The funding allows us to do important research in a setting where it is needed, but also the way it is set up—with undergrads, master’s students, and doctoral students, along with staff and faculty, collaborating together—really works.

Data+ gave me a broader perspective of what data science research is.

Finding the right problem that we thought we could tackle, coming up with solutions and working together to brainstorm all the different pathways and solutions is one of the biggest learning experiences I had at Duke.

The project not only involved solving a real-world problem using skills learned in classes, but it also had to do with working closely with clients and collaborating with students from different academic backgrounds.

My participation in the Data+ program has shown me how to successfully work with a dynamic team.

Armed with my amalgamation of resources, I’m excited to put everything into action next semester.

My Bass Connections experience has been instructional in two key areas: it has shed insight upon the dynamics of a successful team, and it has allowed me to explore pathways to institutional change.

This project was challenging yet very rewarding. The fact that the research we conducted resulted in numbers and facts that have never been calculated before, and that will now hopefully contribute to future policy decisions, continues to amaze me.

I loved the subject of the research from the beginning, but I hadn’t realized how challenging designing an intervention and analyzing the collected data could be.

We tried to meet our community partner where they were, and our deliverables reflected this.

This project has the potential to shape my career prospects by giving me the opportunity to organize community health models that incorporate sociocultural considerations.

Effective teams have a diversity of thought processes, skill sets, and preferences that balance each other.

My advice to students is to develop good relationships with your peers and mentors—it makes the learning process more fulfilling and will help you in the future.

Bass Connections is an excellent opportunity to work on a project that required collaboration across a variety of disciplines.

There’s an energy amongst the faculty, the graduate students, and the undergraduate students that’s probably not paralleled by any other project I’ve participated in at Duke.

Throughout the project, my team and I met some incredible people who made the experience all the more valuable to me. It was one of the most impactful summers of my life.

As this was my first field research experience, I learned a ton, but the most important lesson was that you have to be flexible and adjust to changes.

I learned that involving the community and collaborating with its members are cornerstones to improve public health. I also learned that one of the pillars of community health work is community empowerment.

When I complete my dissertation, I plan to disseminate the findings to policymakers. I hope the evidence will provide important insights for policy design in rapidly urbanizing areas in the Global South.