Promoting Maternal Health, Preventing Violence, and Advocating for Marginalized Women and Families

Presenter: Manuel Custodio, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum, I interned for the Community THRIVES Lab in the University of Maryland School of Public Health. As an undergraduate research assistant, I was paired with peer mentor Swati Sah whose primary research involves interpersonal violence and domestic abuse among young couples. Under the guidance of her and lab director Dr. Elizabeth Aparicio, I worked on numerous research projects all focusing on health disparities among marginalized families, women, and children. With my primary focus being on WIC in low-income women of color, breastfeeding patterns in first-time Latina mothers, and an AI chatbot for new moms of color, I worked with Dr. Aparicio and numerous graduate students by finding credible sources for dissertation writing as well as translating necessary infographics that would be used in the lab. Because accessibility is a major part of our research, many of my tasks included translating dissertations and theses and simplifying the language to make it understandable to the majority of the general public. Throughout my time in the THRIVES lab, I also was tasked with listening to data that consisted of interviews depicting the experiences of domestic abuse victims and immigrant mothers unfamiliar with motherhood. Hearing these intense moments of vulnerability taught me how broad domestic abuse truly is and changed my perception of domestic abuse consisting solely of physical violence which is what we often see in the media. Since our lab consists of many Ph.D. candidates and students pursuing their masters I also learned about the process of dissertation defenses and authorship that are necessary for publishing research which has inspired me to look into pursuing a Master's in Public Health. My practicum had immense connections to public health; the developmental goals of zero hunger were evident in research projects such as WIC stigma currently being conducted by the THRIVES Lab. Similarly, the lab's intense advocacy for domestic abuse victims is a strong component in the fight for gender equality and peace, and justice. Interning for the THRIVES lab has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my college career and has given me a passion for public health that will influence the rest of my life.