Briana Bell planned to explore the knowledge and attitudes about mental health among farm workers and lower-caste members in India as her Applied Practice Experience project when she enrolled in the epidemiology track of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—until the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible.
When the pandemic also shut down her plans for another project to conduct health fairs for documented and undocumented individuals on both sides of the border in Nogales, Arizona, she began to wonder, “Would I ever be able to do research again?”
But Ms. Bell discovered other research opportunities in New York City, some that could make an impact during the pandemic. First, she connected with Contra COVID, an organization that is providing Latinx and immigrant families with information, health, and social resources. Passionate about its mission, she joined the workshop committee and began designing mental health workshops and delivering supporting booklets.
“I was also drawn [to Mount Sinai] by the extensive research experience of the program’s directors…their expertise and mentorship have been very beneficial for me.’’
She soon began pitching the successful workshops to other nonprofits, resulting in partnerships with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (New York City Metro), Ventanilla de Salud through the Mexican Consulate, Immigrant Health & Cancer Disparities at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Pesquisa, a community of physicians and organizations based in the South Bronx.
During her studies, Ms. Bell also completed a research project for the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Icahn Mount Sinai. Her preliminary findings—that most adults with autism could live independently but there are few interventions in place to support them—will be included in a manuscript Ms. Bell is preparing. “It is imperative we find solutions so that individuals with autism can function on their own without high insurance or out-of-pocket costs for daily needs,” she says, as she continues her research.
“The opportunity to write a manuscript was one reason I chose Mount Sinai,” she explains. “Many programs do not offer that. I was also drawn by the extensive research experience of the program’s instructors. Most have worked at the Department of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and their expertise and mentorship have been very beneficial for me.”
Nils Hennig, MD, PhD, MPH, Director of Mount Sinai’s Graduate Program in Public Health, says, “Briana represents the best of our program and our students: a strong commitment to research and to serving the community. A small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.”
Ms. Bell received her MPH in 2021. Now, Ms. Bell is working for NYU Langone Health, conducting intervention-based clinical research, and she is looking at growing Contra COVID, which she co-leads, into a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. She is interested in applying her epidemiology expertise in other ways. “My goal is to take my experience with Contra COVID to start a similar program in the next 10 years overseas,” she says. “Prayerfully, I will get there.”