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In August 2010, Michell Pope enrolled as one of the first three students admitted into VCU’s new health psychology Ph.D. program.
She had expected to return to work after completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at VCU. She had not expected to become so engaged in fieldwork as an undergraduate or to find faculty mentors who encouraged her to continue her formal education.
“I’ve been a research assistant since I was an undergrad at Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development,”Pope says Working on projects like the Family Health and Coping project and the Writing for Health project shaped her decision to enroll in the health psychology Ph.D program.
“I chose to go into the health psychology program because I’m interested in the well-being of the community,”she said. She is specifically interested in adolescent and minority health and in addressing the issue of health disparities.
Pope chose VCU because of its reputation, its location in an urban environment, its affordability and its flexibility. “I’ve attended other universities in major cities,”she says, “and they just didn’t offer what VCU offers. Being a mother and a wife, I have to juggle. VCU offers me that flexibility.”
She adds that having faculty mentors has helped. “Drs. Corona, Belgrave, Kliewer – they’ve provided me with encouragement to continue my education and they’ve offered advice about balancing family and career goals.”
Being part of a new curriculum can be a challenge, but Pope sees it as “an exciting opportunity to work with faculty and staff to develop a new program.”
Pope plans to pursue a career in academia. “I’d like to mentor others, ”she says, “and to work as a researcher to design interventions to help people live safer and happier lives.”
Listen to Michell Pope talk about the psychology of health by clicking the photo slide show above.
