Practicum Highlight: Ana Davila-Palafox, MPH’26
When Racism Becomes Pathology and Belonging Becomes Medicine: A Mixed Methods Translation of the CREATE Study
As a Master of Public Health candidate in Dartmouth’s Online MPH program, Ana Davila-Palafox centered her Applied Practice Experience (APE) on an issue connected to both her academic interests and her lived experience. Through her practicum work, she explores the ways racism becomes embodied and how belonging can function as a form of medicine.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Hannah Cory, Ana conducted a mixed-methods translation of the NIH-funded CREATE Study (Cardiovascular Health and Racism in EAT Participants' Experiences). The study explores how racialized stress, belonging, and coping processes shape Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) cardiovascular health indicators among young BIPOC adults in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Ana integrated quantitative LE8 indicators with Kathy Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory analysis of semi-structured interviews, allowing her to trace how vigilance, misrecognition, coping, and belonging map onto physiological outcomes including sleep, blood pressure, and glucose.
Through this work, Ana developed the study’s first mixed-methods theoretical model illustrating how emotional arousal and coping processes intersect with cardiovascular health pathways. One pattern emerged across interviews: participants who experienced affirmation and recognition in their racial or ethnic identities often demonstrated stronger cardiovascular health scores, suggesting that belonging itself may act as a physiological buffer.
To capture these themes, Ana created a 19-code grounded theory framework mapping how racialized stress, vigilance, and coping linked to LE8 behaviors. Across stories shared by participants, belonging consistently surfaced as a protective force, what some described as a kind of medicine. Those who felt seen and valued by peers or community spaces reported sleeping better, engaging more in self-care, and feeling more willing to seek medical attention.
Reflecting on the practicum, Ana shared that the experience transformed not just how she analyzes data, but how she understands the power of mixed-methods research. Dartmouth, she said, has given her “the tools to turn community stories into meaningful public health evidence.” As a Latina and first-generation graduate student, Ana came to the program wanting to name and study the racial inequities her communities face every day. She notes that Dartmouth has provided the mentorship and freedom to build work that is both methodologically rigorous and unapologetically equity-driven.
“As a Mexican, first-generation graduate student, I’m doing this work at a time when conversations about racism, health, and equity are either being silenced or politicized,” Ana says. “Dartmouth is one of those spaces where I am not asked to tone down. This practicum experience has shown me how my voice, my questions, and my unique cultural lens are valuable tools.”
Written by: Mia Soucy
POSTED 1/8/2026 AT 11:20 AM IN #practicum #ape #2026
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