PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (March 9, 2022) After earning a Doctor of Medicine degree from Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University in Lviv, Ukraine, the next natural step for Jennifer Asuquo was gaining a better understanding of people and communities. To do that, Asuquo is pursuing a graduate degree in social work from the Prairie View A&M University Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences.
She stated “I want to help people. I have my medical degree; now I can put that together with my social work degree to understand communities, people, and perspectives.”
Jennifer Asoquo at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University in Ukraine
Asuquo is a participant in the Faculty Research & Innovation for Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Graduate Research program. The RISE program supports faculty-mentored graduate students’ research and innovation activities. The program enables faculty researchers to expand and sustain their research through external grants and contracts while mentoring postgraduate students to become the next generation of experts.
“I’m learning a lot. I’m currently doing research in precision nutrition. The experience has broadened my mind to understand what is going on right now with nutrition and how we can help with the research we are doing,” said Asuquo.
Janet Antwi, B.Pharm, M.S, Ph.D., RD, LD, assistant professor, and director of Dietetics Internship Program in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, serves as Asuquo’s RISE mentor.
Antwi stated, “Precision nutrition approaches offer an alternative and potentially more effective strategy to improve dietary intake and prevention of obesity and chronic diseases. Precision interventions are not a ’one-size-fits-all diet‘ but are tailored to key characteristics of the participant, such as current diet, phenotype, and genotype. Moreover, this genetics phenotype-nutrient interaction focus is a significant area of study and at the forefront of nutrition research funding in precision nutrition at the National Institutes of Health.”
“The RISE research program has given opportunities for professional development that I didn’t think were possible,” explains Asuquo, “the bright minds that I get to work with and the research that I’m doing let me know that I am in the right program.”
Having Antwi as a Faculty-RISE mentor is a positive and nurturing experience for Asuquo.
“I feel like I’ve made little mistakes along the way, but she’s always very kind and very gentle in correcting me,” Asuquo shared. “I love the fact that he lets me do the work. I’m learning so much in a short time. She [Antwi] understands that I can do it, and she pushes me to do it. I appreciate her for taking a chance on me.”
Asuquo also hopes other students take advantage of the RISE program, especially undergraduates who may be fearful of the research process.
Asuquo says, “Don’t be afraid.” She notes, “That was one of my first problems. At times I felt inadequate, but I jumped right in.” Adding, “There are so many opportunities that we can explore. So when the opportunity comes, jump right in and try.”
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Karen B. Cotton