Public health student attends Harvard program
An East Carolina University student with an interest in health disparities took classes and conducted research through a prestigious Harvard University program this summer.
Kristin Coleman, a senior public health studies major concentrating in community health with a minor in economics, was one of 15 accepted into the 2018 FACETS program in Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“I wanted to participate in Harvard’s program because their School of Public Health is one of the top schools in the nation in my field,” Coleman said. “I wanted to have the opportunity to connect with some of the top leaders in public health, network with students from other universities and develop a stronger research skillset.”
Kristin Coleman was one of 15 accepted into the 2018 FACETS program in Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Contributed photo)
Over six weeks in Boston, Coleman conducted research on delayed health care among low-income populations because of costs, bills and insurance. Working with mentors in the Department of Health Policy and Management, she created a poster to present at the end of the program where she had the opportunity to talk with students and Harvard professors about her research.
While there, she took courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, and social and behavioral sciences. She also learned more about graduate school, took an intensive GRE prep course and attended evening lectures.
“Through this experience, I learned so much about public health from the perspectives of others,” Coleman said. “I learned about what other students in my cohort were passionate about, which ranged from food deserts, access to health care and refugee health. We had so many conversations and everyone wanted to make some impact in the field of public health.”
She said her instructors challenged her to think deeper. “For example, if I answered a question incorrectly, I was asked why I answered it that way and then I was corrected. If I answered a question correctly, I had to explain why it was right. I was taught to go beyond the surface and not just settle for what is given to me, but to think through it,” Coleman said.
Coleman said ECU and her College of Health and Human Performance faculty mentor, Dr. Deeonna Farr, prepared her for the summer program in several ways. “She taught me the nuts and bolts of research, helped me with my summer program applications, and allowed me to grow as a student and researcher,” Coleman said. “ECU has allowed me to grow in other areas which help me make an impact in the world.”
After graduation this spring, Coleman plans to work in health care but ultimately wants to obtain a doctorate of public health. “I want to always learn and never stop growing,” said the Durham native.
-by Crystal Baity, ECU News Services