My Global Health Journey

I've been drawn to working in global health ever since taking a public health course at Stony Brook University, when I read the book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, the story of Dr. Paul Farmer. The late Dr. Farmer was one of the first physicians to anchor global health work in grass-roots programs based on local knowledge, resources, and suggestions, which is something I strive for in my own work. The professor of this course recommended I pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree during my gap year, which led me to enrolling in the MPH program at Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH).

In the first semester of my MPH program I spoke to many Jefferson leaders and faculty who work in the Global Health field. I was very grateful to be able to connect with public health assistant professor Harriet Okatch, PhD, MPH through the Graduate Assistantship program. This gave me my fiirst opportunity to work in the field of Global Health, and in this position I studied lead poisoning and the interaction between the environment and populations in many African countries. Studying with Dr. Okatch led me to travel to Gaborone, Botswana, which was an incredibly impactful experience that confirmed to me, that Global Health is the career path I want to pursue. Working with students from the University of Botswana, one of which became a very close friend, taught me to approach public health problems from a different perspective that I could bring back to the U.S. and apply locally.  My graduate assistantship position and the various internships/volunteer experiences, along with the impactful and fascinating Global Health course taught by Dr. Lauri Romanzi, led me to my current role.  

While finishing up my MPH at JCPH, I was fortunate to start working remotely as an intern for the for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in The Gambia. Shortly after graduating, I traveled to The Gambia to continue my work in-person within the Gender and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Unit of UNFPA The Gambia. My work here focuses mainly on supporting projects on women empowerment, gender equality, and ending GBV, as well as supporting disability inclusion activities. This includes partnering with local organizations to implement evidence-based programs by providing technical support. I’ve been involved with many projects such drafting a concept note for a grant to building the capacity of the Gender Management Information Systems (GMIS) center to more effectively provide services to GBV survivors; and analyzing attitudes towards gender norms and GBV, using skills I learned in my statistics course with associate professor, Brandon George, PhD, MS.  Additionally, I’m currently working on drafting a national strategy for fistula elimination in The Gambia with the help of colleagues in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit.