IWL SHINES on Alexis Ruffi’s Research on Community Health and Health Equity
This Q&A is part of a series called “IWL SHINES” — an inclusive research series highlighting research conducted by faculty, students, and staff at Marquette. IWL stands for the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Marquette. IWL is a network whose mission is to advance women’s leadership locally and globally through pioneering research, innovative programming and collaborative engagement. Read more IWL SHINES Q&As here.
Alexis Ruffi is a senior in Marquette’s College of Nursing, where she started in the Direct Entry MSN program in August 2020. She works with Dr. Kim Whitmore on collaborative research into community health and health equity.
Here in a Q&A, Ruffi explains her research interests, academic motivations and hopes for the future.
Name: Alexis Ruffi
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexis-ruffi/
1. What is your research about?
As a Public Health and Equity Fellow, I am working with my mentor Dr. Kim Whitmore to complete a community-based qualitative research study focused on better understanding the respite care needs of Latinx families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Respite care can be a great resource for these families to utilize, as it works to provide a “break” from caregiving responsibilities. It can improve caregiver and family outcomes. Many forms of respite exist, and it can be carried out by family or government/community agencies.
Our research looks to home in specifically on Latinx families because there are a lot of unmet needs with respite care for this population. Unmet respite care needs are two times greater in Latinx families compared to non-Hispanic white families due to gaps in resources for racial and ethnic minorities, along with cultural and linguistic barriers. Thus, we are partnering with a Dane County-based nonprofit, PADRES E HIJOS EN ACCION, which is dedicated to supporting Latinx families of CSHCN. With them, we will conduct one-on-one interviews with Latinx parents to gain information on how to better meet Latinx respite care needs, especially in tailoring culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions.
2. How did you decide to focus on this research interest? What led you to it?
I completed undergrad at UW-Madison, majoring in Spanish, as well as a certificate in global health. This research project aligns with both areas. Through the global health certificate, I volunteered for a clinic to help connect patients to community resources for basic needs. Some of these basic needs included food, rent assistance, childcare, career development resources, etc. This experience shaped my vision towards health as so much more than isolated physiological issues in understanding how our environments and social factors intersect and greatly impact our health outcomes.
We still have a long way to go in our health care systems to lessen disparities, especially for racial and ethnic minority groups. Prioritizing research that better understands the barriers to quality care for diverse populations is vital to creating more equitable outcomes.
3. What surprises have you encountered in the process of researching? It could be about the process itself (collaborating with others, etc.), surprising findings, or anything else you would like to share.
Because our project is in the earlier stages, I have been able to see the process of institutional review board (IRB) approval. It is a very thorough, detail-oriented process, and making sure you have all the right materials is something that I never really thought about prior to helping with this project.
6. What do you want to focus on next and why?
After graduation, I am excited to take what I learn from this project and apply it to my career in nursing. Understanding the intersectionality of a patient’s social factors and their impact on health is something I will strive to assess in the populations I serve. I hope to one day become a family nurse practitioner and serve in a community health clinic.
7. What advice would you give anyone else wanting to enter your research field?
Other than a research class, I never had any prior research experience. I would say that it is never too late to try new things. Take opportunities as they come. You don’t have to be an expert, but you must be willing to learn along the way in order to gain valuable experiences.
10. If your research engages community partners and/or is public-facing, how do you think that your research contributes to larger social and/or scholarly conversations?
PADRES E HIJOS EN ACCIÓN is our community partner for this project. The goal is to collaborate on respite care interventions that are more tailored to the families and overall community from which we get feedback. I think the overarching theme is that one-size-fits-all is not applicable for many health interventions, such as respite care. Listening to unique community needs is what is important.
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Psst! Know someone doing great things? Maybe it’s you!
To recommend yourself or someone you know to be profiled in this series, please send an email with the person’s/people’s name to IWL SHINES at iwlshines@marquette.edu. Please provide a very brief description about the research involved or why you think it should be highlighted. After consideration, IWL will contact you/your nominee to start the interview process, which will entail the person/team responding in writing briefly to different interview questions from a menu of choices.
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