Author: Cynthia Sanchez

Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Psychology

In Fall 2022, I was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has made a great impact on my life. Dr. Kin, associate Dean of Jefferson State Community College at Pell City, reached out to me about the Bridges to Baccalaureate Research Training Program (BBRT). The NIH-funded program is the first of its kind that allows students to participate in biomedical science research at Jeff State and The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). At first, I was hesitant to participate because I knew nothing about research, but Dr. Kin believed I was a strong applicant and encouraged me to apply. Out of a highly competitive group of applicants, I was shocked to have been one of four students chosen.

That year, Dr. Kin introduced me to the field of research. We began discussing research topics, attending journal club, and learning “wet lab” techniques. Then, it became time for our wings to fly and begin our research journey at UAB!

Summer 2023 was the start of my research internship at UAB as part of the Center for Community Outreach Development (CORD) program. Over the span of 12 weeks, I was to integrate myself into research, mentoring, and career development. The goal was to conduct my own investigation and present those results in a research poster at the CORD Summer Science Closing Ceremony. So, I quickly got to work. Because of my interest in adolescent psychological research, I was placed in the lab of Dr. Sylvie Mrug and her amazing team. Dr. Mrug’s lab is conducting the Healthy Passages Study, which is a longitudinal study that focuses on the effect of early childhood stress on adult health. I quickly learned about recruiting participants, conducting interviews, and data management. What fascinated me most about this study was discovering these individuals in this study have been participating for approximately 20 years!

Specifically, Dr. Catheryn Orihuela served as an incredible mentor this summer, who enriched me with the knowledge to work on my specific research project. Together, with Dr. Mrug, Dr. Orihuela, and the rest of the research staff, I was able to tackle the rigorous process of composing a research project from start to finish. Choosing a topic to focus my research was a tough decision. After a comprehensive review of the literature and available data from the study, I discovered that an important topic that deserves more attention is a focus on relationships between depression and sleep behaviors entitled “Relationships between Depression and Sleep Behaviors in Adults” (Sanchez, 2023). I focused on variables of depression, sleep problems (e.g. insomnia), sleep timing, and differences in sleep behaviors on weekends in 310 adults. One of the most challenging tasks in this process was learning how to prepare sleep timing for analyses and input data into a statistical program called SPSS. Once I mastered that step, I was then able to conduct bivariate correlational and descriptive analyses. I spent a lot of time analyzing the results and preparing my poster for presentation at the research ceremony. The last few weeks of wrapping up my project were demanding, but with Dr. Mrug's and Dr. Orihuela's mentorship, we were able to finalize the research poster. Results demonstrate that increases in depressive symptoms were related to more sleep problems, and overall later bedtimes and waketimes. These results suggest that adults who experience depressive symptoms are at risk for sleeping problems which could negatively impact their physical health.

At the end of the summer, I presented my research project at the CORD closing ceremony. I was incredibly nervous, but I tried my best to explain my research to the judges because I was so passionate about the subject. At the end of the ceremony, I was awarded the Most Promising Scientist Award! I was so honored to have received such an award for my first project! The experiences in Dr. Mrug’s lab and positive interactions with my colleagues have taught me more than I ever imagined. In addition to conducting my own research, I never expected to be so deeply involved in a research study that I am certain will provide important results that will improve the health of future generations. The knowledge and experience I have gained will serve me immensely in my development in the future. I am grateful to Dr. Wyss, the program director, for believing in undergraduate students and helping them achieve their goals. I would also like to thank Ms. Bulger, Dr. Kin, the Youth Development Lab, and all of my mentors for their continuous guidance and support. The CORD program has introduced me to the field of research and exposed me to the best team of mentors. I am excited to see what my future holds in scientific research.

References

• Sanchez, C., Morgan, A., Rogers, H., Orihuela, C.A., Mrug, S., (2023, July). Relationships between Depression and Sleep Behaviors in Adults. Poster presentation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham CORD Summer Science Closing Ceremony, Birmingham, AL.