Celebrating Ten Years of Global Health Collaboration
In 2009, the global health nonprofit Hope Through Healing Hands launched the Frist Global Health Leaders Program to “. . . improve the quality of life for citizens around the world through providing volunteer services and building self-sustaining caregiver capacity in underserved communities.” The East Tennessee State University College of Public Health has been a partner from the beginning.
Dean Randy Wykoff stated “The global impact of the Frist Global Health Leaders program is remarkable. Twenty-five students from the College of Public Health have completed international internships in 15 countries, and an additional 5 have completed domestic internships as a part of the ASPIRE Appalachia program.” He adds “What is most impressive, and most important, is that both the host communities and the students themselves benefit tremendously. In several cases, the internships have led to long-term partnerships.”
Dr. Megan Quinn, now a faculty member at ETSU said of her FGHL experience that serving in Munsieville, South Africa “provided direct, immediate impact on my education and has continued to impact my career since then. The Frist Global Scholar program provided the initial opportunity for me to work with Project Hope United Kingdom’s Thoughtful Path: Munsieville Program and served as a foundation for an ongoing, impactful relationship with the organization.”
Dr. Beth O’Connell, now on the faculty of ETSU, formerly faculty at Liberty University, said of her time in the program, “The Frist Global Health Leader experiences catalyzed my educational process and were foundational to my current research, service, and teaching efforts. My career and who I am as a person were immeasurably shaped by these opportunities. I am beyond thankful!”
When blogging about her experience, Sarakay Johnson, who now works for the Sullivan County Regional Health Department, noted, “I am also happy to report that some of the ladies at the Children’s Embassy are starting to use the vegetables from the keyhole garden to make salads for the community! It is exciting to get to see the bountiful results of a small initiative that was started at the beginning of my internship…”
Chris Bush and Milca Nunez, who volunteered together in the Dominican Republic, were named as the Volunteers of the Month by Project HOPE. Chris Bush, now a Biostatistician at Duke University’s School of Medicine, said “The experience we’ve had…has been incredible – not just the exposure to the patients, youth and families we’ve worked with, but also the staff. . . I´ve learned so much about international health systems and have been able to see several of the concepts discussed in the public health curriculum. This has been the experience of a lifetime.”
In recounting his experiences in South Africa, Dr. Greg Wykoff stated, “. . . I really feel like I’ve done some good as far as promoting global health in South Africa. Beyond that, I feel it’s improved my own abilities as a health care provider and I feel better equipped to do what I’m going to be doing in the future.”
Frist Global Health Leaders from the ETSU College of Public Health include:
Emma Apatu (American Samoa)
Tosin Ariyo (the Republic of Zambia)
Chris Bush (the Dominican Republic)
Brittany Cannon (the Republic of Honduras)
Candace Collins (the Peoples Republic of China)
Alexis Decosimo (the Republic of South Africa)
Catherine Freeland (Mongolia)
Malendie Gaines (the Republic of South Africa)
Yi He (the Republic of South Africa)
Sarakay Johnson (the Republic of South Africa)
Sarah Mehta (the United Republic of Tanzania)
Calandra Miller (the Republic of South Africa)
Jenna Middlebrooks (the Republic of Nicaragua)
Jessica Murray (Belize)
Milca Nunez (the Dominican Republic)
Beth O’Connell (the Republic of Rwanda: Undergraduate)
(the Republic of Guatemala: Graduate)
Ifeoma Ozodiegwu (the Republic of Congo)
Glenn Quarles (the Republic of South Africa)
Megan Quinn (the Republic of South Africa)
Katie Skelton (the Republic of Peru)
Courtney Stanley (the Republic of South Africa)
Marc Stevens (the Republic of South Africa)
Nuo Xu (American Samoa)
Twanda Wadlington (the Republic of South Africa)
Gregory Wykoff (the Republic of South Africa)
With support from William Kenneth “Big Kenny” Alphin, the FGHL program also supported the ASPIRE Appalachia scholars program. ASPIRE stands for “The Alphin Scholarship to Promote the Integration of Research and Environmental education in Appalachia.” The following students completed their internships as a part of the ASPIRE Appalachia program:
Katie Baker
Karie Castle
Jenny Hunt
Jodi Southerland
Kelsey Tipton
Jennifer Hunt said of her time with ASPIRE, “Being a Frist Global Health Leader was one key piece in my academic career during my time at the College of Public Health that helped to significantly change the trajectory of my life by allowing me the opportunity to put my knowledge gained in the program to use in my hometown, supporting me through my Field Internship while in my MPH program. Being raised in a rural and economically disadvantaged community, it was personally and professionally fulfilling to be able to make a small impact on the place I call home and I will be forever grateful to Hope Through Healing Hands and the Frist Global Health Leaders program.”