Final

1. Barnard Park South Green, located among one of the busiest
interceptions in Hartford, Connecticut, represented an outlet
for children and families to spend time together, walking their
pets, or go for a jog. This urban environment houses 44% of
Latino’s corresponding to the highest concentration in the
state. However, I used public transportation to attend school.
Given the park’s central location, the city bus stopped there
while I waited for the next bus that would take me to school.
Since 2009 the park where I used to play hide and seek with my
childhood friends had become the new home of female homeless
individuals who suffer from mental illnesses, engaged in coping
mechanisms to fight drug addiction, and promoted unsafe
conditions in the park given improper disposal of needles. For
two generations, my family, one of the thousands in the
community, have learned to call Hartford home. As a resident of
the city and activist of public health initiatives attempting to
dismantle stigmatized behaviors about mental illnesses that
diverted into acceptable behaviors accentuates the
symptomatology of a decaying sick society. Understanding the
actual situation of these women and remain indifferent to their
distress is unbearable and inhumane. I cannot overlook the
social inequalities that keep vulnerable women from their basic
needs and adequate healthcare, which inspired me to earn a
Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) specializing in Community
Health Sciences. I hope to integrate my formal medical training
with contemporary approaches to hypothesize why women in this
sector engage in drug addiction behaviors and determine whether
mental health illnesses contribute to the decadent conditions in
which they are living. Upon elucidating the questions above,
proper outlining and interventions should provide the tools to
enable patients’ full rehabilitation and integration into
society.

2. After witnessing the health inequalities endangering the
lives of mentally challenged women in my neighborhood park, I
decided to pursue public health research focusing on mental
health illnesses and women’s health. I anticipate contributing
to closing the gap between public health and medicine.
Physicians, under oath, swear to take care of the patient’s
disease regardless of the situation. The latter implicates
individualized medical care until reaching a diagnosis and
preparing effective treatment plans. For example, mentally ill
patients who go to the emergency room with acute psychotic
episodes require stabilization and individualized management to
determine the diagnosis—that is the current standard of care. As
a future public health professional, I envision employing the
medical platform by generating hypotheses, designing protocols
to test the questions, and implementing new conventions at the
community level to establish possible causality of the emotional
and psychiatric diseases harming specific communities.
Furthermore, instead of administering individualized diagnostic
tests, the case would be handled holistically to detect the root
cause of the matter, attack it, and eventually eradicate it.
Furthermore, the data available about the homeless women of
the park is limited. For that matter, critical pieces of
information remain obscure. Further studies revealed the missing
elements were the women’s psychiatric history of mental
illnesses and fluctuant emotional status. As those elements
became part of the dilemma, witnessing the drugs’ effects in
conjunction with their mental condition was inhumane. After they
self-administered the drug, women became euphoric and
aggressive, which is illustrated in the rate of physical and
verbal assaults to passers-by. The drug also caused young women
to develop catatonic states. These situations propitiated my

3. interest in mental health disorders and women’s health. In fact,
after reading an article about the challenges minority women
face to receive mental health care, electing to amplify my
understanding of the areas of interest led me to venture into
the field of science.
In fact, in 2011, at Mailman School of Public Health, I
worked with Ana Abraido-Lanza in an NIH-funded study, Havens of
Risks or Resources? A Study of Two Latino Neighborhoods in New
York City investigated how both individual and neighborhood-
level variables influenced breast cancer screening rates among
Dominican women and other health-related behaviors. My
participation in collecting data was challenging due to physical
attributes not conforming with the norm at The Bronx. Several
residents of the borough approached me with violent intentions
claiming that I had no business been there. Nonetheless, the
next day, I dressed according to the Bronx’s dress code to
prevent their discomfort and insecurity related to outsiders.
This time, I worked throughout the city without provoking
uneasiness among passers-by or outbursts of anger against me—all
these while performing the task. Some peers felt their safety
was jeopardized given the lack of exposure to inner-city
environments and understanding the subculture. On the other
hand, transitioning into the neighborhood lifestyle was smoother
for me due to my upbringing in an inner-city.
My duties during the project included an in-depth analysis
at the neighborhood level, which involved collecting data that
quantified the number of risks to the community’s overall well-
being, such as bars, liquor stores, and nightclubs. The
community resources, such as parks, schools, and banks, were
counted as protective factors. Data report was obtained using

