McNair Scholar 2019 - Muna F. Osman
Muna F. Osman is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Public Health. Her research interests are centered around health disparities, mental health service utilization, health literacy among ethnic minorities, and prevention science. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology.
Quote from Muna F. Osman
My dream is to create a more equitable world where marginalized communities have access to care. I plan on pursing a Ph.D. in Psychology and contributing to an era where mental health is no longer stigmatized nor criminalized. After obtaining my doctorate and becoming a licensed psychologist, my goal is to open a community mental health clinic that serves racial and ethnic minorities who experience multiple barriers when accessing care.
Research project
Educating Somali Parents on Healthy Child Development through m-Health Communication
Abstract: Racial and economic gaps in health negatively impact the development of young children and create obstacles in adulthood that could have been prevented during child development. At the moment there is no m-Health communication program established anywhere in the U.S that is accessible to all families of children across different racial and ethnic communities. Current programs demonstrate viability, but no single program has been tested for feasibility with non-English refugee populations, such as Somali families. This study presents a research design that implements a low cost and personalized m-Health communication system that educates parents on healthy child development. Fifty Somali parents with a child under age 3 years-old received health messages regarding parent-child relationships, child nutrition, maternal self-care, and child health. In collaboration with a local community health clinic, the messages were sent to parents in the form of text message or voicemail three times a week for six months. The messaging period was recently completed, and researchers are currently conducting parent interviews to identify key themes from the implementation of this messaging system.
Faculty mentor
Richard M. Lee, Ph.D. is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lee attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he received his Ph.D. in Psychology. Professor Lee is the current Editor of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Mental Health. His research aims to advance theory and measurement related to culture-specific risk and protective factors, unpack the transracial and transnational experiences of Korean youth and adults who were adopted internationally by White families, and conduct community-based research to improve engagement in evidence-based prevention programs for racial and ethnic minority populations.