October 1, 2020

In September 2020, Katie L. Nelson, MPH, a doctoral student in the department of Health Management and Policy at the Dornsife School of Public Health, was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) fellowship from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Nelson was awarded for her dissertation project titled “Understanding Multilevel Factors that Contribute to Utilization of Mental Health Services in Children.” With mentorship from Jonathan Purtle, DrPH, MPH, MSc, associate professor of health management and policy, her project aims to address barriers to children receiving mental health care by determining policymakers’ perceptions of policies that influence utilization of children’s mental health services and investigating the association these between state policies and utilization of child mental health services.

This award provides Nelson with $78K to obtain individualized, mentored research training from faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIMH Institutes and Centers. In addition to mentorship, the award covers full tuition and educational expenses.

Before pursing her PhD, Nelson received her MPH from Dornsife.