During Tirna Purkait’s first master’s degree program, the department head who served as her academic adviser encouraged her to pursue a doctorate. Now, with the help of the Fling Fellowship, she is in the final year of her doctoral program in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences.
Before arriving at Nebraska in August 2021, Purkait had completed a double master’s in her home country of India — one in food science and nutrition, and the other in food technology. But working in labs doing product development wasn’t as interesting as she had hoped so she decided to pursue something related to public health. Her doctoral research focuses on promoting health equity in households with young children through federal nutrition assistance programs and also taps into providing critical solutions to address food and nutrition insecurity in the state.
“I just love talking to people and doing something that has a social impact,” Purkait said. “I wanted a job that provided human interaction and also had some sort of public welfare aspect to it.”
She joined the SNAP-Ed program at Nebraska as a graduate research assistant to conduct statewide needs and assets assessments through a survey. The opportunity allowed her to be the investigator, conceptualizing the survey and working with Nebraska Extension to disseminate the 202 survey items.
“The main purpose was to capture the different challenges people face when enrolling in food assistance programs like SNAP, as well as the benefits that encourage Nebraska residents to enroll," Purkait said.
Within six months, the researchers reached more than 2,500 Nebraskans from across the state.
Purkait’s area of the research focused on households with young children up to 6 years of age. As she works on her dissertation, she aims to compare various food assistance programs to better understand which programs are working the best to improve household food environments. Additionally, she is examining the perceived benefits and challenges of SNAP participation across both urban and rural Nebraska.
“By exploring these things we are interested in the equity aspect of nutrition assistance programs,” Purkait said. “We want to understand the perceived benefits and challenges of participation in urban versus rural Nebraska so food interventions and programs can be tailored based on the different demographics.”
Ultimately, Purkait hopes her research uncovers opportunities for interventions that can lead to better nutrition outcomes, particularly in low-income households in areas like the Great Plains region.
After spending three years as a graduate research assistant, Purkait is focused solely on her research and dissertation this year after being awarded the university’s Fling Fellowship. Purkait is appreciative of the opportunity provided by her adviser and co-adviser, Dipti Dev, the Betti and Richard Robinson Associate Professor in child, youth and family studies, and Lisa Franzen-Castle, professor in nutrition and health sciences, respectively.
“I am grateful for their continuous mentorship to shape my career trajectory as I transition to a postdoctoral research associate position upon graduation," Purkait said. "I’m also grateful for the SNAP-Ed Nebraska Extension team because without their support the project would not have become such a success.”
The Fling Fellowship provides one year of full financial support so fellows can complete their dissertations or terminal degree projects without being impeded by other duties related to graduate assistantships. The award is funded by the Maude Hammond Fling Fellowship Fund, administered by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
