A few years ago, Vasanthi Shanmuganandam struggled to keep up with her studies. She had just given birth and was taking prerequisite courses in pursuit of a doctorate. Shanmuganandam already had a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biotechnology and a master’s in biotechnology from her hometown alma mater, the University of Texas at Dallas.
She has always been passionate about challenging herself and advancing her education. But at that moment, she was exhausted. She knew it was time to take a break from her studies.
“I was a new mother. I took a lot of courses that I couldn't manage. It was tough, but I had to let it go,” she said.
Shanmuganandam, now 50, moved to New York, where she currently lives, and began working as a research data analyst at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, a not-for-profit system affiliated with both Cornell and Columbia universities. There she began to see the impact of nonprofits in the community. Shanmuganandam learned about the intersection of mental and physical health and was eager to learn more. With her background studying diseases in the brain, she wanted to deepen her expertise.
Finding motivation in the African saying famously uttered by Desmond Tutu, “How does an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” Shanmuganandam approaches her goals with persistence.
If you're persistent, you want a degree that has value and you want to learn from really good teachers, then this is a program you need to do. It's worth it.
“I was really interested in the work I was doing, working as a research data analyst and also volunteering in the community. I realized that many of my previous experiences could be applied here. But to do it in a professional and meaningful way, I knew I needed formal training in public health,” said Shanmuganandam.
She met Dr. Valerie Cholet, the director of the University of Maryland School of Public Health online MPH program in Physical Activity, while working in New York and expressed interest in the program. At first, Shanmuganandam was hesitant to go back to school because of her experience of overloading herself, but decided to start off with summer courses to ensure the program was a good fit for her.
She hasn’t looked back since, gaining both coursework and research experience during her SPH program. She credits the program in helping her understand macro-level details, sparking ideas she can apply to benefit the community.
“Vasanthi has demonstrated exceptional skill while developing predictive software useful to the assessment of health risk based on levels of physical activity,” said Cholet. “Her work combines fundamental theories emphasized in the MPH program focused on physical activity in the public Health space, and she uses these principles in a way that can help improve health by generating new knowledge in analyzing health behavior.”
Through her master’s capstone project, Shanmuganandam is developing a machine-based learning algorithm that will be trained on information about physical activity level and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Using existing data, she is working on the model to help predict the risk of heart disease and diabetes based on a person's physical activity level.
“In spite of whatever happened, I told myself ‘you can do it,’” she said. “I keep that saying in my mind and that keeps me going. I do it all one bite at a time.”
Now Shanmuganandam is in her last year of the physical activity online master’s program and is excited about graduating this upcoming May. After being surprised to learn about the importance and effects of physical activity on mental health through the program, Shanmuganandam has become an avid jogger.
She noted that her previous degrees provided details and learning at the micro level and this program was able to help her understand macro-level details about physical activity and health. She was able to connect her experience in biology and computer science with physical movement.
Shanmuganandam still enjoys tackling challenges, but now understands the importance of taking a break, something she says her dog helps her achieve through long walks.
“If you're persistent, and if you really want a degree that has value like I did, and if you want to learn from really good teachers, then this is a program you need to do. It's worth it,” Shanmuganandam said.