We met when I was still in OT school and working part time as a research assistant for Dr. Becca Etz in the Department of Family Medicine(I needed to make some extra cash!) I had no idea what I was in for, but Dr. Etz had introduced me to the philosophy of family medicine and primary care, and the excitement of coming up with and answering research questions...I was hooked. I hadn't planned on going straight from OT school to a PhD program, though getting a PhD was on my bucket list. When an email circulated that the Department of Health Behavior and Policy was accepting applications for funded student positions, I just couldn't pass up the chance to apply. I figured the worst that could happen is they say no I would just start my career as an OT as originally planned.
I was so excited to receive my acceptance letter for a spot in the PhD program in Social & Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy, School of Medicine. Because I was still in OT school, I had to get special permission to begin the program in the spring semester after I graduated, rather than the fall. That meant in order to stay with my cohort I had to complete 2 years of course work in 1.5 years. Somehow I did it..... In June 2017 I passed my comprehensive exam (a 7-day writing exam of everything I'd learned) and officially became a PhD candidate.
In November 2017 I successfully defended my dissertation proposal, "Motivational Interviewing in a Team-Based Wellness Clinic: Perceptions and Fidelity." I began data collection the following January and have been analyzing and writing ever since. We have had many ups and downs over this time, and our final test to determine if we are truly meant to be is on October 16, 2019 when I have to defend my dissertation and prove my worthiness to five super-smart professors, including my amazing advisor, Dr. Maghboeba Mosavel. If I pass, I will officially graduate! It's been a long four years, but I have learned a lot and enjoyed (most of) the journey. I am so excited to start my new life as a PhD!