Degree Program: Ph.D. in Nursing Science
Expected Graduation: December 2022
Being a Bepko Fellow to Caeli means that she is supported and encouraged to aim high scholastically and be a leader through research. During her sophomore year of undergrad, Caeli began her research as part of the Life–Health Sciences Internship Program, mentored by Dr. Silvia Bigatti at the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health. During her junior and senior years, she collaborated with a small cohort of honors nursing students researching self-management, led by Dr. Rebecca Bartlett Ellis. She also took advantage of her opportunities as a Bepko Scholar to study abroad in Spain and South Korea. During her time as a Bepko Scholar, Caeli was a lead volunteer for the student-led on-campus food pantry, Paws Pantry. She also volunteered as a student nurse navigator at the Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (IUSOC), a nonprofit, interdisciplinary clinic that provides free health care for underprivileged communities in Indianapolis. As a graduate student, Caeli was selected for the Elite 50 and the Premier 10 awards, both of which she views as a tremendous honor. After graduating, Caeli plans to pursue a postdoctoral position, which will build on her dissertation that focuses on self and symptom management for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), something Caeli is very passionate about. In her free time, Caeli is an avid knitter and recently finished knitting her first sweater.