#InsideAPE: Jasmine Berry and HealthMPowers

Jasmine Berry is a second-year Epidemiology MPH candidate. This summer, Jasmine worked with Dr. Julie Gasmararian and HealthMPowers to analyze health behavior data from childcare centers. Her interests include maternal and child health, sexual reproductive health, mental health, and social determinants of health. Read more about Jasmine and her experience below!

Tell us about your APE project.

My APE project is working with Dr. Julie Gazmararian and HealthMPowers, which is an organization that partners with childcare centers in Georgia and focus on improving child health behaviors. I work with Dr. Gazmararian to analyze health behavior data from childcare centers and write reports that evaluate changes in health behaviors in those centers. I also worked on side projects that included writing a manuscript about changes in child health behaviors in virtual/hybrid/in-person environments during the pandemic and conducting an environmental scan by mapping different health indicators around childcare centers.

How did you find your APE project?

I found my APE through the email listserv for students pursuing the maternal and child health certificate. Dr. Michael Kramer tends to forwards a lot of emails about APE and employment opportunities using the listserv. So, when he sent an email about HealthMPowers, I thought it would work well with my interests, applied, and was offered a position.

When did you start looking for an APE? When did you start working for your APE organization?

I began looking for an APE around January and February because I wanted to start early and not stress about it. I found my APE around the beginning of March and started working the end of April/beginning of May.

Are you pursuing any certificates? If so, was it difficult to meet your APE requirements? 

I’m pursuing the Maternal and Child Health Certificate. The process was pretty straightforward and easy. I just had to submit a form to the certificate supervisor describing the APE and its applications and it was approved.

What has the experience been like so far?

It’s been interesting to see the inside operations of a community based organization and how they determine and view health behavior progress in a community. It’s also been beneficial to see how teams work outside of an academic setting and I am appreciative of the work environment so far.

How did you spend your free time this summer?

I’ve been reading a lot, watching movies, painting, and got back into playing video games. Since my friends are all vaccinated now, we’ve been hanging out more.

What are 3 fun facts that you want people to know about you? 

1. I speak 4 languages.

2. I grew up in Atlanta.

3. I’ve read almost 100 books last year.

Thanks for speaking with us, Jasmine! Tune in every Monday to see who we feature next on #WeAreEmoryEPI.