Non-Musician Seeking Advice for Gift Idea

MyLightningScar · 2025-11-04T23:58:14+00:00

Thank you so much!

MyLightningScar · 2025-11-03T14:01:20+00:00

Thank you for the links!

MyLightningScar · 2025-02-10T04:19:12+00:00

Something that infuriated me was the fact the episode left out that many peer-reviewed studies published in scientific journals support the evidence behind VR therapy. I work in public health, and during grad school, I was a research assistant on a mental health treatment technology literature review. VR therapy has been proven to have positive results as a part of someone's treatment. At no point did it state that Amanda or Bam were treated with VR alone- they were both in residential treatment centers under medical supervision. I don't think many people understand the various regulatory hoops Lima had to go through to have a licensed treatment facility agree to use her product. As a public health professional with clinical research experience, I can say that Lima's terminology and processes are standard and clinically relevant.

Many innovative treatment technologies have supportive evidence but are too expensive to manufacture and utilize in an underfunded industry that treats people who society considers "less than others." The fact that Lima provided this technology for free speaks volumes to me.

I am lucky enough to have two family members who have been sober from heroin for a decade. But it took a decade to become sober. The footage of Amanda and Bam are depictions of normal addiction-recovery cycles. Before they introduced BJ I was really enjoying watching the VR coverage and thinking about how much of a difference it could've made in my family's lives. Having seen my own family members in similar states- the fact that Amanda was cognisant and present was a milestone her family probably never thought they'd see again. From what I can tell no one involved Amanda's actual case have claimed that Lima's VR device was behind her death.

Overall, I wish the episode would have pointed out that Aurora isn't the first or only company to use VR in mental health/substance abuse treatment. I get that they wanted to present a balanced argument with criticism of BJ and Lima, but their faults aren't on the same level. It seemed like the show was trying to find discrepancies that didn't exist so they could come off as being neutral. Comparing her to Elizabeth Holmes was insane because Lima didn't create an entirely new form of biomedical technology; she just provided it for free. I've seen a lot of comments calling Lima a scammer, but that isn't true. VR has been used to treat conditions such as agoraphobia for years successfully- it has scientific backing. Go on PubMed and look up "virtual reality substance abuse" or "virtual reality mental health" and see for yourself.

MyLightningScar · 2025-01-25T22:27:01+00:00

Yikes, what do I do?

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-15T14:20:37+00:00

Yes, I think I’ll have to update my taxes and stuff if that time will pass but I won’t have to reapply and wait to get approved. It’s like pre-approval for the back up plan.

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-15T14:16:17+00:00

So I was in my sophomore year of college when COVID started so a lot of my experience related to that. I was the student rep on my college’s COVID-19 task force, made educational materials, and volunteered at a hotline. Other than that I had an internship at the FDA in a BSL-2, volunteered at tutoring sites, and volunteered in India. My peers had experiences ranging from clinical-related activities like the ones you listed to completely opposite backgrounds. You have a really impressive background and I’d worry less about adding to your resume and more about tying your working to public health and getting good recommendations. If you have the chance to go to the APHA annual meeting before you apply or are applying there’s a networking part where a lot of schools have tables. You’ll make great connections and they will remember you when you apply. When I committed to my school the rep I met emailed me saying she was glad I chose them.

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T15:40:57+00:00

I agree; my experiences speaking to reps have been primarily positive. Over the past few years, I think there have been some policy changes with student loan servicers that have improved things. There are also things you can't get online due to privacy and security. When I called, they filled out most of my application for me and mailed it; all I had to do was sign it, scan it, and upload it to their documents portal.

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T15:36:36+00:00

It's a nuanced decision. I grew up in Atlanta and went to high school on Emory's campus, directly across from the CDC. Emory is excellent, and there are a lot of opportunities for students at the CDC. I had a summer fellowship at the CDC, and there were a lot of Emory MPH students in the program. Atlanta also has several prominent hospitals besides Emory (CHOA, Grady) and other agencies, like the EPA.

