Stories

I am the founder of Stress Resources in Concord, MA, a firm devoted to building resilience in individuals and organizations through strategies of connection, communication, and compassion. I am now also an adjunct faculty member in the Pain Research, Education and Policy program at Tufts, teaching courses in ethical and sociocultural aspects of pain, palliative and end of life, as well as a new course in public health applications of mindfulness in the experience of chronic pain and illness. It is wonderful to have come full circle from student in the MS-PREP program to now a faculty member.

I manage the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for the Boston Public Schools. FFVP is a USDA grant program targeting high-need elementary students. The kids get a fruit or vegetable snack either between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and end-of-day. Many children from low-income communities get most of their calories from the National School Lunch Program, and adding a fruit or vegetable snack to their day is a great way to increase number of servings in the day.

I am currently working as an emergency veterinarian at a high volume, 24 hour animal hospital. In this position I have been fortunate to gain an extensive amount of clinical experience in a short time frame. In the Fall of 2013 I will be transitioning from my clinical position to one more focused on policy and populations. I have been awarded a Science and Policy Fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This fellowship allows doctoral level clinicians and researchers to apply their technical knowledge in a branch of government. Fellows gain practical experience working at the intersection of science and policy at the federal level. My placement is at the National Science Foundation, and I will be working in the Dimensions of Biodiversity Program.

I am a clinical trial project manager at MAVERIC (Massachusetts Veteran Epidemiology Research and Information Center), which is part of the Boston VA Healthcare System. In my role, I manage the progress of multi-site trials from the planning stage through data analysis and publication. At MAVERIC, we do large trials that are relevant to the veteran population, so our current projects include research on suicide prevention, lower limb amputation, diabetes, renal disease, and heart health.