Student Spotlight: Leslie Carson

Responses were edited for clarity and conciseness.

Give a 1-minute elevator pitch of your current research project and focus areas.

I’ve always been interested in the influences of neighborhood contexts on substance use and mental health. I am hoping to look at how historical redlining and how it’s continuing to influence substance use and mental health through three major aims: first, looking at the spatial dependence between alcohol and cannabis outlets and 911 calls by level of neighborhood advantage. My second aim is to examine neighborhood influences on vaccine beliefs through the Baltimore Area Survey, which collects survey answers from Baltimore City and County. Finally, I hope to look at depression and anxiety rates and how they relate to people’s neighborhoods and socioeconomic status.

What motivated you to focus on these areas? 

I graduated in 2018 with master’s degrees in public health and social work, and that’s when I began thinking about the question of place as it related to mental health and substance use. I knew it was something I wanted to build my skills in and continue learning more about. I am very interested in and knew I wanted to become an expert in multi-level research.

What is one major insight you’ve come across during your research? 

I’ve become even more aware of the long-lasting consequences of redlining and how government policies are connected to health inequalities today. Reading the literature and living here in Baltimore has shown me the monumental effort being put in today to undo past inequities. 

What led you to doing research at BSPH? 

Originally, I thought I was going to apply to medical school. But after I graduated, I obtained a fellowship and received my introduction in public health. After I received my master’s degrees, I worked at the National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA), then the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It was fun and I learned a lot more about public health, but I soon felt like I wasn’t using all my skills in public health. The job felt much more like project management, and soon I was thinking about obtaining my PhD. I was always worried about narrowing my skill set to one narrow research interest, but my time at Hopkins has proven that the opposite is true. I love the students and faculty here, and I especially like how multi-disciplinary the research is. 

How have your experiences at NTHSA and HRSA shaped your understanding of research and academia?

It’s been really valuable to have background knowledge about how the money gets out. At HRSA, I oversaw selecting candidates for our grants and working with them through the process and having that experience is very helpful now that I’m on the other side of the table. It’s also nice to know what all the divisions of the government are responsible for, and it was fascinating to see that a small group of people is responsible for nationwide work. One final aspect was working with community partners and local organizations from a grant-giving, government perspective. Most of government grant funding goes to large research entities and universities, but I realized the importance of funding community organizations as well, since they have such a large impact in their local neighborhoods. However, most government grants are not well designed for their use, so it was interesting to see that clash between who should be funded. 

How have your dual master’s degrees (in public health and social work) informed your perspective on your research focus?

I actually learned most of my skills in mapping and GIS through my master’s program in social work. I would say that the two fields are sisters or cousins, even though they don’t quite share the same language. It’s very interesting that many mental health department faculty and staff don’t have a social work background, so it’s nice to have it. Sometimes the social work perspective conflicts with the public health perspective. Social work really focuses on the individual and their needs, while public health looks more at the collective.

What are your post-graduation plans?

I don’t see myself going into academia. I think I see myself working at a think tank in DC, working a bit more broadly and being able to put my research into practice. 

How do you hope that your research will impact future policies on neighborhood contexts?

Hopefully my dissertation can help link to some of the more challenging problems facing Baltimore, especially since it’s the first recorded instance of redlining in the United States. I also hope that my work on vaccine beliefs will help policymakers to adjust their approach, especially since COVID-19 is still around. 

What is some advice you would give to yourself from when you graduated from college? 

I would tell myself and other recent graduates to be open to different careers. I never saw myself going into public health, but now I am very grateful that I said yes to those opportunities when they arose. 

What is one standout experience you’ve had so far at BSPH?

I really enjoyed the spatial statistics series. It was very cool to apply public health concepts to skills I’d sharpened in my master’s programs. I also loved being able to make beautiful maps and analyze them. 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I don’t have a lot of free time, unfortunately. When we get the chance, my husband and I are trying to explore Baltimore and try out the food. I also love going to the gym--it’s great stress relief!

What is your favorite place to go in Baltimore?

I love the ice cream selections in Baltimore. I remember when I was first touring the city after applying to Hopkins, and my first thought was how amazing the ice cream was. My favorite place is B’more Licks, and I love the Charmery!

Do you have any book recommendations? 

I love The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. My professor recommended it to me in one of my classes. I don’t have a background in city planning, so it’s been a very interesting read while I’ve been researching redlining and its effects. The book describes how we’ve built our cities completely wrong, and it’s been great at challenging things I’ve taken for granted. It’s about 50 years old and a little dense, but it’s a classic.