Tell me about your current role at Yale University?
I am a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry. I have been in this position for the past 3 years.
What are your main responsibilities?
I recruit patients within the Hispanic Clinic in the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) as well as from other community agencies within the New Haven area. I interact with clinicians, psychiatrist and clinic staff for referrals, and have one on one interviews with participants when conducting data collection. The aim of the study I mainly work on is to evaluate a computer learning program based on cognitive behavioral therapy called CBT4CBT with Latinos who have a drug or alcohol problem, and we are comparing it to the usual treatment clients get at the clinics.
What do you like most about your work?
I like that now, through research I can help with health inequalities and disparities within Latinos who have a drug or alcohol problem.
How does your job affect your general lifestyle?
I wouldn’t say that my job affects my general lifestyle. Although I mainly have set hours, my supervisor accommodates so if need be I can start either earlier or later to be able to tend to a family matter. I am fortunate to be part of an awesome and understanding team.
How did you begin your career?
It began when I did my internship in Manhattan at the Metropolitan Hospital within the Outreach Department. I learned about conducting focus groups, educating the community by attending health fairs at the Mexican consulate and so much more. It was such a nice and broad experience. Then I got a full-time job with a health insurance company as a Community Health Educator. As part of my job I mainly conducted health educational workshops educating many families throughout the New York City area. After taking a break from work, I got a job as a Health Research Specialist at Montefiore Medical Health Center. There, I learned so much about what it meant to do research. I worked in different research projects. One was conducted with parents of children with asthma educating them about their child’s asthma in their homes; and another was in public schools with children with asthma, and public school staff focusing in educating them about asthma, exercise and childhood obesity. While working at Montefiore I went on to pursue my Master’s Degree in Public Health which I got while working. And then, because I had to relocate to Connecticut and needed a new job closer to home and not have to commute, I was fortunate enough to get a job here at Yale as a Research Assistant.
What steps would you recommend one take to prepare to enter this field?
The first step is to get a Bachelor’s Degree in either Community Health, Health Administration maybe even Social Work, or some related degree in humanities. Getting my Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education from Hunter College for me was my stepping stone to this career path.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
I believe that paying attention to details is so crucial in this field to be able to get the data as accurate and as complete as possible. Knowing your statistics, so if you like math this is a good career path. Be innovative and creative. Being someone who likes to come up with new ideas and who is not afraid to communicate with others is a very important personal attribute. And last but not least, being humane, respectful and compassionate to others so you can deliver the best study intervention and get good outcome results.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
My career dream was to be a pediatrician. So, I would have loved to had gotten a MD degree. Currently, I am happy with my career path because I am helping people in a broader context.
What does YLNG mean to you and how have you contributed as a member of the Steering Committee?
YLNG means to me community being able to connect with other Latinos and other cultures. It means keeping the Latino culture and values alive. YLNG brings happiness, recreation, and connection to Latinos in the Yale Community as well to other affinity groups. It is like a big family.