We are proud to announce that a new postdoctoral scholar has joined the Swetland Center! The Nourishing Power team grows stronger with the addition of Emily Nelson. Read more about Emily below.
1. What project will you be working on and what is your role?
My main project is Nourishing Power, and my role is to work with the Evaluation Core on developing and carrying out the analysis of the project. I’m also on an academic advisory group, and I will be joining and developing other projects and papers as part of my postdoc.
2. Where are you from?
I grew up in Richfield and spent some time living in Pittsburgh.
3. What is your background in?
My PhD is in Health Policy and Management, and I taught an undergrad public health class at Kent State during my studies. I have also worked in clinical trial finance, lab research and overdose prevention. For my dissertation, I studied mental health in public schools, and I am a big proponent of mixed methods research.
4. What excites you about joining the Swetland Center?
I think in science it’s an extremely important responsibility to take big sets of data and make them make sense in a way that is true and not only easy to understand but helps people develop their own insights into the data, so I’m looking forward to getting into some of those big questions about analysis, visualization and presentation for Nourishing Power. I’m also very excited to work on a team that seems really fun, friendly and passionate about their work!
5. What is your favorite outdoor space in Cleveland or a place you want to explore?
This is more the Greater Cleveland Area, as it’s south of the city, but I really enjoy the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There is a smaller stream called Furnace Run, and I love taking my very old dog Hugo there so he can swim and lay in the water as we walk up the riverbed. It’s very quiet, green, and beautiful.
6. What is a piece of advice you have been given or quote/statement that is significant to you?
A piece of advice I live by is, “If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything.” It’s something my mom taught my brother and me. It may at first glance sound a little jarring because acting and acting quickly are often so valued in our culture, but to me, the advice is not about inaction. It’s about giving yourself time to think things over, gather information, and approach decisions calmly rather than impulsively. It’s always been a comfort for me to know, especially for big decisions, I should allow myself space for reflection.