Graduate Interns

Hannah Affleck is an MPH Epidemiology student in the Department of Kinesiology. Hannah has worked as a research assistant in the PAWS lab since August 2021, and she is an operations specialist at Apple. She is currently completing a 350-hour Research Practicum with the PAWS Lab, working primarily on Project GEMS. The objective of this project was to determine racially minoritized women’s perceptions of wearable technology, their current physical activity levels, and sleep levels. This project was designed to address a gap in public health knowledge by examining ways that wearable sensors could improve health outcomes for racially minoritized women. Her current research interests include utilizing wearable sensors to improve health outcomes in underserved populations and innovative chronic disease prevention strategies. Hannah aims to start a career in research after graduation, further identify research interests, and apply to PhD programs. 

Devika Pavuluri is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health practicum with the PAWS lab. She is actively engaged in working on the research initiative named BLOOM (Black Women’s Life Experience on Cardiovascular Health via Ongoing Monitoring). In this capacity, her focus is on developing meticulous standards of operation to ensure the utmost precision in data collection and analysis. Additionally, she plays an active role in formulating and implementing community engagement strategies, recognizing the paramount importance of incorporating diverse voices in addressing cardiovascular health issues among Black women.

This experience will help her further solidify her dedication to making a lasting impact in the prevention of chronic diseases, aligning seamlessly with her overarching goal. Through her involvement in the BLOOM project, she has been effectively leveraging her passion for research, commitment to public health, and enthusiasm for community engagement to contribute meaningfully to the pursuit of health equity.

Jessi Garcia is a Ph.D. student at UTA, pursuing her Doctorate in Kinesiology. She works as a graduate assistant and strength and conditioning specialist for tthe Movin’ Mavs Wheelchair Basketball program. Her research interests include injury prevention for adaptive sports and physical activity patterns of people with disabilities. Jessi aims to contribute to evidence-based research for adaptive sport programming and improve the accessibility of physical activity for people of all abilities.