Since the senior year of my undergraduate study in Economics, I worked as a research assistant at Duke Kunshan for professor John Ji. I’m a Kunshan, China local. (In fact, moving from Kunshan to Durham felt like moving from one city with a Duke to another!) John really gave me the whole project; he let me manage it. I had the power of decision on the project: which method I will use, what research direction I will follow. He gave me the space to work towards my interests. John actually referred me to Sanford for the MPP program. I was familiar with some of the professors because of my work with him at Duke Kunshan. I was really – I felt warm when I was greeted, they knew my research. And now, Sanford feels like home.

-Shuyi Qiu MPP’23 was first author on a research paper published with Professor John S. Ji in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Shuyi is now a research assistant for Professor Lisa Gennetian and Professor Christina Gibson -Davis. #HumansofDukeSanford #MPP #China #gradschool