While many students spent their spring break relaxing on the beach, Honors College junior Gabriela Marmolejos devoted her week off to exploring how to improve public women’s hospitals. Funded by OSCAR’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP), Marmolejos conducted research in the Dominican Republic, preparing for her career in global public health.
Introduced to URSP through OSCAR presentations in various Honors courses, Marmolejos seized the opportunity to pursue original research as an undergraduate. Honors professors Dr. Hoefer and Dr. Woolsey encouraged Marmolejos – who plans to earn a graduate degree in public health – to apply for the career-building research program.
A Health Administration & Policy major, Marmolejos’ research examines the issues facing the Dominican health system. Touring the NusetraSenor De La Altagracia – the Public University Maternity Hospital – exposed Marmolejos to various maternity wards and facility conditions.
“OSCAR enabled my study abroad experience by approving my research proposal and funding my trip,” says Marmolejos, who gained professional experience by pitching a research proposal to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Additionally, Marmolejos crafted original discussion questions to guide her interviews with Dominican women who have utilized maternal healthcare services.
“Listening to the stories of these brave women and learning about the unjust disparities in healthcare systems around the world encouraged my desire to become a public health professional,” says Marmolejos, whose concentration is in health systems management.
Marmolejos’ study found that the Dominican Republic was successful in reducing neonatal, infant, under-5, and maternal mortality rates and expanding insurance coverage between 2006 to 2016. Further, her results indicate that the Dominican healthcare system struggles to maintain quality standards across hospitals. Marmolejos suggests future research needs to focus on how Haitian migration patterns may affect the Dominican healthcare system.
As an OSCAR funded undergraduate scholar, Marmolejos’ experience abroad enabled her to see how the Dominican government makes improvements to the quality of maternal health services. “This experience showed me the differences in healthcare delivery between countries,” explains Marmolejos. “I was able to walk a mile in their shoes,” continues Marmolejos, who now has a stronger understanding of important issues facing the Dominican health system.
Original reporting by Jimmy O'Hara. Photo provided by Gabriela Marmolejos