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Phoebe R

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)

Expertise

Public Health, Health Behavior, Unhealthy Product Marketing, Retail Environments, Nutrition Policy, Alcohol Policy, Tobacco Policy

Bio

I am a fourth year PhD student in Health Behavior at UNC-Chapel Hill. My research centers the role of unhealthy product (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food/beverages) marketing on consumer perceptions, intentions, and behaviors. I am passionate about conducting research that can inform evidence-based policies to promote healthy retail environments. Outside of my PhD training, I am an avid bird watcher, sourdough bread baker, and cat mom. I also enjoy running, biking, and hiking - generally anything outdoors.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Health or Social Policy Fact Sheet

Public health research often has policy implications. However, it can be challenging for policy makers to keep up with research. A policy fact sheet synthesizes research related to a policy of interest and presents it in a way that is accessible to policy makers. Similar to a literature review, a fact sheet would require a student to 1.) identify a topic area (e.g., food marketing to children, free school meals, tobacco warning labels); 2.) conduct an in-depth review of empirical and grey literature; 3.) synthesize findings from the literature; and 4.) present policy recommendations based on the evidence presented in the fact sheet. This project would provide students with experience critically reading and synthesizing research articles, conducting systematic literature searches, and translating research findings into policy recommendations. My primary area of expertise is in unhealthy product marketing and warning labels, but have experience in a variety of healthy and social policy related topics. I have created fact sheets myself and have mentored undergraduate students through the process.

Coding skills

Stata, Mplus

Teaching experience

I served as a teaching assistant for four undergraduate courses while I was pursuing my M.S. at UT Austin. Additionally, as a Ph.D. student, I have mentored undergraduate students through the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN) program for two summers. I have worked with individual students and with small groups of students to develop and execute student-driven research projects related to nutrition policy.

Credentials

Work experience

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (2023 - Current)
Predoctoral Fellow
UNC Global Food Research Program - Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (2022 - Current)
FERN Intern Coordinator
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2021 - Current)
Research Assistant
University of Texas at Austin Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (2019 - 2021)
Teaching Assistant

Education

University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
BA Bachelor of Arts (2019)
Health & Societies
University of Texas Austin (UT Austin)
MS Master of Science (2021)
Health Behavior and Health Education
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Health Behavior

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