SURA 2025 Student Blog
Get all our news
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in the conceptualization and conduct of policy-relevant social science research. This year, SURA students are sharing their research experience from their own perspective, and we will feature students discussing the research projects they are part of throughout the summer.
Christina Vargas: Investigating How Social Environments Shape Health and Wellbeing
Christina Vargas is working with IPR health psychologist Edith Chen to investigate general health and wellbeing and the impact of social environments.
This summer, through the SURA program, I worked with Dr. Edith Chen at the Foundations of Health Research Center. As a research assistant, I completed literature reviews and helped with ongoing studies. I contributed to two major studies: the Connections Study and the Mentoring and Health Study, which aim to investigate general health and wellbeing and the impact of social environments.
I felt excited to join a lab at Northwestern that conducts research relevant to the global context and our current society. The lab’s research is crucial as we navigate a world with increasing inequalities and negative health outcomes. Understanding the relationships between our environments, stress, and access to resources—and the effects these have on overall health—can help influence policy and create interventions that address social inequalities.
Through SURA and my lab position, I gained a lot of knowledge that shaped my understanding of research and its impact on society. Before working at the lab, I had a basic understanding of the relationship between social environments and physical health. I learned more about those relationships and about the effects of potential interventions, such as mentoring and stable housing. This experience gave me the chance to explore my interests and work as part of a team.
The lab showed me that research is really all about teamwork, which I had always been indifferent to. But working there made me appreciate all the details and effort that go into the process. At any given time, we completed multiple steps—literature reviews, data collection, data analysis—and worked together toward the same goal. I also gained insight into how influential research findings can be when it comes to policymaking and creating beneficial interventions.
This experience allowed me to learn more about myself while building my skills. I’m excited to have participated in SURA and to have contributed to the lab during my final year at Northwestern.
Christina Vargas is a rising senior from Milwaukee studying psychology and global health. Her research interests center around social inequalities and access to mental health and other resources. In her free time, she enjoys soccer, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Published: September 19, 2025.
