Anna Fong

Mary Gates Research Scholar, Autumn 2024

Research Project: Do Youth-Focused Clinicians Learn Just as Well in Online Versus In-person Training?

Project Description: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a state-wide evidence-based treatment training for community mental health clinicians to shift from in-person to online. The current study investigates whether post-training perceived knowledge and skill levels for treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and behavior problems are similar for clinicians who participated in online versus in-person training.

What have you learned throughout your research project? Working on my project helped me gain deeper insights to implementation science, and better hone onto technical skills such as conducting literature review, data analysis, and scientific writing. This experience also strengthened my time management and effective communication skillsets. More importantly, I found my voice through research, and became a more confident young scholar.

What piece of advice do you have for future applicants? I would advise future applicants to utilize your available resources. Having more people reading your application helped me to point out parts that need more work. These readers should be a mix of people who know you well (e.g. your friend and project mentor) and don’t know you well (e.g. a tutor from the Odegaard Writing & Research Center). The more perspectives you get, the more you can refine your writing and stand out as a strong applicant.

Also, have a flexible mindset and keep trying! My endeavors at UW have proven to me that trying opens another opportunity for growth and success. As you are building and working on your project, obstacles are inevitable, yet a flexible mindset allows you to find solutions to move forward. Moreover, being flexible offers you metal space to show yourself grace in face of challenges. When you take brief pauses to reflect on what you can do better, you are strengthening your determination to keep trying.