stephanie loo

Project: Socio-communal Health and Leadership Development of Young Women in the Somali Bantu Refugee Community Working with Shanbaro Community Association and Chelsea Collaborative, established a young women’s leadership empowerment group with Somali Bantu females of middle and high school ages, addressing gender disparities and socio-communal health in the Somali Bantu refugee community of Greater Boston. The weekly program provides peer tutoring and group mentoring opportunities and incorporates social and cultural activities that promote and feature the Somali Bantu heritage and traditions—uniting and fostering a growing community of strong young women who will become the next leaders and role models for their community.

Coordinator for the project “Mental health processes in refugee populations”, working primarily with the Somali Bantu refugee community in Chelsea, MA. Scheduled and ran team meetings and training sessions, facilitator and Harvard team point-person with community partners and research assistants in Chelsea. - Conducted and led outreach efforts to connect the Somali Bantu community with mental health and youth leadership programs. - Developed/edited focus group and interview protocols. Conducted and ran focus groups with teenagers and parents of the Somali Bantu community. - Translated and transcribed qualitative data from key informant and focus group interviews.

TA for Dr. Theresa Betancourt’s graduate-level GHP 504 course, ‘Applied Qualitative Methods in Global Health’.

* Selected as the Health Panel Moderator for the 2012 and 2013 HPAIR Harvard Conference. * Created and ran the panel, “Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention: From Past Lessons to Future Innovations * Is Asia Ready?” and the 2012 panel on global health, “Global Health: Frontiers in a Modernizing Asia”, with focus upon infectious disease, mental health, and the health implications of natural disasters in Asia * Recruited panel and seminar speakers, facilitated panels and seminars, directed case study sessions on SARS in China and avian influenza in Indonesia with panel delegates.

* Developed and implemented the methodology for a 653-person baseline research survey of Urban Udaipur aiming to explore the perceptions and attitudes of Indian adults towards foster care. * Hired, trained, and managed project surveyors and conducted daily survey team meetings and fieldwork visits * Created and managed project databases, maintained program budget and financial responsibilities.

Designed evaluation plan, logic model, and indicators tabulation for the Montana Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Program, with focus on their Injury Prevention module. - Conducted interviews and disseminated information with state health officials and community health workers.

Conducted microanalyses of organic compounds and hazardous materials. Experience running combustion elemental analyzers and handling delicate organic compounds and materials.

Worked with Professor Dato’ Dr. Susie See Ching May. - Conducted hands-on research on the short-term memory capabilities of children with autism through audio-visual stimulation presentations.

Under the My Health Record project with Dr. Benjamin Druss recruited, screened, consented, and conducted one-on-one interviews with patients of Grady Hospital’s mental health in-patient clinic. Worked extensively with participants undergoing treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and other psychiatric diagnoses as well as participants dealing with alcohol and substance abuse problems. - Under the I-SIGHT project with Dr. Karen Glanz conducted telephone interviews analyzing adherence rates to glaucoma medications of patients enrolled at Grady Hospital Eye Clinic and the US Veterans Administration Medical Center of Atlanta. - Conducted data collection, abstractions, entry, and filing. Produced reports based off of data collections and maintained database systems.