Class of 1964 Policy Research Shop Goes International

Three veteran Policy Research Shop students—Morgan Sandhu ’17, Apoorva Dixit ’17, and Meghana Mishra ’17, along with Kristen Delwiche, a second year medical student at Geisel School of Medicine, participated in a five-month project that tested their policy research skills, project management skills, and teamwork skills in an international setting—Pristina, Kosovo.

In a joint effort between the Rockefeller Center and the Dickey Center for International Understanding, funded through the inaugural round of support provided by the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) of the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL), the four students were engaged in an advanced policy research seminar offered through the Rockefeller Center’s Public Policy Minor during the spring term.

Ron Shaiko of the Rockefeller Center was joined by Anne Sosin and Lisa Adams of the Dickey Center in presenting the seminar.  Kerry Laufer, director of TuckGO at the Tuck School of Business, coordinated course content relating to project management, cultural awareness, and interviewing skills.  The course focused on developing the students’ data analysis skills as their summer project entailed analyzing the first national survey conducted in Kosovo on women’s health issues (N=1,309).

The organization responsible for producing the final research report on the survey findings—the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN)—hosted the students in their headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo for three months during the summer in order for the students to analyze the survey data as well as to assist in designing interview formats to be conducted to augment the survey findings.  During the last few weeks of their stay in Kosovo, the students were able to conduct a series of stakeholder interviews with leaders of international assistance organizations focused on health care reform in Kosovo in order to provide context to their survey findings. 

Prior to returning to the United States, the students produced a 60-page draft of their research findings.  Following comments and edits from Dartmouth faculty and staff, the research report was delivered to Nicole Farnsworth, program manager and lead researcher at KWN in early September. 

On Wednesday, September 28, the students were privileged to present their findings to Her Excellency Atifete Jahjaga, former president of Kosovo at the Dickey Center, who is on campus this term as a Montgomery Fellow.  The students did an excellent job in conveying their findings as well as the impact that the project had on them personally.  President Jahjaga commended the students on their efforts and promised to make sure that Minister of Health in Kosovo is briefed on their findings.      

Wednesday’s event was hosted by Dan Benjamin, director of the Dickey Center. In addition to President Jayhaga, the audience included faculty and staff from the Rockefeller Center, the Dickey Center, the Geisel School of Medicine, the Tuck School of Business, and DCAL.