Practicum experience enhances this MPH student’s research insights

Key Takeaways

• George Mason MPH student Keya Chilka used her practicum at WRMA to expand her research skills and explore how business development and research work together to advance public health initiatives.

• Through projects focused on older adults, child welfare, and the use of AI in adult protective services, Chilka contributed to research that addresses underserved populations and emerging public health challenges.

• Chilka says her MPH coursework and practicum broadened her understanding of public health, showing how health outcomes are shaped by social systems such as child welfare, education, housing, and community support.

Learn More About Our MPH Students and Program

• Practicum experience enhances this MPH student's research insights
  August 28, 2026
• Practicum and research empower this future public health leader
  September 25, 2025
• From zoonoses to mental health interventions, MPH student's interdisciplinary research at Mason leads to CDC Fellowship
  August 10, 2023

Topics

Keya Chilka has always been drawn to work that improves the lives of vulnerable populations. Her experiences working at Ramapo for Children, a nonprofit that serves youth with social-emotional challenges and developmental disabilities, confirmed her commitment to supporting vulnerable populations and inspired her interest in improving the systems and services that support them.

To gain the skills needed to improve health and well-being, Chilka is in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, concentrating in Health Equity and Social Justice at George Mason University.

"Seeing public health in action through my coursework and practicum has redefined my understanding of the field," said Chilka. "This broader perspective has helped me understand that improving health and well-being requires addressing the social systems that shape people's lives."

While pursuing her degree, Chilka works as a senior research associate at WRMA, a subsidiary of TriMetrix, Inc, which supports health and human service agencies. For her MPH practicum, she stepped into a different role at WRMA to explore how research and business development work together. The practicum provides students with the opportunity to practice and improve professional skills in a supervised setting.

Chilka shares how the flexibility of George Mason's MPH program allowed her to learn more about the company she already worked for and how her practicum taught her how business development and research intersect in support of public health.

How was your practicum different from your regular work at WRMA?

Although I already worked at the company, my practicum allowed me to experience a different side of the organization. My day-to-day role focuses on direct project work in child welfare research, while my practicum placed me with WRMA's business development research work group.

The business development team focuses on building strategic partnerships, identifying new funding opportunities, and developing products that showcase WRMA's expertise and research capabilities. WRMA was extremely supportive in helping me reach my practicum objectives through this group's work.

What did you learn from the experience?

One of the biggest things I learned during my practicum was how business development and research intersect. I learned how to identify emerging research areas and develop products that demonstrate an organization's expertise.

Overall, the practicum helped me become a more independent researcher while giving me a broader understanding of how research organizations balance scientific rigor with strategic growth.

What was your main practicum project?

My practicum explored older adults in health and human services research. Older adults are a rapidly growing population but are underrepresented in certain areas of health and human services research. Child abuse and neglect prevention is one of my chief research interests, so I was excited to explore a potential research gap with my supervisor. My major project was conducting a special analysis of older adult perpetrators of child maltreatment using Child Protective Services data from the public-use National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) dataset available through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN). The analysis examined key characteristics of over 11,000 perpetrators aged 60 and older to help inform prevention and intervention strategies for child maltreatment. The project was designed to highlight WRMA's analytical capabilities while also contributing to a relatively understudied area of child welfare research.

In addition, I supported WRMA's study examining adult protective services (APS) caseworkers' perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI) use in APS work processes with a brief literature review. The review highlights characteristics of the older adult population served by APS, illustrates AI's potential and limitations as a tool within case management, and identifies a clear gap by noting limited research on AI application within APS settings, including input from caseworkers. Research insights from the study will be translated into guidance for APS programs.

Has the MPH program changed how you think about public health?

Seeing public health in action through my coursework and practicum has redefined my understanding of the field. Before pursuing my MPH, I primarily associated public health with disease prevention and viewed my research interests as more closely aligned with social work.

Through my coursework and practicum, I have learned how deeply public health is connected to social systems, including child welfare, education, housing, and community support. This broader perspective has helped me understand that improving health and well-being requires addressing the environments, policies, and systems that shape people's lives.

What do you value about studying at George Mason?

One of the things I appreciate most about George Mason is its interdisciplinary approach. It's one of the few universities in the area with dedicated Master of Social Work and MPH programs, which creates unique opportunities for collaboration.

Through the Health Equity and Social Justice concentration, I've been able to learn from faculty across both disciplines and see how they complement one another. This is especially important for child welfare work, which is inherently connected to both social work and public health. I believe this interdisciplinary foundation will prepare me to better address emerging challenges.

Learn more about the MPH.