In my two previous blog posts, I have discussed the research and educational aspects of my project—A Community Engaged Approach to Investigating the Transferability of Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI) for Adolescents facing Adversity in Post conflict School-Based Settings in Northern Uganda. Today, I am focusing on my professional goals and how this process has played out. At the beginning of my ACHIEVE year, I was tasked with completing an Individual Development Plan (IDP). I poured my heart and soul into this and eventually came out with a product that looked…ambitious. But then again, why not? As a freshly minted PhD, it did not get better than this. This was my Fogarty year, an opportunity to collaborate with global mental health researchers whose work I have read and admired from the sidelines- a dream come true. So, I used my IDP as my road map, and the “mentee- mentor” relationship as the vehicle that would lead me to my destination—in this case—my IDP goals; research, educational and professional. My main professional goal in my IDP has been to secure a Tenure Track Faculty position at an R1 school. This goal has been achieved!
My job market year coincided with my ACHIEVE year. Anyone who has gone through the academic job market can attest to the brutality of the process. It was not easy but I was not alone. My mentors—Dr. McKay and Dr. Betancourt—were tirelessly supportive of my process, and I was able to lean on them, ultimately allow me to break from pack and race to the finish line. I just can’t say thank you enough! Dr. Janet Nakigudde and Dr. Keng-Yen Huang, thank you for the loud cheers in the background–always. Again, to Dr. Fred Ssewamala and Dr. Mary McKay “you continue to attract more bees with honey…” By casting the net out wide and creating several research training opportunities for researchers like myself, you make our work as global mental health scholars ever more meaningful – thank you! I am a beneficiary of the NIMHD predoctoral LEAD program and now, the FIC ACHIEVE Fogarty fellowship.
I love research—its elegant methodologies strive to bring balance to an otherwise chaotic world. I grew up in chaos: at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, during the Lord’s Resistance Army war, and later, in my adult years, through the challenges of transitioning to the United States. Navigating a PhD as a woman with a young family has added another layer of complexity. It has been chaotic, yes—but that chaos has also provided a canvas on which I continue to write and paint my next story.