"The most interesting part of this work was mythbusting some of the stereotypes that I had about loneliness...[it] is so much bigger than any one statistic."

What area in public health are you currently focused on? 

“Some of my research is focused on the public health impacts of loneliness, which is an area I stumbled upon in my current role as a program coordinator in the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. I was drafting a work presentation where I looked into factors that could lower dementia risk. I found the surgeon general’s report on loneliness, and after talking to Professor Rebecca Wurtz, I thought about how we could map loneliness. So I created a StoryMap that mapped risk factors for loneliness at the county level. It was really enriching because it combined a lot of different passions — public health, map making, writing, and searching for meaning and belonging. With the help of my teaching fellow Jake Abrahams, I got to present this work to the Office of the Surgeon General, which was a really cool full-circle moment! And my work was eventually published in Comment magazine.”

Anything interesting that you learned during your research?

“The most interesting part of this work was mythbusting some of the stereotypes that I had about loneliness. My advisor, Carrie Henning-Smith, and I were both interested in the demographics related to loneliness. For example, one of the topics I researched was the top ten most at-risk and least at-risk counties in the U.S. for experiencing loneliness. Looking at census bureau data, all ten of the counties considered most at risk were rural, and seven out of ten counties considered least at risk were also rural. And that made me question what rural America is; I often think of it as a monolith, but our findings suggested that there is much more to explore. Loneliness is so complex and vast, and as fascinating as the map I created was, it is just one piece of a larger puzzle. Loneliness is so much bigger than any one statistic.”

What was that moment in your life when you decided you wanted to study public health?
“During undergrad, I took an international law course that sparked my interest in international humanitarianism. I eventually did model UN, and represented Panama on the UN Development Programme Committee. Participating in that got me really interested about how different countries respond to health challenges. A few years later, I was working at the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce when the COVID-19 pandemic started, and part of my job was listening to and covering health briefings for our chamber members. That made me interested in the ethical considerations of health policies, specifically in the pandemic-era.”

Why did you choose to come to the U of M School of Public Health? 

“This was actually the only school I applied to. I looked at other schools, but I really wanted to invest in the community I am a part of. That connection is important to me and relevant to my work. And it is a great privilege to have such a strong school of public health here in Minnesota! So I decided to invest in my state, and it ended up being a great decision.”

What do you like to do when you’re not in class? 

“I really enjoy spending time outside. I love the seasons here, and I spend a lot of time biking, running, swimming, and playing on my broomball team! I also like drawing maps, writing poetry, and photography. Finally, I’m an avid reader, and my favorite authors are Laura Hillenbrand and J.R.R. Tolkien.”