“Before I even started my master’s degree, I had so much uncertainty about what career I wanted to pursue. However, now I feel more confident to reach out and start a conversation about my research interests with our faculty,” said second-year master of public health (MPH) student, Thevin Rajapaksha Arachchilage.
UCI Public Health hosted its inaugural lab fair on Friday, September 30, 2022, featuring eight public health labs for both graduate and third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. The lab fair stemmed from an effort to help connect the dots between interested and capable students to active research opportunities at UCI.
Not only is this lab fair a great way to learn about public health research opportunities, but also to strengthen my communication skills. My elevator pitch improved through this experience.”
Hiba Kalem, MPH Student
One of the goals of the lab fair was to showcase the variety of directions a public health professional can pursue in their career. “As a first-year graduate student, this was the first time I was exposed to environmental health research and it was exciting to talk with Dr. Jun Wu and her team,” said MPH student, Sofia Guzman.
Though there are numerous aspects of public health that students can focus on, community health thinking and data analysis competencies are crucial in public health. By participating as key personnel on a research grant or helping to conduct focus group interviews, students can gain those competencies as they aspire to become public health professionals.
Another goal was to bridge the communication gap between professors and students by providing an informal setting where students can feel empowered to network and build connections. “Not only is this lab fair a great way to learn about public health research opportunities, but also to strengthen my communication skills. My elevator pitch improved through this experience,” said first-year MPH student, Hiba Kalem.
With the school year just kicking off, professors can be harder to reach with their teaching schedules, principal investigator duties, and more. The lab fair provides a juncture for professors to find lab members and for students to gain invaluable research experience.
“I’d love to participate in more meet and greet networking opportunities with faculty and peers – especially in these non-classroom settings,” said second-year MPH student, Julia Becerra.
We are grateful to the following public health labs that attended the fair, including Behavioral Medicine Research Lab, PI: Dr. Michael Hoyt; Wu Environmental Exposure and Health Lab, PI: Dr. Jun Wu; DREAMS Project, PIs: Drs. Brittany Morey and Sunmin Lee; Social Epidemiology and Research in Community Health (SEARCH), PI: Dr. Bernadette Boden-Albala; Park Lab, PI: Dr. Hannah Lui Park; Air Pollution Health Effects Lab, PI: Dr. Michael Kleinman; Hopfer Lab (Health Disparities & Community), PI: Dr. Suellen Hopfer; and UCI PFAS Health Study, PI: Dr. Scott Bartell.
