Kaitlin P
- Research Program Mentor
DNP at University of San Diego
Expertise
Public health, healthcare, child health policy, resilience, child development
Bio
My name is Kaitlin, I am a nurse practitioner with over 7 years of experience in the nursing and healthcare field, with a particularly strong background in public health and pediatrics. My doctoral project focused on identifying traits associated with resilience and utilizing a valid and reliable screening tool for resilience in a pediatric setting. I am also the legislative chair and board member of the San Diego Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, where I collaborate with other representatives across California to identify and support legislation that will improve child health. Ensuring that children and other vulnerable populations have access to high quality healthcare is achieved through compassion, an understanding of evidence based recommendations, and a desire to collaborate with the patient care team (most importantly, the patient and their family!) I love to teach and share my experiences with those interested in a career in healthcare, and I love to collaborate and learn from others with unique experiences.Project ideas
Child Health Policy Analysis
When new legislation is introduced, it is crucial to understand how similar policies have or have not been effective historically. A great project idea for a student interested in public health and policy would be to select a law focused on a specific public health topic (i.e. vaccine requirements, gun safety laws, mental health access). From there, the student can identify exactly what the law was meant to achieve, and then review public health/statistical databases and case reports to help determine if the enacted legislation achieved its desired effect. The student can then review the literature and propose evidence based changes to the selected policy based on this review.