Geetika Rao chose the MPH program at the Yale School of Public Health because she could exercise flexibility in course selection and tailor her own degree. A student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology and the Regulatory Affairs Track, she has also taken courses in the Law School on health policy and at the School of Management to ground herself in the management of healthcare. In addition, she has worked as both a teaching fellow —for a course in social and behavioral sciences and another in SAS — and as a research assistant with Professor Melinda Irwin’s Lifestyle, Exercise and Nutrition (LEAN) studies for women with breast cancer, and survivors as well.
In that capacity, Geetika has helped with follow-up for an on-going study that is near completion, as well as assisted with study design , development of intervention materials, and recruitment of participants to a new long-term five-year study. She is also involved in the data analysis of an evaluation of the LIVESTRONG at YMCA Program that will culminate in her MPH thesis and potentially lead to funding of an R01 research grant. This work is close to Geetika’s heart as she has seen too many people in her life affected by cancer. The effects of the disease on patients and families motivated her to intern as an undergraduate with the LIVESTRONG Foundation, and to even ride a bike from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska two summers ago to raise funds and awareness for the cause.
These opportunities and her extra-curricular activities, including management of the non-profit Student Consulting Group, have allowed her to experiment and learn more about the kinds of work and tasks she excels and at. “I discovered that I enjoy data and all that you can learn from it,” says Geetika, who will put that love of math and tracking data to use in pharmacy benefits analysis as she embarks on the first chapter of her career at CVS Health after graduation.
“I’ve loved it here,” says Geetika. “I love the flexibility and the fact that I was able to really make the most of my time at Yale.”