Project Mentor
Dr. Molly Waring
Department: Allied Health Sciences
Research Project Overview:
Our lab focuses on the use of social media and technology for health promotion among pregnant and post-partum persons and mothers. Ongoing research projects are investigating the use of social media related to perinatal and maternal mental health, the feasibility and acceptability of lifestyle interventions for pregnant persons with gestational diabetes, and how parents interact with (mis)information on social media related to child nutrition.
Role of a SHARE Summer Apprentice:
The SHARE apprentice will work with our interdisciplinary research team on multiple ongoing research projects. The SHARE apprentice will get involved in all aspects of our projects, from survey design to participant recruitment to data collection to results reporting.
The SHARE apprentice will learn about the design and conduct of health promotion research. The SHARE apprentice will gain research skills related to literature searches, survey design, participant recruitment, qualitative analyses, and effective written and oral communication. Apprentices will learn how to use REDCap for survey administration and participant tracking, and likely will opportunities to learn other research tools such as Qualtrics, Canva, Zotero, and/or SAS. During our weekly team meetings, we talk about aspects of the research process and professional skills based on the team’s interests and questions (e.g., how to make an effective poster, how to tackle a manuscript revision, and how the NIH grant review process works).
The SHARE apprentice may conduct literature searches, create social media posts, assist with participant recruitment, track participants through study procedures, assist with or conduct participant interviews via WebEx, transcribe interview recordings, assist with qualitative analyses of interview data and/or responses to open-ended survey questions, assist with data cleaning and other data management activities, help prepare paperwork for submission to the UConn IRB, assist with grant proposals, and other research tasks. There may be opportunities for Research Assistants to contribute as co-authors on scientific manuscripts and/or conference abstracts, if desired.
Summer Schedule/Time Commitment:
The apprentice’s work schedule can be flexible. SHARE apprentices are expected to work 90 hours over the course of the summer, ideally 5-10+ hours most week. We will have weekly team meetings via WebEx, and will schedule these meetings at a time that works for all team members (expected to be between 10am and 3pm on a weekday). As we need to schedule participant interviews, the SHARE apprentice may be asked to assist with/conduct interviews in evenings, as needed to accommodate participants’ schedules. The apprenticeship hours/schedule can work around other commitments (e.g., summer courses, summer abroad, job, other internship, vacation).
Preferred Qualifications:
Preferred qualifications: excellent attention to detail and time management skills; desire to learn new research skills; interest in perinatal and maternal health; actively uses Facebook, Instagram, and/or TikTok. Students interested in health-related careers (e.g., public health, medicine, allied health, psychology) are encouraged to apply. Prior experience with research is not required!
To Apply:
The application deadline has passed.
Please note:
All students hired for a SHARE Summer apprenticeship must complete a federal I-9 form and present original documents in person to OUR staff as part of the hiring process. Visit this U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page for more information about acceptable documents. You cannot begin working until this is complete. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for this. For example, if you are going home for spring break, consider bringing documents back to campus with you.