The research apprenticeship in Health Professions (HP 4950) provides faculty and students the opportunity to collaborate on research projects. Below are the faculty members who are accepting applications for research apprenticeships for credit through HP 4950. To get started, find a project that interests you, and contact the faculty member.
Benefits
- Gain research skills through mentorship by faculty
- Attend seminars and share your research projects with other students
- May present findings of your research at university, regional or national events
- Build research skills and enhance your resume for graduate school
Faculty mentors
Roxana Botezatu, PhD
Research program
My research employs bilingualism and post-stroke aphasia as platforms for investigating the cognitive mechanisms underlying word recognition and retrieval in adults.
Current research projects
- Consequences of second language proficiency on native language performance
- Production of connected speech in individuals with post-stroke aphasia and Alzheimer’s dementia
Requirements
I am looking for students in their sophomore or junior year, who have at least a 3.5 GPA overall and a background in psychology, neuroscience and/or linguistics. Preference will be given to students who:
- Are motivated, organized, reliable, and detail-oriented.
- Have a basic understanding of research methodology and an interest in evaluating behavioral and/or electrophysiological (ERP) measures of language processing.
- Have an interest in a thesis project.
Nancy Cheak-Zamora, PhD, MA
Research program
My research focuses on evaluating access to health care services and health outcomes for children and youth with special health care needs, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Current research projects
- Utilizing national data to evaluate the health care needs and unmet needs of youth with special health care needs – currently cleaning and analyzing data for this project.
- Developing and evaluating an online education program to teach physicians and health care providers how to better care for autistic youth – currently conducting intervention and collecting data.
- Developing a health care transition measure for Autistic youth and young adults to promote increased independence- currently collecting data.
Requirements:
I need students in SHP with an interest in autism with at least a 3.5 GPA overall. Preference will be given to students who:
- Enroll in the course in the summer before their junior or senior year. Students who are performing well in the lab will be invited to continue in the Fall and Spring semesters, if they wish.
- Have experience reading journal articles and basic understanding of research methodology.
Erin Dannecker, PhD, ATC
Research program
My research focuses on improving the shared meaning of pain assessments and the complex relationship between pain and physical activity.
Current research projects
- Improving the shared meaning of pain assessments.
Requirements
Research assistants need to have the following characteristics and skills to effectively collaborate with me:
- inquisitive mindset.
- excellent communication.
- intense attention to detail.
Please attach a current resume to your email inquiry and clarify in the email if you are seeking a paid research assistant position, an unpaid research assistant position, and/or a mentor for enrollment in HP 4950.
Bradley Ferguson, PhD
Research program
My research focus involves the search for biomarkers associated with co-occurring medical conditions, especially gastrointestinal disorders, in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I am also engaged in multiple clinical trials in ASD where our team is examining the effects of different agents on core ASD symptoms (social, language) and co-occurring medical conditions. Finally, a new line of research I’m engaged in is examining interdisciplinary predictors (e.g., neurology, neuroscience, physical therapy, speech therapy occupational therapy) of long-term cognitive recovery following acute stroke, which is a collaboration between clinicians and scientists in the MU School of Health Professions and the MU School of Medicine. I employ a variety of techniques (heart rate variability, skin conductance, fMRI, cortisol and cytokine ELISA) to address my research questions.
Current research projects
- Trial of Propranolol in Children and Youth with ASD and Predictors of Response
- Double-blind Placebo-Controlled Target Engagement Study of Minocycline in ASD
- Associations between Pupillary Light Reflex and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in ASD
- Effects of Propranolol on Gastrointestinal Symptoms in ASD
- Interdisciplinary Predictors of Long-Term Cognitive Recovery following Acute Stroke
Requirements
I am looking for students that want to be involved in research that has the potential to improve the quality of life in people with ASD as well as other patient populations. Prior research experience is not required. Potential students must be able to provide their own transportation to and from the MU Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders or to Mizzou North in Columbia, MO.
Preference will be given to students who:
- Have at least a 3.5 overall GPA (negotiable if other indicators of research interest/involvement are apparent)
- Plan to attend graduate and/or medical school
- Have basic experience with research-related skills (e.g., Word, Excel, PubMed/Google Scholar/Library search)
Trent Guess, PhD
Research program
My research focuses on analyzing human movement for rehabilitation, injury prevention, and aging.
Current research projects
- Evaluating the accuracy, reliability, and clinical efficacy of kinematic foot models in instrumented gait analysis
- Mizzou Point-of-Care Assessment System
- Mizzou Knee Arthrometer Testing System (MKATS)
- Reconstructing the injury mechanism of acute ACL injury from patellotibial contusion patterns
Requirements
Preference will be given to students who:
- Have good computer skills.
- Are familiar with human anatomy and physiology.
Idethia Shevon Harvey, DrPH
Research program
My research focuses on ethnic minority populations and uses a community-engaged approach to studying chronic disease management and health disparities among rural and aging African Americans.
Current research projects
- STRESS Project: This study employs a data triangulation approach through which biological assays for stress will be combined with experiential stress survey data to access the intersections and interactions between stress and type 2 diabetes self-management behaviors among rural Black/African Americans.
Requirements
I am looking for students in their sophomore through senior years who have at least a 3.0 GPA overall. Preference will be given to students who:
- Have basic experience with research-related skills (e.g., Word, Excel, PubMed/Google Scholar/Library search)
- Students who know or are willing to learn statistical software systems
- Students who are interested and can learn advanced instrumental data collection and analysis techniques.
- Students who have experience with or are interested in working with aging rural minority populations
- Students who have excellent written and verbal communication, and organizational skills
Hsun-Ta Hsu, PhD
Research program
My research overall focuses on health promotion targeting individuals experiencing homelessness form a multi-level socio-ecological perspective (i.e., individual, social network, and community levels). Specific health topics covered in my research include housing stability, firearm violence exposure, substance use and sexual risks.
