As a Patients, Practitioners, & Cultures of Care BDP Student, Arti Madan measured policy and spatial indicators to analyze how Austin contributes to the health and well-being of its citizens.
"The most rewarding part of the Connecting Experience was being able to learn more about how my city, Austin, contributes to the health and well-being of its people, as well as the ways in which city leadership can better support its people.”
What was the name of the lab and/or title of the research project?
The lab was named the People, Health, and Place Lab and the project was the 1000 Cities Challenge.
How did you find this research assistantship?
The lab’s principal investigator taught a class I took, Social Determinants of Health Disparities, and highlighted her lab. I was interested in the lab and the project, so I asked to join.
What kind of work did you do as a research assistant and what did you learn through this experience?
I worked to measure policy and spatial indicators to determine how Austin is, and is not, sustainable nor conducive to a healthy population, as well as how it ranks among cities worldwide. I also observed how local urban planning goals and environment initiatives have changed. I looked at how local policy can affect health and the areas, where more can be done to provide health equality for all of Austin’s residents.
What was the most rewarding aspect of your Connecting Experience?
I believe the most rewarding part of the Connecting Experience was being able to learn more about how my city, Austin, contributes to the health and well-being of its people, as well as the ways in which city leadership can better support its people. I was proud to help develop future directives we could present to city leadership to create a better outcome for the people of Austin overall.
In what ways has this Connecting Experience shaped your plans for the future?
This Connecting Experience has given me insight into how health and policy can intersect. I look forward to continuing my journey through medicine, as well as learning more about how policy can affect health, as well as health professionals’ roles in local policies to contribute to greater community and population health.
Please discuss the relationship that you had with your faculty mentor(s), and how they helped you during this Connecting Experience.
My faculty mentor was a great source of information and support throughout my Connecting Experience. By having the opportunity to work alongside someone so passionate and knowledgeable in the field of healthy policy and social determinants, I was able to see that health does not exist in a vacuum. There are many factors that can influence health, and with my faculty mentor, I was able to find ways to address these factors as I continue my journey in the medical field.