Marionette Holmes

Research Area: Public health economics, economic evaluation

What's so exciting about public health economics?

At one time, I wanted to become a medical doctor. I enjoy helping people and helping them to have healthy lives as long as possible. Public health economics was a perfect blend between economics and health.  I also appreciate the breadth of impact of research in public health as an economist.  A medical doctor working as a clinician can only help the patient in front of her; a health economist can affect a policy that will benefit millions.

Why did you choose a research career, and not something else?

A research career satisfies my insatiable curiosity and my love for problem solving. It has various components that I truly enjoy: asking your own questions when trying to explain a phenomenon, analyzing and identifying trends in data, and drawing conclusions with a lens different from traditional researchers. I also enjoy working with researchers from different disciplines.

What do you hope students will take away from PREDOC's offerings?

I hope students will be able to truly understand the day-to-day work of a researcher. I hope they will be able to solidify their research interests to know exactly the questions and fields they are truly interested in. I finally hope they will be able to build confidence in any mathematical, coding, or research methodology they need before entering a doctoral program.