Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Student (Summer 2018)
"Throughout the summer of 2018, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Catherine McDonald and Dr. Kristy Arbogast at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student. As an intern working with the concussion team, I was able to pursue my interest in the diagnosis of a heterogeneous injury. To better immerse myself in the research, I attended weekly meetings of team projects, shadowed Dr. Tina Master at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP) King of Prussia Outpatient Clinic to understand concussion care at CHOP, and worked with REDCap to get a better understanding of the numerous variables. I ultimately performed an analysis of the clinical exam that is used for patient assessment, utilizing SPSS to examine the symptom provocation outcomes. This research will help better pinpoint the number of repetitions for each assessment on the clinical exam individuals should be completing for diagnosis.
Over this summer, I was able to better understand the meaning of interdisciplinary research by working with engineers, clinicians, research coordinators, research assistants, and epidemiologists. Together, the input from these individuals helped create more well-rounded research that can be impactful in numerous areas. My time at CIRP has helped me not only solidify my interest in injury science but has also helped me understand the importance of having a future career that incorporates true collaboration among disciplines. Upon graduating with a degree in Psychology from Elon University in 2019, I plan to gain more research experience before pursuing a degree that combines my passion for clinical treatment and research. I look forward to utilizing everything that I have learned from this summer in future opportunities."