Dr. Rebecca Jones-Antwi, an assistant professor in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a three-year Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). Her project, titled “Stuck in the Middle: The Intersectionality of Multiracial Adults and Cardiovascular Health,” focuses on exploring the cardiovascular health challenges faced by multiracial adults.
We interviewed Rebecca about her experience receiving the honor. Here’s what she shared:
What aspects of having a mentoring team are you most excited about?
I’m very excited about my mentoring team. I have two great mentors here at Baylor. I’m particularly grateful for Dr. Carter’s and Dr. Umstattd Meyer’s mentorship around leadership, grant writing, and measurement of sleep and physical activity. I also have the opportunity to work with Dr. Campbell at Texas A&M for her mentorship in the statistical data center I’m working with and her theoretical knowledge on racial identity. Finally, I am being mentored by Dr. Evans at the University of Oregon in a specific statistical method. It’s really exciting to me the breadth and depth of mentorship I have the opportunity of having as a part of this grant!
What advice would you offer to current students and alumni interested in public health research and pursuing similar opportunities in the future?
My advice would be to follow any questions or interests you have. Early on I felt that my interests were all over the place and wouldn’t fit into a certain mold. However, I have found that my varied interests have led me to be able to ask unique questions that people within one area of public health may not have thought about before. My second piece of advice is to reach out to people who you admire in terms of the papers or work that they do…more often than not people are more than willing to answer questions or help you.
Matt Asare, PhD, MPH, MBA, CHES, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21) award through the Fogarty International Center for his proposal, “Development of Implementation Toolkits to Promote HPV Self-sampling Behavior among Women Living with HIV in Ghana. Dr. Asare also received a five-year, $2.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cooperative Agreement Award (U01) award in partnership with Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, PhD, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and Nadia Sam-Agudu, MD, Professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Here’s what Dr. Asare shared with us about receiving these awards:
What aspects of this award excite you the most?
The award I received is for an implementation science project. The aspects of this award the excites me most is that it gives me the opportunity to help bridge the gap between research and practice, meaning this grant could lead to tangible improvements in women’s healthcare, education, or other fields by ensuring that evidence-based interventions such as self-sampling combined with 3R communication models (research) are effectively applied in real-world settings (practice). This makes an implementation science grant award particularly exciting due to its potential for meaningful, lasting change.
How do you hope your work will inspire our future and current students, and alumni?
I want my research to ignite a passion for curiosity and continuous learning among my students and alumni. So, by sharing my research findings and the challenges I encounter with my students, I hope to show them that research is an ongoing journey of discovery, where asking questions is just as important as finding answers. I want my research to highlight the potential for academic work to make a real difference in the world. Involving students in my research, I hope to inspire them and alumni to be motivated to use their knowledge and skills to address societal challenges and contribute positively to their communities.