Helena Nguyen is a student at the University of Virginia, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Asian Pacific American Studies. She has consistently shown a deep passion for supporting underrepresented communities, and she eagerly anticipated extending this commitment globally through this internship opportunity. This summer, she worked with Dr. Reuben Robbins to evaluate the functionality of Neuroscreen, a mobile app that automates neurocognitive testing for perinatally HIV-infected youth in low- and middle-income countries. She contributed to drafting a U01 research grant aimed at examining the neurocognitive and health outcomes of HIV-exposed and uninfected (HEU) youth. Her responsibilities entailed conducting a comprehensive literature review on the income status, education quality, and healthcare system in Malawi as well as the behavioral and mental health outcomes of HEU youth. In addition to this assignment, she underwent extensive training to enter participant data into a study database designed for neurocognitive assessments.
During this internship, Helena gained valuable professional and interpersonal insights from daily seminars led by a diverse panel of speakers. Coming into this experience, she was confident that she wanted to pursue a career in clinical social work. However, this experience has illuminated the potential to merge social work with pioneering research, capable of catalyzing large-scale transformative change. With the wisdom shared by the panelists, internship managers, and cohort, Helena is now inspired to advance in her professional journey with a clearer vision of how to achieve her goals of uplifting underserved communities.