Ph.D in Economics - Alumna

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

I discovered my current program in the International Health Economics Association’s newsletter and followed the link provided to check the program’s website. The website is concise, yet comprehensive. I read professors’ profiles and thought the program would be the perfect place for me to study economics. Through my years of study in the program, I have been advised, mentored, and taught by many respectable professors. Their serious attitudes towards academia, their liberal minds about civil life, and their caring for students’ achievements have deeply influenced me.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

Since I started my graduate study at IUPUI, I have published five peer-reviewed papers with professors at IUPUI and IU and have several other papers in process. I truly appreciate my co-authors and collaborators for including me in their projects and being willing to join me in developing my research ideas into papers. They have given me a lot of guidance and encouragement, which helped me establish strong interests in research and self-confidence in pursuing a research career.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

Indy is a beautiful and vibrant city. My favorite places in Indy include the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Crown Hill Cemetery, the canal, and the beautiful IUPUI campus. Many artists live in Indy. I have joined several art walk activities and have really enjoyed talking with artists about their work. I also love my martial arts school, where I have met the grandmaster, and many brothers and sisters. I have been a tutor to a class of high school students and a teacher to an undergraduate class at IUPUI. All of the progress my students have made means very much to me. I am also grateful for all the kind people I have met both on and off campus in Indy. Quite often they provide unconditional help and support to me during my cloudy days, and quite often they push me towards my goals when I feel too tired to continue. I will never forget their kindness and will pay them back by helping others who are in need and who want to succeed.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

I have a wide-range of research interests, which include long-term care, health policy evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, injury prevention, and substance abuse. The first three research interests are a continuation from my previous research experience, but have been strengthened and enriched during my study at IUPUI. I have been working on my informal care project and have presented it at different academic conferences; I coauthored a paper studying cost-benefit of home blood pressure monitoring during my graduate assistantship at the School of Public Health; and have worked as an intern on cost-effectiveness analysis related research and tasks at RAND and Tufts Medical Center. The latter two research interests were developed at IUPUI. I met a great friend-and-mentor at IUPUI who specializes in injury prevention. Her passion for injury prevention influences me. We discussed injury prevention research a lot and exchanged thoughts on our research ideas. Our communication has generated several injury prevention papers. I took my minor classes at IU Bloomington and had the opportunity to get to know many professors there. During one class I took at IUB, my professor suggested I consider marijuana legalization for my class project. Later, I was asked to work with two other IUB professors on another research project on marijuana.

During my first year at IUPUI, I attended many student activities held by IUPUI International Club and Advancing Women Mentoring Program. These activities exposed me to different cultures and great people. They strengthened my belief that people’s greatness is not correlated with their race, ethnicity, nationality, or socio-economic status. Therefore never let prejudice be your barrier to become someone great. Open your eyes and heart to find the great minds around you, and let yourself be surrounded by the right people.