Current research projects
- Evaluating the implementation and dissemination of the Qualified Minor Verification form in reducing youth’s wait time accessing housing and services
- Developing a Google Street View (GSV) neighborhood navigation tool to understand neighborhood physical and social environment
- Understanding personal, social network, and neighborhood environmental contributors to firearm access and violence among young adults experiencing homelessness
- Examine correlates of housing disparities faced by individuals experiencing homelessness using
Requirements
I am interested in students in their sophomore, junior or senior year, who have at least a 3.5 GPA overall and a background in health sciences, social work, computer science and public health. Preference will be given to students who:
- Are motivated, organized, and detail oriented.
- Have a basic understanding of research methodology
- Basic quantitative data management and analysis skills.
- Have programming skills, preferably Python and web-based technologies (specifically for the GSV neighborhood navigation tool project)
Stephanie Knollhoff, PhD, CCC-SLP
Research program
My research focuses on cancer-related swallowing and communication deficits. The mission of my work is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals with cancer. I strive to conduct work that is clinically relevant and accessible to large populations.
Current research projects
- Investigating a swallowing rehabilitation program for individuals with head and neck cancer.
- Creating a cancer communication database for research and educational purposes.
- Enhancing the understanding of listener perceptions of communication, as well as how those may affect quality of life.
Requirements
I am looking for SHP students interested in a research experience. Preference will be given to SLHS majors. Students should have a strong work ethic, be motivated, and reliable. While I am open to students at any level, students who have the desire to stay with the lab for more than one semester is a plus.
Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale, PhD
Research program
My research focuses on the biologic basis of communication disorders in neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the impact of working memory deficits on speech production in neurodegenerative motor speech disorders.
Current research projects
- Investigating the impact of linguistic complexity on speech production variability in healthy talkers using articulatory kinematic measures. We are currently analyzing data for this project.
- Identifying verbal working memory deficits in ALS using behavioral and functional neuroimaging-based measures. We are currently analyzing data for this project.
- Genotype-phenotype relations in patients with ALS-related cognition and communication disorders. We are currently establishing collaborations with the School of Medicine, DNA Core facility, and Department of Biostatistics to move the project forward.
Requirements
- CSD/SLHS majors in their junior year with a 3.5 GPA overall. Students who are performing well and want to continue working in the lab after the Summer will be allowed to do so.
- Students who are interested and have the ability to learn advanced instrumental data collection and analyses techniques.
Crystal Lim, PhD, ABPP
Research program
Broadly, my research involves improving physical and mental health outcomes in children who are overweight/obese and their families.
Current research projects
- Evaluating outcomes from a remote patient monitoring treatment for pediatric obesity
- Examining developmental and psychological comorbidities in pediatric obesity
Requirements
I am interested in working with undergraduate students who plan to pursue graduate or professional school in various health related fields and can commit to being involved in my research lab for at least two semesters. Prior research experience is not required. Preference will be given to students who are interested in working with children and their families, as well as those who are enthusiastic, organized, reliable, and have strong attention to detail.
Rachel Proffitt, OTD, OTR/L
Research program
My research focuses on the development, testing, and implementation of technology-based interventions for adults and older adults receiving rehabilitation services. I collaborate with engineering, social work, nursing, medicine, and informatics.
Current research projects
- Testing an in-home activity recognition and assessment tool using a depth sensor
- Large clinical trial testing a sensor system in the homes of older adults living in rural Missouri
- Determining the clinical feasibility of various game-based approaches
- Determining the feasibility of a tele-health version of the LSVT®BIG intervention in stroke
Requirements
I am looking for students who are pre-OT/health science majors. Preference will be given to students who:
- Are motivated, reliable and detail-oriented
- Have experience working with computer technology and are not afraid to learn new technology (no programming experience necessary!)
- Have strong Microsoft Excel skills
Enid Schatz, PhD
Research program
My research brings a gendered lens to examining the social and structural impacts of HIV on older persons’ physical health and social well-being in South Africa and Uganda.
Current research projects
- Testing & Risk History Calendar – Developing a new tool to examine HIV testing, risk behavior, and health status among older persons living in the outskirts of Cape Town and rural South Africa.
- HIV40 – Analysis of survey data, life history interviews and focus groups of individuals 40-plus living in rural South Africa.
Leave no one behind – Analysis of qualitative interviews and focus groups with older persons living in rural Uganda about experiences of living with HIV or other chronic conditions
Requirements
I am looking for students in their sophomore, junior or senior year, who have at least a 3.5 GPA overall and a background in health sciences, public health, sociology, or anthropology. If interested in quantitative analysis, must have some statistics training.
Preference will be given to students who
- Are motivated, organized, reliable, and detail-oriented.
- Have a basic understanding of research methodology and an interest in learning more about either qualitative or quantitative analysis.
Michelle Teti, DrPH
Research program
My research focuses on developing and testing strategies to improve quality of life and behavioral health outcomes among people with HIV/AIDS and other stigmatized lifelong illnesses; and in using qualitative methods to infuse the lives of people with illness into policies and programs intended to benefit them.
Current research projects
- HIV medication adherence, HIV stigma, challenges and facilitators.
- Photovoice, photo narratives, visual methods, stories – and illness
- Sexual and gender minority health
Requirements
I need students in SHP (at any level) with interest in these topics with at least a 3.5 GPA overall. Preference will be given to students who:
- Are able to travel to different research sites occasionally for data collection sessions (desirable but not required)
- Are motivated, organized, reliable, and detail-oriented.
- Have experience with or interest in working with vulnerable populations.