I had the amazing opportunity to participate in undergrad research in the beginning of my sophomore year of college. The research project I was involved in was called the 5,000 Baby Project which worked to democratize healthcare by requiring equal access to early identification of infant neurodevelopment disorders.
In this lab, I get to work beside PTs and OTs in different clinics throughout Nationwide Children’s Hospital. My responsibilities include recruiting parents to participate in the study, providing informed consent, and taking 4 minute videos of spontaneous infant movements. With these videos, our research team hopes to develop a new technology that will detect developmental disabilities sooner and improve the child’s quality of life earlier. Since starting this research, I have learned how to collect data, interact with parents professionally, and successfully conduct clinical research.
All in all, the 5,000 Baby Project has taught me some valuable life lessons within healthcare and I hope to continue my research for a long time to come in order to make a difference in people with disabilities lives and promote early intervention for families of all socioeconomic status’.