Q&A with Samy Cheng 🍎

Hi Invite Health readers! My name is Samantha, but you can call me Samy and I go by she/her pronouns. I’m currently in my second year in the Bachelors of Health Sciences Program at McMaster University! Throughout highschool I was unsure of what path to take⁠—the easy choice was computer sciences, as both my parents are in the field. However, biology and chemistry courses sparked the greatest interest and curiosity in me. I found that the more I learned about the human body, the more it intrigued me! If asked about my aspirations, though I currently aim to pursue medicine, I’m not quite sure⁠—so I’d rather say with confidence that I hope to grow the compassion and equity in my community. If I’m not studying or working, I love to bake and cook, go on walks, do yoga, attend concerts, read, and watch K-dramas, although I wish I had more time for the last two! 

I was a summer research student assisting with the Feeding Kids, Nourishing Minds project! Specifically, we conducted parent/caregiver focus groups over the summer to gather insight on their perceptions on school food programs. I also conducted an accompanying content validity study to strengthen our focus group questions! This was a research opportunity with a stipend hosted by University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, which began May 2022 and ended August 2022. It required an application with a form, reference, cover letter, transcript, and a professor who agreed to supervise you. 

I came across this opportunity while cold emailing professors at UofT in the Department of Nutrition⁠—they brought my attention to this opportunity, as my supervisor selected based on the applications they received! However, it took a lot of emailing. I began later than my peers⁠—around January⁠—and by that time many professors were not looking for more summer students.

I’ve attended focus groups before as a participant, but this was my first time being involved as a researcher so it was so interesting to have that change in perspective. The discussions themselves were definitely the highlight of my experience! For context, the project is centered around nutrition and food insecurity among children. Canada is the only nation in the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) without a national food program, as there is a critical gap in the research informing its most effective design and implementation. School food programs can significantly improve childrens’ health outcomes and mental well-being, mitigate hunger as a barrier to academic performance, alleviate food insecurity, and support local farmers. From my own experience in elementary school and lunch monitoring young children, students often bring convenient but low-nutrient foods (e.g. Lunchables, pizza pockets, mac and cheese) or sign up for optional weekly lunch programs, like Little Caesars or Subway. I even remember a child who ate white bread dipped in white sugar everyday, and many skipped breakfast! There are countless barriers to regularly consuming healthy, satiating, tasty, and culturally-sensitive foods, and many of these barriers can be combated through well-developed and well-funded food programs.

That’s where the Feeding Kids, Nourishing Mind project⁠ steps in! By evaluating existing school food programs and various stakeholders’ perspectives, like parents and school staff, we hope to drive the creation of a national school food policy in Canada. Incredibly exciting research if you ask me!

If it’s not already clear, I love this project and was very happy with the overall experience! Hence, I asked if I can continue helping out throughout the school year and following summer, rather than pursuing other opportunities for the time being. I am continuing to help facilitate focus groups, this time for policymakers and private sector partners! 

Website: nutrisci.med.utoronto.ca/summer-research-opportunities

Samy’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scmantha/

It’s never too late to look for opportunities! Many have later applications, so don’t feel frustrated if everyone around you seems to have something to do in the summer, and you were out of the loop. I’ve definitely been there myself and everyone around me eventually settled into a role they were happy with!