Irving Harris Scholars’ First Semester Reflections

The Irving Harris scholarship is sponsored by the Irving Harris Foundation and allows three first-year MCH/MCH EPI students opportunities to work alongside UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (CoE-MCH) faculty on various research and administrative projects. The aim of this scholarship is to help scholars build their leadership and research skills. One of the scholar’s projects should also focus primarily on early childhood development. This scholarship is granted as a 25% research assistantship appointment and therefore includes a monthly stipend and tuition waiver for each scholars’ first academic year. As the 2021-22 Irving Harris Scholars, we would like to reflect on our first semester experiences in hopes of providing insight and advice to prospective UIC MCH/MCH EPI students.

2021-22 Irving Harris Scholars’ Background

Sara Cook is a registered dietitian and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Her professional experience includes 5 years of working for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), where she provided nutrition and lactation counseling services. She currently works as a clinical registered dietitian at a local pediatric hospital. Sara was excited to attend UIC’s MCH MPH program because of its commitment to healthy equity and its community-focused curriculum and research opportunities.

Joanna Paul is the 2021-2022 Irving Harris Early Childhood Scholar. After working in the childhood clinical research field, Joanna realized that focusing on the root causes of trauma, including social determinants, would allow her to have an even greater impact on trauma prevention and intervention in children. She is passionate about ensuring that children have access to safe, nurturing, and stable environments. Joanna was drawn to UIC’s MCH MPH program because of its emphasis on health equity and social justice, and its commitment to improving outcomes in the Chicagoland area.

Abigail Suleman has a background in menstrual equity advocacy. She is experienced in facilitating safe conversations surrounding period poverty and stigma and is the co-founder of UIC Blood Buds. Abby recently completed a birth doula training which has helped her feel more connected to the stories of her Nigerian family and increased her desire to contribute to global health work. Abby earned two undergraduate degrees from UIC in 2021, and decided to continue her studies at UIC to understand the public health framework needed to work in partnership with underserved communities.

How would you describe your first semester experience in a few words?

The Irving Harris Scholarship has provided us with many opportunities to practice our leadership and research skills and attend events to advance our public health knowledge. Some experiences that we have had through the Irving Harris research assistantship during our first semester include working on faculty research projects, co-leading the MCH Student Interest Group, developing MCH blog content, planning student events, and attending the 2021 CityMatCH conference. Our research tasks included performing literature reviews, providing  grant proposal support, developing evaluation plans, revising internal research protocols, recruiting focus groups, and interviewing stakeholders for various programs. We are all excited to plan the MCH Spring Symposium together this semester!

What has been your favorite part of being an Irving Harris Scholar?

“I feel beyond grateful to have the opportunity to work with my fellow Harris scholars, faculty, and Gabby Masini on a wide range of leadership, research, and administrative tasks. I’ve gained new skills and made wonderful connections through this scholarship.”

“I’m genuinely grateful to be an Irving Harris Scholar! Since I first encountered MCH faculty and opportunities, I have fallen in love with more topics including attitudes surrounding reproductive cancer screenings and programs that support pregnant/postpartum families. I enjoy creating my own schedule, organizing a symposium with my friends, and contributing to research through literature reviews, recruitment, transcription, evaluation, and more!”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work as an Irving Harris Scholar this year. Through this opportunity, I have been able to meet and work with CoE faculty members and learn new skills including how to develop a newsletter, conduct literature reviews, and lead Zoom meetings. I feel I am growing personally and professionally through this scholarship/research assistantship and look forward to learning more skills next semester.”

What are some highlights you experienced during your first semester?

“I love the size of the department and the unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of each cohort member. I also love that this program challenges me to build on my critical thinking and leadership skills while expanding my knowledge of MCH systems, policies, and inequities.”

“Some highlights from my first semester include: I was able to learn about and practice performing qualitative and quantitative research methods, I learned some SAS basics, and I improved my writing skills with help from the Peer Support team.”

“The transition into graduate school can come with some adjustments and challenges but connecting with so many passionate and talented peers has been inspiring for me. I have really enjoyed meeting my classmates and learning about their interests and experiences during my first semester. My coursework has been challenging but I am enjoying what I am learning and can visualize its real-world application. I am looking forward to building upon this knowledge for the rest of my MPH program!”

What is some advice for incoming grad students?

“Try to get to know as many of your peers as possible through classwork and extracurricular activities. Communicate your interests to professors and faculty members. Step outside of your comfort zone and say “yes” to as many new opportunities as possible. You never know what opportunities you can create for yourself by getting to know more people in SPH.  Faculty and students are so supportive, kind, and here to help!”

“My best advice to manage your time in graduate school is to start early: commit to just reading the assignment description for a big project then ask your TA any questions you might have so you can receive feedback before you get started; break assignments down into smaller tasks over a series of days or weeks; and plan ahead for busy months (like October). Ask professors for help with time management if you need it.”

“Participating in the Pre-Matriculation Program during the summer helped me feel very prepared to engage with the heavy quantitative coursework and writing expectations. Although it was difficult at first to work with others’ different learning styles, I appreciated having most of my classes with the same people and navigating the new knowledge together. We bring many different lived experiences, so it’s been really beautiful how many peers have become my friends.”

For questions about the CoE-MCH, please reach out to Gabriella Masini at gmasini@uic.edu

Source:

https://maternalchild.uic.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-scholarships/