1. What is your current role at CMRI?

I am so grateful to be part of the Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research Team (QMRT), where I have the opportunity to work with other investigators from Children’s Mercy and partner institutions who are interested in doing research that includes a qualitative component. As a Social Scientist II, I provide consultation at any stage in the research process, including assisting with study design, theoretical frameworks, grant proposals, survey design, interview and focus group guides, manuscripts, conference posters, data collection methods and data analysis. Some consultations are short-term and require only a few meetings to review and provide feedback and guidance, but others turn into full collaborations where I help with qualitative data collection and analysis, which is always exciting.

It would be impossible to pick a single favorite project because they are all so meaningful and have different outstanding aspects. A few highlights might include:

• Organoids and ethical considerations for mental health applications: I find the technology fascinating, and the study design includes interviews with parents, teens and clinicians.
• Anticipatory guidance for parents of children with medical complexity: It has grown from a regional pilot project to a rigorous study with sites across the nation.
• Asian-born United States adoptees in pediatric health care: Their lived experiences and narratives are so powerful and important, and their insights will inform numerous aspects of improving pediatric health care.

2. What drew you to a career at CMRI?

I started working at Children's Mercy in 2019 as a social worker in the Emergency Department while completing my PhD. I loved that role. It was a fast-paced environment where I felt like I could be there for people and make a difference during a scary time in their lives. As I worked on my PhD in social work, I realized research could help people on a larger scale through scientific discoveries and new ideas.

One day I stumbled across an internal webpage for QMRT and was blown away. I didn’t expect to find many qualitative research opportunities, especially right here in Kansas City, so I immediately emailed Dr. Emily Hurley hoping for a chance to join her team. I’ve now been a part of the team for more than four years!

3. What are your research/career goals?

I still have a lot to learn, and I hope to continue to refine my grant and manuscript writing skills. My dissertation was about the intersection of physical and mental health, and I still think there are ways to further understand treating the whole person in health care, so eventually, I would love to pursue funding for a study related to that idea. In the meantime, I am working on increasing my involvement and responsibilities as a co-investigator on other grants, and I’m always working to build my publication portfolio.

4. What is your favorite thing about working at CMRI?

Some of my favorite things are the wonderful people on my team and the Center for Population Health and Outcomes Research. I love my role because I get to learn from various experts and work on projects with words I’ve never heard before or know how to pronounce. I’m perpetually learning new things so there’s never a dull moment! I get to help people feel proud and more confident in the work they’re so passionate about, while sharing my expertise in an area of research that most people are only briefly exposed to in graduate school.

Conducting interviews lets me exercise my clinical social work skills, and it can be really fulfilling to learn from participants while also ensuring they feel heard, validated and valued. And it’s always exciting to finally share all the amazing things we discover through research with the rest of the world by publishing manuscripts, conference posters and presentations.

5. What is on your bucket list?

• Visit at least six out of seven continents.
• Have a food/drink menu item named after me.
• Shift into sixth gear.
• Skydive.
• Scuba dive.
• Learn to ollie on a skateboard.
• Fly in a helicopter.
• Maybe have a Wikipedia page, but an IMDB page would be an acceptable substitute.