Student Spotlight: Aris Stovall

Published
Aris Stovall

Meet Aris Stovall 

  • Degree Program: MSPH
  • Area of Interest: Maternal, Fetal, & Perinatal Health
  • Program Entry Year: 2023
  • Hometown: Chantilly, Virginia
  • Previous Degree(s) Earned: BS in Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County
  • Fun fact: When I was 6, I was a backup dancer on a PBS show called The Big Green Rabbit


What sparked your interest in public health? 

My interest in Public Health came from being curious about the world around me. I was fascinated by the use of social connections, behaviors, and biology to analyze the health of populations. Public Health feels more personal to me and allows for much deeper scientific questions. 
 

What led you to choose the Bloomberg School of Public Health? 

My undergraduate advisor urged me to apply to Hopkins even though I felt it was a reach. I ultimately chose Bloomberg because I was very interested in the research happening across departments, the Masters Scholarship, and its proximity to home and the community I have within the Baltimore area. 


 

Public Health feels more personal to me, and allows for much deeper scientific questions. 

Why did you choose the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health? 

When I started my academic journey at Bloomberg, I pursued a degree in Epidemiology. After taking classes in PFRH, hearing my friend's experiences in the department, and reflecting on my professional and career goals, I decided to apply to the MSPH program. I have loved being a part of this department and have gained even more clarity about my passion in public health through my research experiences and courses.
 

What is one experience in PFRH that stands out as a favorite or most memorable? 

My most memorable experience in PopFam is working as a research assistant with Dr. Powell. She is an amazing researcher and leader who has taught me so much. Additionally, working on her team has opened my eyes to true collaboration and allowed me to conduct community-based research, which I had only ever observed from afar. 
 

Tell us about your field placement.

For my field placement, I am working as a research assistant for Dr. Noelene Jeffers. My main project builds upon a Doula-Healthcare Convening we conducted in April that aimed to uncover barriers and facilitators to integrating Doulas into the healthcare setting. Currently, I am working on coding the transcripts from that session and developing a codebook with the team. The goal is to create a survey based on the identified themes and send it back to the convening participants to gain a consensus on research priorities to make doula-healthcare partnerships a reality.
 

What do you hope to do or accomplish after graduation?

My goals post-graduation are to work at a community health organization for a few years before pursuing a PhD in Prevention Science with a focus on Perinatal Education for African American mothers in urban environments.
 

What are some of your favorite places or aspects of living in Baltimore?

I love Baltimore. I really do believe it's "Charm City". One of my favorite aspects is the rich culture and strength of the communities here. For someone who went to undergrad in Baltimore County, I didn't explore the city as much as you would think. So now living in the city, I am able to discover so much of what the city has to offer. Two of my favorite city-wide events are Artscape and Baltimore Pride.
 

What advice do you have for prospective students interested in joining the PFRH community? 

The advice I have for students interested in joining PFRH is to come with an open mind. When joining PopFam you choose an area of interest, and that may feel restricting. However,  there are so many amazing research projects, centers, and certificates  - don't shy away from pursuing them just because they may differ from your area of interest.