Ashley is participating in a research
project promoting health care services in the State of Michigan.
Please describe your UROP project.
I am currently involved in the Promoting Access to Health Services (PATHS-M)
project. I am attempting to show the similarities, as well as differences, in
demographics and quality of life between people who have a disability and those
who do not. The data is broken down further to compare the statistical figures
for Michigan and the overall U.S. separately. My UROP faculty sponsor is Dr. Rie
Suzuki.
How did you get involved in research?
I am interested in attending medical school and research is an important quality
in hopeful candidates. Therefore, I wanted to gain as much experience as
possible since research is used a great deal in medicine.
How has participating in research impacted your education?
Participating in research has impacted my education greatly as I have developed
a strong interest in it. Although I am looking to attend medical school in the
future, I have realized that doing research is something that I may be
interested in doing also.
What has been the most satisfying aspect of your research experience?
I feel that the most satisfying aspect of my research experience has been the
ability for me to learn how to conduct research by analyzing data. Before
starting this project, I knew very little about this. I have become familiar
with using the software program, SPSS . By working on this project, I have
developed the necessary foundation and basic skills that I will most likely need
for future research projects.
What are your future plans? How has participating in research helped you in
preparing for those future plans?
In the future, I hope to attend medical school. I am extremely interested in
Oncology/Hematology. After being exposed to research, I am now considering the
possibility of working in cancer research.
What advice would you give to students interested in being involved in
research?
Keep your eyes and ears open for research
opportunities. Take advantage of all the resources around you. Go to the
Research office, visit the website of your department, and talk to faculty.
Also, I strongly advise that you were on a project that you're passionate about.
That will cause you to put a lot more effort into the work and will give you a
greater sense of satisfaction once you produce results.