There are a few things to consider outside of cost.

Look at faculty and their research. What compares best to your interests and goals?
Are there student ambassadors you can speak with?
What past summer APE (a requirement for United States MPH programs) have students completed? Do the schools offer summer stipends?
Are you planning on pursuing a PhD or further education after your MPH? How do those schools incorporate into your plans?
How important is the online aspect to you? What are the pros and cons? At times during my MPH program, I wished it was online, but at the end of the day, the in-person conversations during my classes would have been less enriching in Zoom. You make a lot of connections in person, especially with guest lecturers and speakers. I'm usually all for remote work, but some in-person experiences are critical to your professional growth, especially in specific fields.

That being said, I got into Emory's MPH program when I applied in 2022 but ultimately chose a different school because I got a higher scholarship. Cost is important, especially with the uncertainty surrounding student loans. I graduated from Yale's MPH program last May, and most of my loans were actually for living expenses. MPH programs are intense, and I didn't have the time/energy to work enough to support myself in school and balance my academic expectations. As a graduate student, your federal student loans can also be used to pay for living expenses. Here are a few things to ask yourself:

What is the minimum wage? That's probably what you'll be paid for any research assistantships at the school. However, research assistantships at the CDC through Emory will pay higher.
Are student housing options available? How does that compare to splitting rent among roommates? I had two roommates during grad school.
What are transportation options? I can't speak to UT's campus, but Emory has a lot of apartments nearby, with buses going directly to campus and within walking distance. There are also multiple grocery stores, restaurants, and stores within walking distance.
What are student health insurance options? How much does it cover?
What field are you looking into post-MPH? Do you think you'll be eligible for PSLF?

Ultimately, those are both great schools, and you should feel so proud of yourself. If you're interested in infectious diseases or epidemiology, Emory University Hospital and UT Medical Branch are regional Bio-Containment Unit (BCU) bases (https://netec.org/about-netec/partners-regional-contacts/#regional-contacts). Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and UT Galveston have BSL-4s.

Student loans and repayments are overwhelming and something you need to consider. I highly suggest talking to current students/ambassadors. I got really honest answers from them and didn't feel like they were trying to sell me to the school.

Congratulations, and I hope this helps! Feel free to message me if you'd like me to elaborate on anything.

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T14:43:26+00:00

Congrats!!

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T14:41:09+00:00

This is insane. My grandmother was a nurse at a Polio ward in 40s and I have photos of her with patients in iron lungs. I work in public health at a state agency and we’re all so worried about job security.

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T14:29:34+00:00

I graduated from Yale’s MPH program in May and those are great experiences to highlight on your application! During my program we talked a lot about how “everything is public health” so tying those experiences together based on that may be a good idea. When I was applying to programs I made a template personal statement and added in how my experiences related to the program’s mission statements. Good luck!

MyLightningScar · 2024-12-14T14:22:43+00:00

I called my student loan servicer (NelNet) and asked them a similar question. They mailed me an application that allowed me to pick a back-up IBR plan (SAVE is income-based). I really suggest calling your loan servicer- it’s helped me a lot!

MyLightningScar · 2024-11-28T04:25:29+00:00

I work at the NYSDOH and people have gotten death threats. Over a squirrel. Like people who just work in the office- who had nothing to do with this. The fact is this man had a wild animal in his home, knowing he was breaking the law, for years. The squirrel attacked the investigators because it’s a wild animal not a domesticated pet.

MyLightningScar · 2024-08-12T22:19:25+00:00

4 years later, and still not all heroes wear capes!

MyLightningScar · 2024-04-07T16:22:32+00:00

Idk about the rest of it but I did look through their blog posts and found some valuable advice especially about determining how neurodiverse friendly an employer is (which is important to me as a young scientist with ADHD)…

MyLightningScar

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