1. Who are you doing research with this summer and what kind of research project are you doing ?

I am doing research this summer with Dr. Sautter in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department. This research focuses on identifying important social, environmental, and health system factors in the field of fertility/oncofertility through interviews with healthcare providers. This research is related to my minor in Social Sciences and will help prepare me to be a successful clinician and researcher.  

2. What do you find fascinating in the research that you’re doing ?

What I find most fascinating about this research is learning about the factors that are influencing infertility and impacting trends for incidence and prevalence. By interviewing health care providers, I will be able to understand these issues on a deeper level and focus on researching what is new and relevant in the field, not just in biomedical research, but also in health services and epidemiology.

3. What skills are you learning through the USURF experience ?

Through the USURF experience, I am learning about qualitative research by reading research articles and books. I have used these skills to create and modify interview questions as well as conduct mock interviews to prepare for interviewing at a fertility care clinic. My research will continue into the fall, where I will learn to analyze quantitative survey data and relate my interview findings to population-level trends in infertility and treatment.

4. What are the challenges you’re encountering in your research ?

The biggest challenge I am encountering in my research is working with human subjects, which is a new research methodology for me. I have experienced delays in obtaining formal permission to conduct interviews on an off-campus site. In the meantime, I am developing my skills in social science research methods like interviews and survey data analysis.

5. How is your USURF experience impacting the way you view your field ?

As someone who hopes to become a physician in the future, the USURF experience has made me appreciate that healthcare is multifaceted. I believe that it is important to consider external factors such as social and environmental issues that can impact a patient's health and influence fertility treatment.

6. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

An interesting fact about myself is that I like to play the piano and have been playing since I was six years old.