Jeleana Petra Loa graduated with her bachelor of science from Boise State University’s Diagnostic Radiology program in May 2024 and is now pursuing her Master of Public Health with the School of Public and Population Health while also working on her second undergraduate degree in nuclear medicine at Weber State University.
When choosing to pursue a Master of Public Health, Loa said that the curriculum aligned with her values as a health student and future professional.
“I particularly enjoy the materials that we have been reading in regards to current public health issues,” she said. “It has solidified my passions for public health and promoting change on a local level here in Idaho.”
For both her undergraduate and graduate career, research has been an important part of Loa’s experience. She found that research allowed her to engage with others to discover new ways of approaching problems.
“There’s so much more that needs to be done whether in radiology or public health,” Loa said. “Collaborating allows us to utilize our different perspectives to execute goals. Our differences in perspectives give us a unique vantage point.”
During her undergraduate degree, Loa began working on research analyzing the national shortage of radiologic technologists nationally. This research was born out of a Higher Education Research Council (HERC) fellowship she received as an undergraduate student. Loa teamed up with SPPH Clinical Associate Professor Travis Armstrong because of his clinical radiology background and his mentorship for this research project.
As part of the project, Loa and Armstrong looked at three years of data to discern how many technologists were produced in each state. They determined which regions produced the least technologists by using census data in conjunction with data from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).
Their recently published article — Examining Radiography Candidates Produced Per Geographic Location — was featured in a fall 2024 issue of Radiologic Technology.
The article shares which regions of the U.S. may need stronger advocacy for technologists training. They found that states on the west coast produced far less radiologic technologists than the national average, which is one technologist per 29,295 residents. California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii all rank in the bottom 5 states when it comes to producing radiologic technologists on a per capita basis in recent years.
“I found the experience of teaming up with Jeleana on this project to be one of the more rewarding experiences of my time at Boise State,” said Clinical Associate Professor Travis Armstrong. “I give credit to Jeleana who brought great enthusiasm to the project and it simply wouldn’t have happened without her serving as an initial catalyst and then a driver with her work ethic and expertise.”
Beyond publishing their research, Loa and Armstrong participated in a poster presentation at the annual Association of Collegiate Educators in Radiologic Technology (ACERT) Conference.
This research furthered Loa’s interest in the rad tech shortage and was the highlight of her undergraduate career, she said. She found the experience of being a burgeoning researcher exciting and said that her experience in the Radiology program prepared her for engaging in more research as a Master of Public Health student.
Loa encourages students looking to get into research to approach faculty and to recognize all the opportunities that are available.
“Don’t hesitate to ask,” Loa said. “You may find your faculty mentors have a research project they’ve been wanting to pursue and have been reluctant due to lack of resources — you could be that resource.”