Kaitlyn Cox ‘21

Bio updated 2022.

Katie Cox is a Notre Dame Class of 2021 graduate. She majored in psychology and pre-health studies and is currently a first year medical student at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. Cox is planning to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology, while continuing to conduct global health research. Cox’s undergraduate research under the mentorship of Dr. Smith-Oka focused on women’s reproductive health, mentorship and medical training, and decision making with regards to cesareans in Mexico. Cox also participated in the Puebla, Mexico study abroad program which further reinforced her desire to incorporate global health into her career as a physician. These internationally focused activities have already influenced Cox’s medical school journey. She is completing an International Medicine concentration through her medical school where she engages in research and advocacy both locally and globally. Her primary research focuses are HPV education, cervical cancer prevention and barriers to reproductive health care. In addition to research, Cox has enjoyed becoming involved in the Tampa community and volunteering with student run health clinics and community gardens.  

The profile below was current as of 2021 when she was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Kaitlyn Cox conducts research with Professor Vania Smith-Oka, a medical anthropologist. Professor Smith-Oka’s work examines themes such as motherhood and reproductive health, mentorship among Mexican medical interns, and currently, the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare providers. As a psychology and pre-health major, Cox enjoys working as a research assistant for Professor Smith-Oka because it allows her to study themes in medicine through the lens of medical anthropology, giving her a broadened perspective of medicine and global health research. As a research assistant, Cox aids in data transcription from Spanish to English, data organization, and data analysis. In 2019, Cox worked on a project examining reproductive health, family planning and the clinician-patient relationship within indigenous populations in rural Mexico. This past semester, Cox worked on a project examining the value of mentorship for Mexican medical interns in Mexico. Cox also looks forward to examining how COVID-19 has impacted physicians in Mexico and continuing to deepen her understanding of Mexican healthcare and medical spaces. 

Additionally, during the spring of 2019, Cox had the opportunity to attend the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference in Chicago, IL through a conference grant awarded by the Kellogg International Scholars Program. This conference was a wonderful experience for Cox because she deepened her knowledge on current global health research initiatives. Moreover, attending this conference and talking with global health researchers allowed her to make connections between her research interests in migrant worker healthcare and Psychology major. Cox is also the former director of advocacy and current co-president for Notre Dame’s chapter of Timmy Global Health and has helped plan and coordinate the Notre Dame Global Health Conference.