Angela Robertson
2008 HSHPS/HIV/AIDS and Associated Comorbidities in the US-Mexico Border Trainee
During the summer of 2008, Angela Robertson began her six-month fellowship at the University
of California San Diego. Below is her reflection paper for the program, HIV/AIDS and Associated
Comorbidities in the US-Mexico Border.
My fellowship at UCSD has allowed me grow to academically and professionally – perhaps more
so than any previous public health experience that I have had. Having the opportunity to work
with an inspiring team of researchers on projects exploring the relationships between migration,
substance use, sex work, and infectious diseases in the U.S.-Mexico border region, I was able to
apply the quantitative skills I acquired during my masters of public health program while
concurrently learning about qualitative research.
My academic training began with my undergraduate degree in international relations from the
University of Southern California. After I graduated in May 2004, I traveled extensively throughout
Mexico and Central America to improve my Spanish and learn about health issues in the region.
After several years of working I returned to school for a masters degree in public health at the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I focused on acquiring skills in epidemiology
and biostatistics and received my MPH in May 2008.
My professional experience in public health began while assisting an education program of
Planned Parenthood in East Los Angeles where I worked with Latino immigrants in classrooms
and clinics. With an undergraduate major in international relations, I soon became interested in
health issues in the communities of Mexico and Central America that were sending migrants to
southern California. Later, I worked with rural health programs in El Salvador and Guatemala,
subsequently moving to Washington, D.C., to work in the office of population and reproductive
health at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“My fellowship at UCSD has allowed me to grow academically and professionally
– perhaps more so than any previous public health experience I have had.”
When I began my HSHPS fellowship I had very little experience in applied public health research
particularly in migration and infectious diseases, my main areas of interest. Working with my
mentor, Dr. Victoria Ojeda, I outlined my fellowship learning objectives: First, I wanted to learn
about qualitative research methods in which I had nearly no experience. Second, I wanted to gain
experience in applied HIV/AIDS research in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Third, I wanted to
draft a publishable scientific paper based on secondary data analysis. Last, I wanted to learn
more about academic careers in public health. To accomplish these objectives, my mentors and
colleagues helped me to get actively involved in several research projects.
One of my main research projects helped me accomplish my first and second fellowship learning
objectives, to learn about qualitative research methods and applied HIV/AIDS research in the
U.S.-Mexico border region. Under the guidance of Dr. Ojeda, I had the opportunity to help
coordinate a pilot qualitative study on migration, deportation, and HIV in Tijuana, Mexico.
Many of the activities I took part in gave me the opportunity to see what a career in public health
research looks like. I learned the practical challenges and techniques of designing a health
survey. I attended conferences like the Migration & Health Conference, the APHA Annual
Conference in San Diego, and the many seminars and lectures at UCSD’s school of medicine. I
had numerous professional development opportunities through my fellowship, including work in
progress and training sessions that covered topics like reviewing a manuscript, giving an effective
presentation of research results, and writing a successful research paper. I also completed
UCSD’s certificate in human subjects protection and received great training and assistance with
updating my resume/CV, writing papers and research summaries, and conducting literature
reviews.
I will continue to work with UCSD’s International Health and Cross-Cultural Medicine division on
the Mexico-based projects, which will continue through July 2009. Currently, I am applying for a
PhD in public health and hope to be accepted to the UCSD/SDSU joint doctoral program in global
health with a concentration in epidemiology. Through this program I would like to continue
researching the relationships among migration, substance use, and infectious diseases in the
U.S.-Mexico border region. The JDP will provide me with the additional academic and
professional training I need to pursue an academic career in public health.
Angela is currently working as a staff researcher in the international division at UCSD. She looks
forward to greeting the new summer 2009 trainees and urges anyone with questions about the
program to contact her at angelamarierobertson@gmail.com.