Jessica Davis

University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2020

Major: Health and Societies

Minor: Survey Research and Data Analytics

Jessica Davis is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Health and Societies with a concentration in Health Care Markets and Financing. She also minored in Survey Research and Data Analytics and then went on to receive her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently working as a Research Coordinator at the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation. 

Born and raised in Manchester, England, Davis had only ever lived in a country that operated with a universal health care system. Upon arriving at Penn, she was exposed to the privatized U.S. health system and fascinated by the size and complexity of U.S. health care. Through her major and research experiences, she had the opportunity to explore her interests in how the social determinants of health impact the health behaviors and outcomes of various populations–especially those with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions. 

Davis worked on two projects as a SUMR Scholar. Half of her research time was spent working under the direction of Frances Barg, PhD, Professor at Penn Medicine and at Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. At the Mixed Methods Research Laboratory (MMRL), she worked on multiple projects that all draw upon the principles of implementation science and qualitative research methods. She evaluated how provider behaviors and tendencies could be optimized to effectively meet the needs of patients and families dealing with severe illnesses and conditions. 

For the other half of her SUMR research, Davis worked with Krisda Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHP, Clinical Innovation Manager of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation. In this study, she looked at ways to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients by addressing their social needs. 

Both SUMR projects were complementary to the research Davis worked on during her sophomore summer in Penn’s School of Nursing. As part the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring (PURM) program, she worked with LDI Senior Fellow Salimah Meghani, PhD, MBE, RN, FAAN on a project that looked at cancer pain management issues and interventions. During the academic year, she was the captain of the Penn Women’s Varsity Squash Team. She was also Vice President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a CURF Research Peer Advisor. 

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