Mary Hearst
I am a Social Epidemiologist working as a Research Associate in the Division
of Epidemiology and Community Health and the Center for Early Education
and Development. My interest
in epidemiology, particularly in the sub-discipline of social epidemiology
can be traced back specifically to 1995, although my broader interest
in health disparities and health of disadvantaged populations goes
back as far as high school volunteer experiences. My undergraduate training was in Occupational Therapy (O.T.),
and for 10 years I worked in adult physical rehabilitation. In 1995, I moved to Skopje, Macedonia
with my husband for a one-year humanitarian contract. While there, I administered an O.T. training
program to local villagers in rural Albania and in a National Orphanage. It
was during this time of tremendous growth and learning that I discovered
my passion for public health. Upon returning to the U.S., I enrolled
in a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program and subsequently
accepted a job in a county health department in Flint, Michigan. After several years, my knowledge of and focused interest in
social epidemiology was solidified and I began the PhD process. I completed my doctorate in 2007 under
the training of J. Michael Oakes, PhD. My dissertation research was “The effect of racial residential
segregation on black infant mortality and infant mortality disparities.”
Currently, I work with Dr. Leslie Lytle, Dr. Melissa Nelson and Dr. Scott
McConnell. The current
projects with Drs. Lytle and Nelson, Epidemiology, are centered
on the multilevel etiology of childhood and adolescent obesity. I work with Dr. McConnelI, Center for
Early Education and Development (CEED), on a school readiness intervention
(Five Hundred Under Five) exploring the way in which the causes,
conditions and outcomes of
“school readiness” and “health” are intertwined and
how common and coordinated approaches can help address both sets of issues
in ways that likely improve outcomes in each. The
combined experience of working in obesity research, early childhood development
and considering social context has merged. My focus is now on preventing obesity among low-income or minority
preschool aged children, in combination with school readiness, as a component
of healthy early childhood development, with the hope of positively altering
future health and life opportunities.
A secondary component of my research involves a continuation of a previous
CYFC grant from which a group of researchers from across the University
and State Agency representatives meet to advance data sharing,
move research into practice and policy with an agenda to better
serve the youth of this state, called the Minnesota Child Welfare
Research Collaborative (MCWRC).
Ultimately, my own professional goals are to improve the lives of children
and families by addressing the disparate opportunity structures
available to low-income and minority youth and their families. I intend to build a research agenda around
the intersection of social determinants of health and education,
including how school readiness alters life trajectories. I hope to manage my own research projects
and train students in this area as a faculty member here at the
University of Minnesota. Being
a member of the CYFC Scholars’ cohort will provide an opportunity
to spend some more focused time on my own knowledge in this area,
share and learn with other cohort members, disseminate and translate
findings for the professional and lay community, and allow me an
opportunity to develop my research agenda.
I currently live in St. Paul with my husband, two children, my dog and
various other pets. I
also volunteer in my community and my children’s school,
continuing to support healthy families and communities.
