Intersection of Data and Human Experience

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” —1 Peter 4:10

For Natalie Noreen, MPH, her work is shaped by people—where they are, what they need, and how ready they are to talk. Unlike traditional research confined to clinics or laboratories, her research is deeply rooted in the local community.

At Baylor University, Noreen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Humanities and a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology. Baylor professors, she says, helped to shape how she sees people—not as diagnoses or datasets, but as whole human beings.

Today, Noreen is a research assistant in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She works directly with people who are currently living at the edges of America’s healthcare system: individuals with justice system involvement, histories of substance use, and either a diagnosis of HIV or a heightened risk of acquiring it.

Her team shares a common focus of figuring out the best ways to help this population access prevention and treatment that already exists. In her role as a research assistant, Noreen manages recruitment, enrollment, and then follow up.

“For this population, it’s not always their primary goal to get healthcare because they have a lot of competing priorities. There are a lot of basic resources they must nail down before they can even think about their health,” she explained. “So, I try to help navigate that experience and help in the transition.”

Housing, food, employment, and transportation often come first. Healthcare comes later—if at all. Noreen’s work acknowledges this reality, as she aims to understand the systems and circumstances that make consistency difficult.

As she interviews individuals, Noreen seeks to gain a greater understanding of their stories, tracking quality of life, access to care, and outcomes over time. Even as she records information, she creates an environment of connection and trust, promoting honest conversation and demonstrating genuine care for the people she meets.

“I really try to do my best of making people feel like I’m not asking you this question to judge you; you’re telling me a story. From that story I’m capturing information, yes, but I’m also respecting and honoring you and your privacy,” she said.

Epidemiology, the branch of public health that Noreen studied at Baylor, involves the investigation of how disease and health are distributed among human populations. It involves data, but people are central to understanding and utilizing that data. For Noreen, a deep compassion and desire to help others is also threaded throughout this work, inspiring her to seek to better the lives of every individual she interviews.

“We must talk to each person in a way that makes them feel seen and makes them feel that all of their other needs are also important. We’re not just trying to hand them prescriptions and get them out the door; we really want to improve their overall quality of life,” she said. “I think Baylor really pushed me to look at things holistically. What is the big picture? Not just for this individual, but also for the community? That has been transformative for my career.”

The “snapshots” or “moments in time” that she captures through her interviews fuel Noreen’s belief in epidemiology as a tool for improving quality of life for all people. The statistics generated from her team’s work serve as evidence to strengthen support for health policy reform and resource allocation in Dallas County. Further, many of the studies are part of multi-site collaborations with universities in Connecticut, Kentucky, and other parts of Texas. She says comparing experiences across regions allows researchers to see how policy, infrastructure, and local resources shape health outcomes.

“It’s really important that we don’t just punch the numbers and then leave it be. We must do something with the data that we collect,” she stated. “If we’re not using it as a platform to uplift the actual patients who provided us that information, then in the end, what was it for? A person just dedicated a year of their life to coming and seeing me and answering all my questions.”

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes seven academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Physician Assistant Studies; and Public Health. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, 10 master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.