Djine Mentor is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with a minor in Nutrition and a language certificate in Spanish at the University of Pennsylvania. Her current interest lies in the field of Labor and Delivery, specifically exploring how disparities contribute to maternal maternity gaps. She is deeply passionate about marginalized communities, particularly in the context of health care and nursing. Mentor is dedicated to understanding the factors that affect these communities and strives to promote social justice and equality. Her goal is to bring attention to the distinctive challenges faced by marginalized groups within the healthcare system and actively work towards finding inclusive solutions that enhance access and equity.
As a scholar in the Get Experience in Aging Research Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) at Penn, she also had the unique opportunity to complete the Summer Undergraduate Minority Research (SUMR) Program during the inaugural summer of GEAR UP.
Mentor worked on two projects. One of them was with Courtney Boen, which focused on racialized inequities across multiple forms of disability. With Dr. Boen, she assessed state-level variation in Black-White inequities in disability prevalence, how these racial inequities have changed over time, and the role of state policies and context in shaping these variations in inequities. For her second project, she worked with David Fischer on an innovative program for patients with disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury: Recovery of Consciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research (RECOVER) Program. The goal of this project was to utilize RECOVER to develop accurate biomarkers for consciousness recovery, create new therapeutic strategies for consciousness-related conditions, and enhance our understanding of consciousness physiology.
At Penn, Mentor actively contributes to the empowerment of underserved children in Philadelphia by volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Philadelphia. Her role involves providing support and mentorship to students from under-resourced middle schools, playing a crucial part in their growth and development. When she is not working with the Residential Department at Penn, Mentor enjoys spending time with her cat, pursuing her passion for cooking, writing poetry, and expressing her creativity through drawing.