Alycia Boutté, a recent graduate of the Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (HPEB) program, has joined the communications team at the National Cancer Institute as a postdoctoral Cancer Research Training Award fellow in the Behavioral Research Program. In this role, Boutté is gaining training and professional experience in health communication by promoting the Behavioral Research Program’s research initiatives.

These projects include cancer-related health behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, energy balance, sun protection), biopsychosocial processes of cancer-related behaviors, tobacco control and health communication research and decision making. A few months into her role, Boutté is already applying what she learned through her doctoral program.

“The Arnold School did an excellent job of preparing me for my career in a variety of ways,” she says. “First, the formal mentorship provided by my advisors Dr. Brie Turner-McGrievy and Dr. Sara Wilcox have been extremely valuable in strengthening my writing skills, project and time management skills, and varied research and presentation opportunities. The Arnold School’s collegial environment allowed for informal mentorship through learning from my peers both within the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, but also from other departments as well.” Read more here.