CHET Spotlight: Burton Burrows

Burton Burrows, MPH is a graduate research assistant in the Center for Health Equity Transformation and a first year PhD student in epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Kentucky. Burton graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor of science degree in biology. After graduating, he attended the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and earned his Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in epidemiology. While at the Brody School of Medicine, Burton worked as a graduate research assistant in a Nanotechnology and  Environmental Health lab, where he fostered his interest in rural health and developed an electroconductive nanomembrane capable of removing nitrogen from drinking water for his master’s project. After earning his master’s degree, he worked at a rural academic medical center in eastern North Carolina and helped principal investigators from a wide variety of disciplines develop and implement their research projects. Burton’s personal and academic background propelled him to pursue work in health equity, as he has seen the impacts of health disparities and improper access to care first-hand. 

Burton became a graduate research assistant with UK’s Center for Health Equity Transformation because it allowed him to further develop his skills as a well-rounded graduate researcher and allowed him to become a part of an interdisciplinary team focused on a common goal. Also, because health problems in rural areas aren’t easily siloed into one specific discipline, he believes that it’s important to understand how to approach these issues from different perspectives to address them efficiently and effectively.  Through his work with CHET, Burton hopes to work with disciplines outside of his current field and expand his research to focus more on population-based health inequities, an approach that differs from his past work. He also hopes to help CHET make research more accessible to those who have very little research experience but can contribute great ideas when they are given the proper guidance and tools to do so. Burton believes that the support CHET provides to researchers and investigators allows them to focus on meaningful research, which will help to advance the vision of health equity at UK and beyond.