4. SAS and Excel, allowing me to analyze and reach conclusions
based on those results. Part of the experience consisted of
presenting the findings at the Second Biostatistics and
Epidemiology Symposium for Minorities. The components of this
research are significant milestones in my professional career as
I learned to value the trust neighbors deposited in me by
granting permission to enter their community and safe spaces.
Also, learning to use statistical software to analyze data is
another advantage gained during my work with Dra. Abraido-Lanza,
which I expect to fortify during the program. The experience
gained along the duration of the investigation taught me to work
in teams to ensure effective communication with other
departments, thus minimizing communication errors. At the
program’s culmination, I presented the preliminary findings in
the symposium held at Columbia University. The teachings and
what I learned along the way are critical elements that may
sharpen my current skills while cultivating new knowledge from
peers and professors.
My inner-city, formal medical education background and
investigation experience nourished my research interests in
maternal and child health, controlled substance abuse, and
mental health. Several professors specialize in reproductive
epidemiology, emphasizing their research in reproductive health,
maternal-child health, and studies on genetics versus the
environment. Another research discipline that Tufts professors
are currently working on lies in the social determinants of
mental health and its social effects in the long run. A vital
issue that serves as a connecting thread between my medical
profession and my desire to become a public health professional
is the growing area of research interest that considers
community-oriented primary care models. The components of this

5. proposal are essential because they include community organizing
and community outreach methods in health promotion and disease
prevention. Ideally, the latter would lead to community
outreach methods to prevent and promote healthy lifestyles.
Given my interdisciplinary academic framework and
experience in community interventions, I will contribute
successfully to the task at hand. My goal is to meet the
program’s expectations with a strong foundation and ground in
public health and biostatistics. Since the program’s format is
online, we should arrange skype/zoom sessions with classmates
and faculty members to counteract the independent study time.
Such computerized reunions may be used as external stages to
solidify concepts and answer questions about class discussions—
they can serve to channel healthy debates or conversations. I
expect accessibility with faculty members outside of class time
to benefit from professionals in their respective areas of
expertise.
Visiting Tufts as a high school junior convinced me that
Tufts’ identifier is diversity. The personalities and characters
of the student body make-up a wonderful cultural mix within the
confinements of a small liberal arts school with distinguished
research facility. Despite alumnus outstanding academic
performance and research load, it thrills me to observe
students’ appreciation for the role community plays in our
lives. Even then, sharing the little time between classes poses
a philosophy that cultivates meaningful relationships and
contributes to creating solid bonds of brotherhood while keeping
a critical eye on global events. However, being part of a
student community that remains open-minded when it is time to
debate any topic deserving of our attention signifies that I am

6. also a part of a generation with global mindsets. Belonging is
an essential element that helped me develop the strong backbone
that keeps me firm and self-assured that I can achieve all my
goals with dedication and perseverance. I did not stress when
professional doors closed upon me. Instead, I kept my ambitions
and continued knocking on other doors until one opens. Yes—until
only one opens—because human beings only need one strong vow of
trust and confidence to accomplish meaningful mediations.
Furthermore, rumors have it that Tufts bases its philosophy on
providing students the tools to invest time in fruitful
undertakings, yet the strength to reach the finish line is one’s
obligation and respect for the institution.
Likewise, I applied without reservations hoping to fulfill
my professional endeavors in the research industry. In addition,
the federal government requires graduating from an accredited
institution by The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
to be eligible for federal grants/funds. Although several
programs are accredited, only Tufts University is among the few
schools offering comprehensive online programs, with the ability
to perform research, engage in practical experience, and form
meaningful networks despite the current pandemic.
My concerns as a researcher date back to 2004, when the
social and structural disintegration of Barnard Park South Green
became troubling to everyone who visited. With time, the number
of homeless misusing the facilities incremented despite
children’s presence as they participated in drug dealing, drug
use, and improper disposal of used syringes. As mentioned above,
the incidents often occur in public. Hence, alarmed parents
opted for their safety by avoiding visiting the park.

7. Consequently, children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly
stopped socializing and lost their enclave.
After achieving my MPH degree, I contemplate continuing
fulfilling my duties as a physician, but now through a research-
oriented lens. I intend to reach my goals to share the newly-
acquired knowledge and practices using academia as the principal
outlet to reach the targeted healthcare professionals. The
combination of this dual degree ascertains and validates my
credentials. The latter empowers me to teach future generations
of medical students and the next generation of current
physicians the urge to fill the gap between public health and
medicine. As the first college generation in my family, Tufts’
completion will mark a before and an after era. The initial era
highlights my fear of being rejected in this respected program.
In contrast, the second era reaffirms the power of believing in
ourselves and pursuing our most important purpose in life
without fearing the outcome.
1
Continued growth in the global population raises concerns
in the public health sector as competent preparation is required
to deal with healthcare changes that fall on the most
impoverished and disinvested communities in the United States
and abroad. There has never been a critical point in history in
which governments, healthcare personnel, and public health
experts had to collectively unite at a global scale to find
solutions for the common good. However, the COVID-19 pandemic
opened an international dialogue to ensure effective
communication in the same language to face and find solutions to
the time’s most relevant public health problem. Therefore, the
master’s degree in public health with a concentration in

8. epidemiology and biostatistics will equip me with the tools
required to reinforce my medical degree and share knowledge and
experience to prevent harm when the common good is threatened.
Teamwork is essential in sealing the gap between medicine and
the stigmas surrounding controversial health issues such as
mental health and the use/abuse of controlled substances.
Thank you for your time and consideration.