CDHA welcomes two new CDHA T32 Trainees Erin Nelson-Bakkum (PHS) and Sabrina Sanchez (Sociology), along with our two returning trainees Lauren Giurini (PHS) and Sarah Salas (Sociology)!
“My planned dissertation research focuses on the aging population of Wisconsin and how they access hearing health care services. I am looking forward to working with Michal Engelman and Marguerite Burns to analyze medical claims data in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study cohort to better understand how social drivers of health may influence health care use. I appreciate the practical research training courses and seminars offered as part of the CDHA training program, and I am enjoying the opportunity to train to with graduate students outside of my department,” shared Nelson-Bakkum.
“As a mixed-methods researcher, I’m thrilled to apply both my quantitative and qualitative skills through my collaborations with Dr. Michal Engelman. The ‘Nuestras Experiencias en Wisconsin (NEW)’ project, centered on older Latino adults, aims to help diversify our knowledge of health and aging in Wisconsin. Concurrently, as part of a quantitative investigation around COVID-19 and all-cause excess mortality in the state, I’ve begun to delve into matters concerning representation in quantitative datasets,” shared Sanchez.
“I feel very lucky to have been welcomed into CDHA because of the opportunities and community it has afforded me. Getting to travel every year to PAA and form friendships with sociology, demography, and economics students has been amazing. Further, the faculty who I have worked with and attended talks from are extremely supportive and inspiring people!” shared Giurini.
“I recently completed work on a project in collaboration with Mariétou Ouayogodé (Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences) which was published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. This project explores the trends in perceived discrimination in the wake of COVID-19 and changes to mental well-being. My collaboration with Mariétou has been such a great learning experience and we’re working on a second project which examines the role of COVID-19 in employment changes in Wisconsin,” shared Salas.