Lauren O’Connell, a senior Anthropology major will present her paper entitled “Envuelto en Estrés (Wrapped in Stress): Health Decision Making and Tobacco Use Among Medical Students in Puebla, Mexico” at the 2018 Human Development Conference (HDC) at the University of Notre Dame, February 23-24. O’Connell was selected through a competitive process with entries from universities around the country and the world.
“I attended HDC in previous years and have consistently been energized by the people and presenters who push the development field and their research to the next level. I wanted to become more involved in the HDC community and share about a topic I feel very passionate about,” she explained. “I am excited for the opportunity to think about the progress that has been made in the past decade and how I can contribute in the decade to come.”
O’Connell’s research interests include global public health, women's health, health policy, medical education, and medicinal plants.
Asked about what she envisions for the future of development, O’Connell shared, “partnerships rooted in mutual trust, cross cultural understanding, compassion for human life, and diverse perspectives. Encouraging (and welcoming) more people - from a wider variety of socioeconomic, academic, and cultural backgrounds - to contribute their ideas is critical to increasing opportunities for all to realize and achieve their full potential.”
The University of Notre Dame’s HDC is a student-led conference that brings together undergraduate and graduate students to present their research related to issues of international development. This 10th Annual HDC is entitled Decades of Development: Contextualizing the Past, Envisioning the Future. Featuring keynote speaker Ray Offenheiser, Former CEO and President of Oxfam America and Inaugural Director of Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development, this year’s conference provides a platform for dialogue in which students from around the world can engage in conversations regarding past trends in development, current best practices, and the future of development. This event is presented by the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, with co-sponsorship by Kellogg Institute for International Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, Center for Social Concerns (CSC), and SIT Study Abroad. Click here to register or visit our Facebook page.