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Sejal Mistry

Sejal Mistry

Researcher

Kinder Institute for Urban Research

CONTACT

sejalmistry@rice.edu

WEBSITE(S)| Profile

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: I am interested in mentoring undergraduate students on projects related to food security, nutrition access, and chronic disease disparities in the Houston and Harris County area. Potential projects will focus on understanding how social, economic, and healthcare systems shape health outcomes, particularly for low-income and historically marginalized communities.
One set of projects may involve analyzing survey or community data to explore patterns in food insecurity, barriers to accessing nutritious food, or links between food access and physical health. Students may help clean datasets, create simple tables or figures, summarize findings, and translate results into short briefs or presentations intended for community partners.
Another set of projects may connect to an ongoing collaboration with Harris Health focused on hypertension and blood pressure management. Students could assist with background research on chronic disease disparities, help summarize qualitative themes from interviews or focus groups, or support the development of patient-centered materials aimed at improving care and engagement.

Potential skills gained: (1) Foundational research skills (reading literature, organizing data, and interpreting findings); 2) Introductory data analysis and qualitative methods (creating tables/figures, basic coding of text); 3) Research communication (translating findings into clear summaries, briefs, or presentations for diverse audiences)

Required qualifications:

  • Preferred majors: I strongly encourage students that are interested in psychology, public health, policy, and related fields to work with me in this role.

Direct mentor: Staff Researcher

Research Areas

Sejal Mistry is a Researcher with the Center for Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. She explores how food insecurity and other challenges shape health and well-being, from individual experiences to broader social and cultural influences. Within this lens, she has a particular interest in women’s and children’s health. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology, with concentrations in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, from Texas A&M University, and her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Texas. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, eating Tex-Mex, and reading.