Kimberly Clinch, BA is a medical student at the University of Minnesota and Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow. She's working in the Health Care Policy Research Section at the Smith Center under the mentorship of Dr. Rishi Wadhera. To better understand her journey to medicine and health policy at the Smith Center, we asked her some questions:
Tell us who you are and what you do.
I'm a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow and a medical student at the University of Minnesota, between my second and third years. Before medical school, I spent six years in political and community organizing, and I still work at the intersection of organizing and medicine. Outside of work, I enjoy running and hiking, and I’m always trying to be more like my dog: patient, forgiving, grateful for each day, and a steadfast source of support to people in their moments of daring as well as moments of grief.
Why medicine/cardiology? How has the Smith Center played a role in your journey to become a doctor?
As a political field director, I helped lead an organization working to limit the influence of money in politics. Traveling the country, I heard from people of all walks of life with similar stories: how money’s role in our health system had harmed their families and motivated them to take a stand. This work convinced me that lasting change has to start with local organizing, so when family brought me back to Minnesota, I turned to building worker cooperatives in the Twin Cities. Watching bike mechanics, bakers, and factory workers weave democratic organizing together with hands-on service inspired me to pursue my long-held interest in medicine. The symbiosis between organizing and medicine has only become clearer since.
Health policy research sits squarely at this intersection, and the Smith Center has offered me the rewarding opportunity to take part in this field. The Center is a rare environment, bringing together strong researchers, who are also generous teammates and dedicated to addressing real-world problems, into the same space every day. I don’t think I could have grown as much in a year anywhere else.
What’s one high impact project you worked on/ a project that you’re proud of?
My first project tracked changes in cardiometabolic health among pregnant people in the US from 2001 to 2023. It's a descriptive epidemiologic study that served as a starting point for my learning, and I’m proud of the work we did. Reconciling two decades of national survey data through many database changes, we ultimately synthesized trends in key health markers for an at-risk, understudied population. It taught me how much careful work sits between raw data and a claim you can stand behind.
What are some of the most important things you’ve learned during your time at the Smith Center?
The methodological, tools-of-the-trade lessons have been endless and a big part of my growth! But two lessons that perhaps sit a little deeper: learning how to ask a good research question, and how to communicate research effectively—across manuscripts, presentations, and popular writing.
What’s next for you and how do you plan to take what you learned at the Smith Center and apply it to future endeavors?
I'm returning to the University of Minnesota to finish my third and fourth years. As I discern a specialty, I'll be keeping a research career in mind, and I look forward to working with the Smith Center team on questions that grow out of my clinical experiences. Longer term, I want to apply quasi-experimental methods to local health policy and community-based participatory research. There's a persistent gap between research and real-world impact, and as I’ve learned this year, health policies are especially in need of evidence-based standards. I want to work close to the ground—embedded in community and in partnership with local governments—to help close that gap. Having worked at this level before, though, I know that proximity alone doesn’t effect change; I believe it has to be paired with methodological discipline. The Smith Center has given me a foundation in that discipline and a network of people committed to it. I’m excited to carry the power of those lessons and relationships forward.
What's your favorite Smith Center memory/your favorite thing about the Smith Center?
There have been so many! One that comes to mind is our combined celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Diwali, and Halloween. I loved the personal and cultural stories behind everyone’s potluck contribution.
