SAVIR Student Spotlight: Carol Shirley, MA, DrPH(s)

Carol Shirley, MA, DrPH(s), Doctoral Student, Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Public Health Communication Specialist, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center

What are your injury and violence prevention research interests?

My area of study at Tulane is leadership, advocacy, and equity with a focus in health communication and health education. I’m interested in learning more about media effects and leveraging research and health education to build self-efficacy in communities that distrust public health and healthcare messaging. I currently work as the public health communication specialist at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.

 What is something you enjoy about participating in a SAVIR committee as a student?

I’ve really enjoyed working with the communications committee! Since joining, I’ve had the opportunity to help with the rebranding efforts and website migration, and I have been able to leverage my communication skills in ways that seem impactful for SAVIR. For the past two years I’ve also helped prepare conference sessions centered around communication. Last year was about using social media and this year was about de-jargonizing our research communications. Both sessions covered emerging AI tools, and it’s been exciting to be a part of researching these tools, learning about them from other communication experts, and sharing information about them with researchers and practitioners.

I’m currently part of the leadership team that’s working to merge the membership and communications committees, and we’re making plans that are intended to help increase SAVIR’s membership and provide added value to current members over the next two years. Communications committee membership has been a great experience with fantastic people. It has allowed me to contribute to public health efforts at a national level while still completing my DrPH.

What motivates you every day?

I’m driven to fulfill my purpose in life. I grew up in a Progressive Southern Baptist Black family and my grandparents exemplified the values of faith, community, and service. Most of my family has chosen careers that involve service including nursing, teaching, social work, military service, law enforcement, and now public health. This feels like my calling and my legacy.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I do a lot of volunteer work. Singing in my church choir is the thing that truly feeds me, though. One of my favorite simple pleasures is finding pink and sparkly/blingy things for my life’s accessories.