Student Spotlight: Eri Shindo, MPH'24

When Eri Shindo moved to the U.S. from Japan, she knew very little about healthcare in the U.S. She had worked in customer development and then in healthcare market research where her clients were big pharma companies interested in selling their products beyond the Japanese market, however she wasn’t sure if she was qualified to continue that career track in the U.S. And when her son was born, Shindo’s focus shifted to her family. 

“I was a bit off track in developing my career as a market researcher,” Shindo says. “And it seemed very difficult for me to return to that career after a multi-year absence.” 

Interested in moving in a new direction, Shindo began researching public health programs that could further her emerging interest in maternal and child health research. 

Because of its hybrid program and collegial, supportive culture, Shindo settled on Dartmouth. She believed the combination of online courses and meeting in person is an important balance—one that has lifelong benefits. 

“I was not interested in an entirely online program and Dartmouth’s small cohort makes it easy to get to know your classmates,” she says. “The faculty/student ratio is also very good. Faculty genuinely care about our success, and they are always available to answer questions and guide us through the process.” 

Interested in conducting research related to maternal and child health for her practicum—specifically the second trimester abortion/fetal loss population that remains under researched—she talked it over with one of the faculty who introduced her to an OB/GYN provider at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center who could help. 

“I had experienced a second trimester loss myself,” Shindo recalls. “When I described the challenges I faced back then, and suggested opportunities for change in practice, she quickly agreed to become my collaborator.”  

Having breastmilk without a surviving baby to feed and receiving little anticipatory guidance about it in the hospital was one of those challenges Shindo had referred to. Her research study explores the lactation preferences of second trimester abortion/fetal loss patients encountering breastmilk secretion following their loss. 

“Additionally, we aimed to unravel the challenges faced by providers to engage in lactation support for the second trimester population,” she says. “We found that there were limitations in the current care scheme and providers also felt they received inadequate education on the topic.”    

“These are valuable insights that could contribute to enhancing care for lactation after a loss” Shindo says. “I hope this research would make life a little easier for patients like me in the future.” 

Shindo is still determining how she will use her public health degree, but she says with the help and attention she received from faculty in this program she is “ready to dive into a new career.” 

POSTED 4/15/2024 AT 12:37 PM IN #studentspotlight