One of our doctoral students presented at the meeting of the Population Association of America, held in April in Washington, D.C.
By Mengxi Zhang, MPH
The Population Association of America’s (PAA) annual meeting focuses on population dynamics, including size, composition, and changes. Many scholars in our field are drawn to public health because of its interdisciplinary nature. Well, we are not alone. Attendees at the PAA meeting are from a variety of fields, mostly sociology, demography and economics. Because PAA only accepts less than 20% of applicants per year, attendees learn from highly-skilled professionals who present quality research.
My peer Linnea Perry Eitmann and I were fortunate enough to represent Tulane students and present our research. Was I intimidated? You bet, but I think we did well. Linnea presented her research on family planning in the Congo, and I presented my work about the long-term impact of displacement after Hurricane Katrina on children’s health. The conference provided an opportunity to make connections. For example, I used data from the Displaced New Orleans Residents Study (DNORS) in my study, and guess who I spoke to during my presentation? The principal investigator of the DNORS study! I also received valuable recommendations for further analysis. Additionally, I met a recent Tulane graduate who told me about his displacement experience post-Katrina. His personal story deepened my understanding of the post-Katrina New Orleans’ displaced population.
Not only did I present my research, I also learned a lot in the pre-meeting workshop provided by the PAA. The workshop I attended, “Social Media and Demographic Methods,” focused on how to access social media data (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) and analyze them with demographic methods. Think about how we could use this in public health! No, seriously, think about it and get back to me. In addition to the workshop, I participated in a mentoring lunch where I had the opportunity to meet a professor in population studies. My mentor, from Maryland University, provided valuable suggestions about my career development. Side note: the food was great!
The experience at the PAA meeting continues to motivate me to learn more about population studies and to incorporate what I learn in my research. I would highly encourage anyone interested in the study of fertility, mortality, displaced populations, family planning, aging, and big data analysis to attend the meeting. Hope to see you at the PAA annual meeting in the future!
Mengxi Zhang is a PhD candidate at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in Global Health Systems and Development. Her research centers on migration population and medical evaluation methodology. She completed her MPH in epidemiology from Tulane University. Prior to coming to Tulane, Mengxi received her bachelor in preventive medicine from Capital Medical University School in China. Mengxi plans to expand her migration-related work to include elderly migrants, as well as the elderly left behind at country of origin.
