HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY • OFFICE FOR RESEARCH & SPONSORED PROGRAMS
The
SPRING 2015 ISSUE 3
GRANT Seeker
A spotlight on excellence in grant development by a Hofstra University employee
Dr. Martine Hackett Dr. Martine Hackett, assistant professor in the Department of Health Professions at Hofstra University, has accomplished much during her time at Hofstra. After graduating from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991, she was determined to break into the world of film and television, and she made headway over the next 10 years. She left the field in 2001 and decided that she wanted to begin a different path. She returned to school to study sociology and urban health, eventually earning a Master of Public Health in urban health at Hunter College and a PhD in sociology at The Graduate Center-CUNY. “I really wanted to have flexibility and more freedom to pursue my scholarly interests,” Dr. Hackett said. She felt that Hofstra gave her that freedom, along with a great deal of support. “The grants I’ve received have been very, very helpful in starting up an area of research that was new to me.” Before joining the Hofstra faculty, Dr. Hackett served as deputy director of the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), where she worked directly with infant and reproductive health cases.
She is able to integrate her students into her research as well, which she loves doing. Dr. Hackett said, “I teach a qualitative research class and I’m able to incorporate the methods of conducting research.” Dr. Hackett has also hired numerous Hofstra undergraduate and graduate students to assist her with her research and writing. She allows students to be a part of whatever aspects they believe will help them learn and grow. Dr. Martine Hackett
ideas and find new research needs.” This led to her current, groundbreaking research on suburban health equity. Dr. Hackett loves the work she gets to do with this, and took the initiative to combine her film knowledge with her research. “Digital storytelling is a newer method that people are using [to do research],” she said. “Facts and figures are good, but people’s stories communicate facts and figures in a different way.” She has conducted her groundbreaking research all over Long Island, funded by some of the recent grants she has received.
“The research I did there resulted in changes to city policies, with the ability to look into sleep-related infant death and highlight it as an issue. I’m happy to have changed policies across many, many agencies,” said Dr. Hackett.
In 2014 Dr. Hackett was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation to fund her project “Creating Health Equity on Long Island: A Digital Storytelling Approach.” She also received a Faculty Diversity Research and Curriculum Development Grant from the Provost’s Office for her Suburban Health Stories project in 2013, when she began to formulate the idea of using videos to tell the story of her research.
When she left the NYC DOHMH she brought her research experience and skills to Hofstra, and to her students. She said, “I realized I needed to develop new research
Dr. Hackett works with Nassau University Medical Center and the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, and in communities in the surrounding areas.
“One of my favorite experiences, beyond having students who are inspired to do their own research based on what they’ve learned, is when I work with community-based organizations,” Dr. Hackett said. “I work with them on writing up grant proposals, and I’ve submitted a few grants with them. It feels really good to be of service to them as an academic partner.” She prides herself on being able to assist community members and remains a consultant for the NYC DOHMH. Dr. Hackett credits Hofstra and the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) for her research successes in the past few years. “The Office for Research and Sponsored Programs has been very supportive and helpful,” Dr. Hackett said. “They helped make the process much more manageable and took away certain barriers.” The assistance she has received has led her to give other faculty members advice for applying for research grants: “I feel like you should just go for it when applying for a grant. I’ve gone from being really fearful to being like ... just do it, just see what happens,” she added. “The more you do it, the better your writing skills get.”
Hofstra thanks you!
Your scholarly achievements enhance Hofstra’s reputation as a leading educational institution. If you are interested in pursuing a grant opportunity or have any questions, please contact the ORSP at 516-463-6810.