About Josie:
I am a second-year Computer Science PhD student, 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellow and Olive B. and Franklin C. Mac Krell Jefferson Fellow in the Link Lab at the University of Virginia. I am advised by Dr. Lu Feng and Dr. Dave Evans. My research is at the intersection of Healthcare, Computer Science and Cybersecurity; specifically, I'm developing privacy-preserving machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for clinical decision support systems. My research is applied to improve outcomes for patients with Advanced Heart Failure and Type I Diabetes, among others. I received my B.S. in Biomedical Informatics (BMI) from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude, as a distinguished Outstanding Graduate and in the first graduating cohort of BMI undergraduates. I am also involved in health-privacy policy efforts, Chair of the Computer Science Department Graduate Student Group (student council,) and Editor-in-Chief of the Jefferson Journal of Science and Culture, an interdisciplinary journal run by Jefferson Fellows.
What has kept Josie motivated:
In terms of motivation, I have found focusing on the good and recognizing the new opportunities afforded to me by being home all the time has really helped. I am an optimist by nature, and although I've had my share of trials and tribulations during this quarantine, there have also been able a variety of positives that I am grateful for. For example, my home office is set against our large patio windows, and I never noticed how many beautiful birds there are that live in my neighborhood! I have also been able to learn how to make some delicious new recipes (pre-pandemic Josie was a terrible cook) and talk/skype my family much more often than I normally do because I am too busy.
In addition, I have tried to make detailed schedules with what my weekly goals are and what I am going to do each day. This is something I usually do to stay productive; I have very detailed to do lists for each of my projects, extracurriculars, and even life stuff (i.e. go to grocery store) to keep track of everything. For the pandemic however, I have found it useful to be kind to myself and expect less each day. I still make weekly goals and daily tasks, but I give myself less to do each day than what I would normally expect. That way, I don't feel discouraged if I am not as productive as I normally am, but I still have things I have to do to keep me focused each day.