Research Assistant (2023 - 2024)
"Last year, I started my co-op internship at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) under Chelsea Ward McIntosh, MS, CCRP working to help develop a driver rehabilitation services program. Originally, I was supposed to be at this position for six months, and a few varying job titles later, I’m still here and glad to be putting as much time and energy as I can into the field. Back when I first started, I knew nothing about my future except a long list of things that I didn’t want to do. Lofty but frequently asked questions like my dream job or what I would be doing in five years were always big unknowns for as long as I could remember, which was always one of my biggest sources of stress.
When first interviewing for this co-op, Chelsea described it as a position that was kind of up in the air—one that could mean whatever I wanted it to mean—which sounds like it would be a nightmare to someone like me. However, whether it was because she and I clicked or because the field of occupational therapy and driver rehabilitation sounded interesting, the variety of choices felt exciting and I accepted the internship. It was a real opportunity to explore, rather than another activity to plague me with the idleness of indecision.
Since then and throughout my time at CHOP, I used this freedom to dip my toes into as many different pools as possible, some related to my college degrees at Drexel University—BS in Psychology and BA in English—and some coming from completely out of left field. I conducted literature reviews, designed mock-up websites, learned about good documentation practices, collaborated with doctors and subject matter experts, helped write a grant proposal, and storyboarded educational videos, among many kinds of other activities. I’ve been driven all around the city and virtual worlds and attended countless meetings on Microsoft Teams trying to figure out how to keep my computer from overheating. I even had the opportunity to present my research at a national conference last year and work on a handout posted on the CHOP website.
After my internship, I received the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant on a qualitative research study on the pilot I helped write. I scheduled interviews, verified and coded transcripts, and am now analyzing the themes of stakeholder interviews. Through this study, I’ve learned so much about qualitative research—an area of psychology that remained mostly unexplored in my collegiate studies—including how to conduct an interview, how to verify and code transcripts, and most importantly, the magnitude of participants that manage to get lost to follow-up in any given study.
Beyond the learning opportunities, I believe that this position has allowed me to find work and a field that I really believe in, and it has been a privilege to do it alongside Chelsea in particular. I never had a dream job growing up, so it has been really inspiring to work alongside someone so passionate about everything that she does. Driver rehabilitation—a branch of occupational therapy that helps people develop/maintain the ability to drive or otherwise transport themselves independently—is such an overlooked field, especially in regard to younger, teenage populations, and she and CHOP are on the cusp of very important work that I am immensely grateful to be a part of.
Recently, I was awarded a Drexel Co-Op Award due to a nomination from Chelsea. When presenting me with this award, she spoke about how I was always taking initiative and willing to do all sorts of work necessary for developing the program, but I personally feel like I was only able to do those things because of the great environment fostered by Chelsea and all the other people I met at CIRP and CHOP. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities I had and the different things I got to try. While the future is still uncertain, I can approach the uncertainty with a sense of excitement and eagerness for what I might find, which is something I never could have imagined for myself before this position."