About Me
I’m completing my Public Health degree at Appalachian State University, where my coursework, research, and extracurriculars have led to a strong passion for the field. Early on in my major, I developed a particular interest in the statistical applications of public health, which led me to pursue a Statistics minor and foundational math courses to strengthen my quantitative skills. I enjoy combining quantitative and qualitative approaches and applying them to real-world projects, deepening my understanding of biostatistics and its role in addressing public health challenges.
My research interests focus on rural health and health behavior, I’m particularly interested in understanding and quantifying how rurality influences personal health choices. I’m also interested in using statistical methods to evaluate innovative technological tools that can improve healthcare access in hard-to-reach areas. These interests have been shaped by both my coursework, research, and work experiences.
Academic and Professional Highlights:
Public Health Departmental Honors Program: Honors Thesis
For my Honors thesis, I researched tick-borne illness prevention among long-distance Appalachian Trail hikers. This project involved designing a study from the ground up, including developing a survey, analyzing data, and authoring a formal manuscript. I established a professional partnership with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, conducted a learning session on tick-borne illness at their Damascus Trail Center, and contributed a blog post on tick safety for their website. This experience combined my research interests with practical application, culminating in the successful defense of my thesis.
Public Health AmeriCorps Fellowship: Evaluation Team Lead and Lead Fellow
As evaluation team lead, I guided a team evaluating a public health intervention focused on rural mental health and analyzed program data to assess outcomes. This role strengthened my applied public health skills, data analysis expertise, and leadership abilities. Additionally, I authored an abstract based on our evaluation, presented the findings at the 2025 NC Data Summit, and attended the 2025 NACCHO Prep Summit.
In my second fellowship year, I’m serving as the Lead Fellow. I focus on supporting members throughout their service terms, fostering professional development, coordinating conference opportunities, and serving as a liaison between members and program staff.
MaineHealth Institute for Research: Research Intern
During the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, I collaborated with Dr. Kahsi Pedersen on a project characterizing profound autism within specialized inpatient psychiatric facilities. My responsibilities included analyzing data from a 15-year study, utilizing data visualization techniques, authoring a manuscript for peer-reviewed publication, and presenting findings through a poster and a 3-Minute Thesis presentation. In this role, I learned about clinical research skills and strengthened my data analysis techniques. I was honored to receive the Paul Gray Research Scholarship to support this work.
AppHealthCare: YRBS Volunteer
Volunteering with AppHealthCare, I analyzed Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from six local schools, identifying patterns in youth risk behaviors across Western North Carolina. We created visualizations and summary reports for local stakeholders, using data to inform public health strategies and support community decision-making.
Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics: Research Assistantship
As a Research Assistant at Appalachian State University’s Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics I collaborated with a team to analyze crisis text conversations, focusing on themes of eco-anxiety and climate worry. Through thematic analysis, I contributed to identifying and interpreting patterns in these critical discussions, providing insights into the mental health impacts of environmental concerns. I contributed to a formal manuscript based on this work titled “Eco-Anxiety, Climate Concern, and Fatalistic Outlooks: Insights from U.S. Crisis Text Conversations on Climate Distress” which is currently published in the Journal of Climate Change and Health. Check out this article about our work!
