Project Mentor

Dr. Stephen Schensul
Community Medicine and Health Care

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Description

Project Description	Over the last two decades there has been an expanding global epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) that has emerged in rural, arid, agricultural lowland regions in multiple countries, including Asia, the Middle East and Central America. Our National Institutes of Health-funded project focuses on identifying factors associated with delaying progression of the disease in Sri Lanka, one of the countries hardest hit by the CKDu epidemic. The project is a collaboration between the University of Connecticut in the US and the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka and involves biogeochemists, social scientists and nephrologists from both institutions working collaboratively to identify the environmental, behavioral and health care factors that are associated with the rate of progression from moderate to more advanced CKDu.
Project Direction	A sample of 300 male and female farmers with moderate CKD as measured by their serum creatinine level is being generated from a Ministry of Health screening in the study area. Those recruited and consent to participation will be monitored for the rapidity of progression utilizing quarterly serum creatinine testing to determine trajectory of progression. When the student starts in the Summer of 2018, we will have the data that monitors CKDu progression over multiple quarterly time points allowing us to identify associations with progression to environment, behaviors and medical care collected as a part of the baseline and quarterly surveys.
Mentorship and Supervision	The student would be trained by me and Toan Ha MD DrPH, Post Doctoral Fellow. I will supervise through regular meetings with the student and student participation with our project team (including our biogeochemist and nephrologist and me as the medical anthropologist). Monitoring progress would include performance of assignments and tasks, oral and poster presentations, and reviews of the latest scientific literature.
Student Qualifications	A strong interest in public health or the health social sciences, some background in statistics and in SPSS or an equivalent statistical analysis program, courses relevant to public health. Minimum GPA: 3.0.
Summer Schedule Options	Research Dates: 9-10 full-time weeks to be scheduled between May 7 and August 24, 2018 Schedule: M-F, 9am-4pm or 10am-5pm
Project Continuation	Fall 2018, Spring 2019
Academic Year Time Commitment	9 hours/week
Possible Thesis Project	Yes

Application

Submit an online application for this research opportunity using the form below. The application deadline is Friday, January 26, 2018.

This application requires a cover letter, a resume or CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a brief statement of career interests.