News

MSOP Welcomes Three Undergraduate Research Associates
September 1, 2017

Rachel Eckerling, Sunny Fang, and Samantha Randolph, students enrolled in Chan Division B.S. in Occupational Science program, have joined the lab for the 2017-18 academic year as part of the USC Undergraduate Research Associates Program (URAP).  With funding from the USC Office of Undergraduate Education, the goal of this program is to support engagement of undergraduate students in collaborative research experiences with faculty.  The students selected for this program will be directly engaged in MSOP research evaluating risk of upper extremity disorders in dental hygienists.  Specifically, the research associates will be evaluating the activities and tasks, along with postures and positioning of dental hygiene students using video observation techniques.  These students will gain first hand experience and learn about task analysis, ergonomic assessments, and injury prevention research with Dr. Roll and the MSOP team.  Additionally, the students will collaborate with Dr. Jane Forrest (Dental Hygiene/Dentistry) and Dr. Wendy Mack (Preventive Medicine/Biostats) to learn about statistical analysis, explore links between work factors and poor postures that will inform injury risk assessment, and discuss opportunities for development of preventive interventions to reduce work-related injuries in dental hygienists.