GH 806 Using Mobile Technologies to Improve Health Outcomes Responds to the Challenges of Covid-19
July 15, 2020
A team of four students, Mansi Varma, Caroline Flessa, Julia Nash, and Laura Holtz from GH 806, Using Mobile Technologies to Improve Health Outcomes, will be presenting the work they did with Kupenda for the Children and Kuhenza for the Children in Kenya at YTH Live 2020.
In its twelfth year, YTH Live 2020 aims to further center youth in technology and its impact on youth health. YTH Live 2020 will focus on key youth populations’ overall health and wellness in the US and globally and how innovative technology can be used to prevent and treat negative health outcomes and support positive ones.
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of young people around the globe. Isolation, loneliness, and serious mental health outcomes have been reported. Many young people have turned to technology and new media to help get through this challenging time – staying connected, building community, spreading awareness, and destigmatizing mental health.
The team worked with their clients, Kupenda and Kuhenza, and the community leaders they work with in Kilifi County, Kenya to use mobile technology to support effective counseling and home-based care for children with disabilities during COVID-19.
Meet the team
Caroline Flessa
Caroline is experienced in both academic settings and private industry with significant exposure to clinical healthcare data. Her major accomplishments include contributing to research at the Framingham Heart Study and ensuring high quality of deliverables for pharmaceutical clients. Caroline is completing her MPH in Summer 2020. Her degree is in the functional areas of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Presently, she works in public health research as a Research Data Manager for a Clinical Research Organization (CRO) owned by an insurance company. Her current research interests are Lyme Disease and other vector-borne illnesses, social determinants of health (SDOH), and eco-therapy.
Mansi Varma
Mansi is a Master of Public Health candidate at Boston University specializing in Health Communication, Mental Health and Substance Use. Her career goal is to make good health more accessible through digital health tools. She has worked on designing mHealth applications, text messaging applications, and telehealth projects.
Laura Holtz
Laura has worked within academic medical settings, specifically within cancer care for the past five years. In the earlier years of her career she focused on quality and patient safety, and is now emerging into the digital health realm. She’s contributed to a variety of projects including engaging and coordinating care for clinical trial patients, building a safety net for patients around test result management, and implementing and sustaining a digital health cancer care product. She plans to continue in this field, utilizing her Master of Public Health in Program Management, and Chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases from Boston University after she graduates in 2021.
Julia Nash
Julia is a part-time master’s in public health student at Boston University. Her work revolves around chronic disease management, tackling food insecurity, and creating more equitable environments. Julia excels at program management, digital health application development, and leveraging multi-disciplinary frameworks to tackle multi-layered issues.
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