MAXimizing opportunity: How a Texas A&M student found his calling with public health research
Meet Max Ma, a Fort Worth native and current senior at Texas A&M University. This
summer, he served as a summer intern on behalf of UNT Health Fort Worth as a participant
in a research mentoring program supported by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute
of Texas.
The 10-week internship program at UNT Health was not originally part of Ma’s summer plans. His father, a UNT Health employee and colleague of the College of Public Health, learned about the opportunity from Dr. Paula Gregory, a mutual colleague of Dr. Eun-Young Mun—Ma’s soon-to-be supervisor. Ma seized the opportunity, applied and was accepted into the program just weeks later.
Max pictured with his father and UNT Health physiology professor Rong Ma.
Interns in the program are matched with faculty mentors conducting research in areas that align with the intern’s interest, including biomedicine, chemistry and public health. Ma joined Project FRESH, a federally supported research lab in the College of Public Health.
Project FRESH is a multi-site randomized clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study tests a tech-adapted universal intervention for first-year college students (ages 18-20) at the University of North Texas and the University of Kentucky. Using the Project FRESH database, Ma analyzed data and studied trends to predict the subjects’ simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis.
The Project FRESH team at the RSA Annual Meeting, left to right, Esme Anaab, Max Ma, Noelle Williams and Jade Crow.
Throughout the internship, Ma also had the opportunity to shadow the Project FRESH coordinator and attend departmental research meetings. He presented his findings to the UNT community during one of its busiest seasons and joined the Project FRESH team in attending the Research Society on Alcohol’s Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans in June.
At the conclusion of the program, interns participated in a poster session to showcase the final results of their research projects. Hosted by the Institute for Health Disparities, the session was open to the UNT Health community.
“I appreciate that through this program, I have been able to learn what research is about and receive the opportunities I have for career development,” Ma said.
He looks forward to presenting his project poster at upcoming conferences and scientific meetings.
“Dr. Mun is a huge advocate for networking and taking hold of those opportunities when you can,” Ma added.
He shared that networking created opportunities for additional career pathways—both before and during his time at UNT Health.
“The tangible, real-world knowledge I’ve gained through this program is different than what I’m learning in the classroom,” Ma said. “I now have a glimpse into my potential career.”
Ma prepares for his return to College Station in a few short weeks to begin his final undergraduate year. He is hopeful for the future and anticipates the pursuit of a master’s degree in statistics to complement his degree in applied mathematics.