Monika N
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Expertise
Public Health, Public Policy, Political Science, Survey Methods, Sexual & Reproductive Health
Bio
Hello! My name Monika Nayak, I use she/her pronouns, and I'm a current Ph.D. student at UCLA in the School of Public Health. My research interests lie at the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and adolescent health and wellness outcomes. In school, I aim to develop survey methods, data analysis, and policy research aiming to improve health, wellness, education, and healthcare access for young people. Lastly, I'm interested in how public policy shapes our environment and behavior, and I love learning about innovative strategies that advocacy organizations utilize. I spend much of my time outside of schoolwork and my day job reading or volunteering. I'm an active advocate for reproductive justice and increasing health care access for historically excluded communities. And, during the pandemic, I started learning how to watercolor, so when I have the time, I love searching through YouTube or TikTok for simple painting tutorials!Project ideas
Is Tele-Health Actually Expanding and Accessible?
As the pandemic progressed, communities were encouraged to switch their regular wellness visits to telehealth appointments. Disabilities rights and community health advocates have been advocating for telehealth appointments as a consistent and accessible option for individuals and families to seek healthcare services. What are the cases where telehealth services are the most advantageous? A student could perhaps find one particular dataset or research this relationship in existing studies and make a case for accessibility, or the lack thereof, stemming from increased attention to telehealth services.