We recognize that many GDB students share information about practicum mentors and opportunities during in-person interactions within GDB courses and in our office. In our Practicum Pods series, current GDB students are interviewed by GDB Peer Advisors in a conversation that delves into their practicum projects! We highly encourage all of our students to tune in to a new Practicum Pod every month to learn about different types of research, mentorship, and project specifics!

In this episode, we feature Omar Garcia (he/him), a 4th year Global Disease Biology student currently researching the question, "Does the neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) you have affect the diagnosis, treatment, and accompanying social services that you receive?" with a hypothesis of: "Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, specifically those with low socioeconomic and historically underrepresented groups, experience a larger disparity in access to diagnosis, treatment and accompanying social services than individuals with other NDD." Learn about Omar's research experience in Episode 6 of the Practicum Pod!

Important Links:

• Name and Contact Info of Practicum Mentor: Dr. Sarah Dufek, PhD, BCBA-D (sadufek@ucdavis.edu)

• Prep-Medico Internship: https://health.ucdavis.edu/diversity-inclusion/prep_medico/Prep_Medico.html

• CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program: https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/cups/index.html

• Internship at Collaborative START Lab: https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/research/esdm/student_opportunities.html

• MCHC/RISE-UP Internship: https://www.kennedykrieger.org/training/programs/center-for-diversity-in-public-health-leadership-training/mchc-rise-up

Email gdb-advise@ucdavis.edu with ideas and suggestions about Practicum Pods, or if you would like to share about your research experience in an episode!

Click here to view the transcription for Episode 6: Omar.