Tres MPH college students share their reflections on the presentation of their analysis at an educational convention.
February 20, 2025
By acsah mathews ’25 mph, moushume chowdhury ’25 mph and marion otieno ’25 mph

Acsah mathews ’24 mph
Three Grasp of Public Well being candidates at New Haven College had the chance to current their investigation on the Annual Convention of the New England Rural Well being Affiliation (Nerha) in Mystic, Connecticut. This marked his first time to exhibit the work they developed via the Weembody Laboratory, a analysis initiative devoted to bettering the well being of marginalized communities all through the nation.
Attending and presenting himself on the Nerha Convention was one of the crucial enriching skilled experiences I’ve had. Presenting my first poster at an expert convention was felt as a decisive second. It helped me notice that at the same time as an rising researcher, my contributions can add worth to the sphere. He felt surreal to imagine a task that I’ve admired in others, sharing my work with skilled professionals and contributing to the broader dialog about public well being.
For me, the spotlight was the workshop previous to the Convention on Ageism. It was stimulating to discover how the social perceptions of growing older impression our interpersonal insurance policies and behaviors. He jogged my memory that public well being is each altering mentality and implementing packages.
I introduced a poster entitled “Prevalence of cyber harassment in a pattern of American sexual minorities”. This analysis, carried out as a part of the undertaking’s physique undertaking, delivered to mild important info on cyber disparities inside this neighborhood. Among the many 549 members surveyed, 21.5 p.c reported having skilled cyberbullying within the final yr. Particularly, bisexual males confronted a considerably higher prevalence in comparison with gay males. These findings spotlight the disproportionate challenges that bisexual males discover and underline the pressing want for particular interventions to handle such inequalities in on-line security and psychological well being.
Past the presentation, the convention uncovered me to the persistent social inequalities that exist in rural well being. He deepened my understanding of how every small motion, both via analysis, protection or intervention, has the potential to create an enduring change. This expertise has strengthened my decision to focus my profession in addressing disparities in unattended communities and has given me a renewed sense of objective in my work.
I’m extremely grateful to my mentor, Dr. Alvin Tran. It has taken me via every step of the analysis course of, from information evaluation to the creation of a convincing poster presentation.
Dr. Tran information supplied the idea for this work, and their dedication to selling a tradition of tutoring and collaboration in its laboratory has been inspiring. The Weembody Laboratory, underneath the management of Dr. Tran, has been elementary within the configuration of my perspective on well being disparities and the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in public well being.
My journey to this point has taught me that making a change is not only about addressing systemic challenges, but additionally to domesticate empathy and understanding in every step. I’m excited to proceed this journey, utilizing analysis and protection to contribute to a more healthy and extra equitable world.

Moushume chowdhury ’25 mph
Attending this convention deepened my understanding of rural well being and the challenges confronted by rural populations, particularly with restricted entry to medical care. The analysis shared by others opened my eyes to those urgent issues, motivating my strategy to the development of well being leads to rural areas. This expertise has impressed me to seek out options for higher entry to well being and brought on a ardour to work in well being fairness in unattended communities.
This was the second time he presents at a convention, however the first time I share analysis in the US. Some of the revealing moments was to find out about Ageism, which gave me a brand new perspective. I related with individuals who share related aims and I had the chance to discover fascinating work in public well being.
The creation of a strong examine that resonated with the subject of the convention was key. I spent a major time to research and develop my undertaking, with a useful assist from my mentor, Dr. Tran. He inspired me to share my work and supplied feedback that helped refine my abstract. This expertise displays my dedication to conduct top quality analysis and successfully talk its significance for the broader public well being neighborhood.
I’ve been exploring some elements of the well being of gay and bisexual males. Particularly, I needed to grasp how using substances, similar to smoking, vaping, consuming or utilizing marijuana, may very well be related with dangerous well being practices in males of sexual minority. My analysis revealed constant patterns the place gay and bisexual males who used substances had been extra more likely to take part in additional dangerous sexual behaviors in comparison with non -users, and this development was constant in all of the substances studied.
Normally, I liked how individuals dedicated to my work, providing strategies on how I might enhance it. The chance to share data and join with others was an unimaginable expertise for me.

Marion Otieno ’25
The Nerha Convention supplied an unimaginable option to develop my skilled community via its mixer and media session for college students. These provided alternatives to trade concepts with colleagues and work together with mentors who shared concepts about Ph.D. Purposes, analysis concepts and potential work/internship views.
As well as, this expertise served as a foundation for perfecting scientific communication expertise and refining analysis. As somebody was not beforehand acquainted with rural well being, I obtained a deeper understanding of rural well being methods and the challenges confronted by rural communities.
My analysis centered on the affiliation between using substances and erectile dysfunction in males of sexual minorities in the US. About 30 p.c of respondents reported having skilled ED, with bisexual males who present higher prevalence in comparison with gay males (34.2 p.c in comparison with 25.2 p.c). All substances (marijuana, digital cigarettes and smoking) had been considerably related to erectile dysfunction, besides alcohol.
Though irritating, presenting my analysis was a useful expertise that helped enhance my belief and refine my public speech expertise. He additionally provided me a chance to take part, trade concepts and study from consultants within the public well being house. This proved to be elementary within the configuration and strengthening of my analysis work.
ACSAH MATHEWS ’25 MPH, Moushume Chowdhury ’25 MPH and Marion Otieno ’25 MPH are candidates within the College Grasp’s Program of the College.