Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Student (Summer 2017)

"During the summer of 2017 I worked at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) intern. Under the mentorship of Dr. Catherine McDonald, I gained experience in child passenger safety and adolescent driving behaviors research on two collaborative teams. My role was to analyze data from a cross-sectional, observational study of parents of children ages 4 to 10 in order to determine factors that contribute to child passenger restraint system misuse, compare distracted driving behaviors while the car is motion versus stopped, and to gain an understanding of child passenger restraint system use in carpooling. I gained new software skills by using SPSS to determine associations between different factors contributing to child passenger restraint system misuse and distracted driving. I also had the opportunity to participate in group discussions with Dr. Linda Fleisher’s team about validating data from samples recruited online and helped create a resource for future CIRP teams who choose to recruit participants online.

I am a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying nursing and healthcare management. The balance between REU programming and the opportunity to conduct my own research have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the research process, careers in healthcare, and the path to graduate school. The professional relationships that I’ve fostered through the CHOP network and individualized mentoring with Dr. McDonald have been valuable in helping me determine the best career path to unify my interests in direct patient care and large scale healthcare system improvements. I have made the decision to continue working with Dr. McDonald’s research team in addition to my clinical coursework, and this experience solidified my choice to pursue a PhD in Nursing. I am so thankful to everyone at CIRP for welcoming me to the research community and for supporting both my professional and personal growth."