Rachele Hendricks-Sturrup, DHSc, MSc, MA, Legal Studies Master’s Degree – 2015
Dr. Hendricks-Sturrup is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute at Harvard Medical School. After graduating with her master’s degree in legal studies, she earned her Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern University. Her current work is centered around utilizing mixed methods research to examine issues at the intersection of precision medicine and health policy.
Dr. Hendricks-Sturrup credits the Legal Studies Master’s Degree Program with helping her to prepare for a career in health science policy. She says, “The knowledge and experience I gained in the program grew my confidence and prepared me for success in high-level work as a health policy analyst, writer/editor, and doctoral student.” She chose to pursue a graduate degree in legal studies due to her interest in law and public policy and because of the program’s unique, flexible, and challenging curriculum. She elected to study at the University of Illinois Springfield because of the institution’s strong track record of excellence in the arts and sciences. Prior to obtaining her Legal Studies Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois Springfield, she received her undergraduate degree in biology from Chicago State University and a Master of Science in pharmacology and toxicology from Michigan State University.
Throughout her legal studies coursework, her main research interests were in health and environmental science policy. This research focus complemented her prior education in biomedical sciences and pushed her towards her future goal of engaging in more advanced and specialized policy research. What she found to be especially beneficial throughout the program was the enthusiastic faculty members, the challenging assignments, and thought-provoking discussions throughout each semester.
Although the curriculum is demanding, Dr. Hendricks-Sturrup would encourage future students to “embrace the challenges of the program’s curriculum”. She notes that “legal studies is a growing and diverse field”, and students would find it “worthwhile to take advantage of having the opportunity to work with similarly diverse faculty mentors who are likely to have intimate knowledge and experience in your field(s) of interest.”