“Working as a research assistant for the Newcomb Institute with Dr. Clare Daniel”
by Grace Riley
This semester, I continued my work as a research assistant for Dr. Clare Daniel at Newcomb Institute, working on our research project focused on the Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health Internship Program. While we finished an academic research paper this last semester, this semester it was time to make edits after peer review feedback. We completed these early in the semester and now our paper titled, “Building Equitable Partnerships and a Social Justice Mindset through a Donor-Funded Reproductive Rights and Health Internship Program,” is set to be published in the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement in March of 2023!
In this study, we found that the program is meeting all of its stated objectives and has positive outcomes for both interns and internship supervisors. We hope that this program can be used as a model for other colleges and universities to implement.
Additionally, I got the opportunity to present my research with Dr. Daniel at the National Women’s Studies Association annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was part of a roundtable discussion titled, “Experiencing Feminist Work: One Center’s Use of Feminist Pedagogies in Diverse Experiential Learning Programs,” along with several other Tulane faculty and staff. This was a really cool experience for me as it was the first professional conference I have attended and I loved getting to present my research to others interested in women’s studies and/or reproductive work.
I am excited for next semester, which will be my last semester in the RRRH program and at Tulane before I graduate. After I graduate, I will begin working on a Master’s in Public Health and hope to pursue medical school. Throughout my college career, this program has been a highlight and has motivated me to continue to stay involved and informed in repro work and to look for ways to combine my passions for social justice and medicine in my future career. this last semester I got to see the culmination of my research within the program. Next semester, I am excited to continue sharing the research I have done within the program as well as continue working on new projects.