesota, United States
American chiropractor B. J. Palmer once said, “the preservation of health is easier than the cure of the disease”. As a current research scientist and a future public health leader, I embrace this motto every day. My mission is to use compassion, empathy, and knowledge to connect people with opportunities to learn and grow, while providing equal access and sustainable and healthy practices. Whether it’s educating teammates, developing more efficient and effective methods and systems, or inspiring others to live more sustainable and healthy lives, I pride myself in pushing the envelope in the search of a healthier population and planet.
-Plan, direct, and coordinate clinical research sample collections and projects -Assist with implementation of new contract laboratories and repositories -Manage project data using database tools, spreadsheets, and reports -Perform quality assurance review of clinical sample data submitted by participating sites
-Coordinated, advised, and trained a team of 7 technicians -Verified and maintained regulatory compliance of 10 million biological samples -Acted as a liaison between CRO Services and research laboratory technicians -Created and revised standard operating procedures, work instructions and job aids needed for daily operations -Monitored research data to assess accuracy, validity and integrity -Streamlined data collection processes for improved accuracy and reduced time spent on manual tasks -Evaluated and implemented new technologies into existing research methodologies, increasing volume of sample stored by 20% -Learned new laboratory techniques and applied expertise in carrying out enhanced experiments under supervision of lab supervisor
As a Health Equity Intern, I worked on two main projects. My first project consisted of creating a social determinants of health primer that served as a stand alone resource as well as an introduction to a larger health equity toolkit. This primer set a foundation for why health equity is important, and how health disparities arise from systemic racism, implicit bias, and inequities in the social determinants of health. My second project consisted of creating a newborn screening program sickle cell disease quantitative report and qualitative summary. All fifty states currently screen for sickle cell disease during newborn screening, however I wanted to see what happens after a baby receives a positive diagnosis. Because bone marrow transplant is a potential curative option for sickle cell disease, I wanted to see where we could place a resource that specifically provides information about Be the Match and bone marrow transplant for patients with sickle cell disease. I investigated what information and resources are currently out there, and where there is an opportunity for more information.