When Trinity Eimer, a senior at Rice University, applied for the prestigious one-year postgraduate Thomas J. Watson Fellowship last September, she knew exactly what project to pitch to the evaluation committee. The cell biology and genetics major and medical humanities minor began her college career during the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to spend her next 12 months studying the cross-cultural impact of grief caused by it.
“I couldn’t pass up the chance to investigate something I find so interesting and am so passionate about,” Eimer said.
Eimer learned in March that she was selected to receive a 2024 Watson Fellowship, which provides recipients $40,000 for a year of international travel and research.
Eimer’s personal experiences coupled with her observations of the pandemic’s profound impact on societies serve as the driving force behind her project. As COVID-19 swept across the globe, safety measures such as lockdowns, visitation restrictions and social distancing altered traditional methods of mourning, prompting Eimer to want to delve deeper into the evolving nature of grief in today’s world.
While at Rice, located near the Texas Medical Center, one of the world’s largest life sciences destinations, Eimer said her interest in medicine grew by witnessing the dedication of health care professionals during the pandemic. Their passion helped fuel her desire to explore the intersection of medicine, culture and grief response.
“To see physicians caring so deeply about their patients and their work during the pandemic was personally moving,” Eimer said. “I fell in love with medicine after COVID-19, because of this evident and continual compassion of health care providers. It changed everything for me.”
Eimer’s fellowship will take her to various countries with diverse cultural backgrounds, allowing her to examine how different societies approach grief within their unique contexts.
“The impact of COVID-19 on grieving practices differs cross-culturally and internationally from the United States due to varied religious and cultural influences,” Eimer said. “I’ll investigate those differences.”
Rice is one of 41 colleges and universities across the United States partnered with the Watson Fellowship. This year’s class of 35 fellows will travel to 64 countries pursuing topics such as community-centered AI, agroforestry and end-of-life care.
“This is a unique opportunity that Rice has afforded me,” Eimer said. “My experience at the university has been life-changing. I’ve loved my time here.”
Beyond her fellowship, Eimer said she plans to apply to medical school.