The Department of Global Health is committed to training health professionals from diverse communities and helping to fund the education of such students. To help work toward this, six DGH students have received the Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity, and Impact for 2019-20. Recipients are selected by committee based on academic merit, a deep personal experience with, and connection to, diverse cultures, and demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity within the field of global health. The fellowship offers $5,000, paid throughout the academic year, waiving the out-of-state portion of the students’ tuition. Meet the current students, and learn about their backgrounds and get their first-hand perspectives of life at UW as a Fellowship recipient.
Chorkin Chau – MPH, General Track
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born and raised in Cambodia, and immigrated to the US when I was 6 years old. I became interested in public health because of my mom, who suffers from severe mental illness. My role as one of her caretakers bred my desire to care for others through volunteering, leading out service projects in the Navajo Nation, and raising awareness for mental health back in our home country. I received my B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on global health, psychology, and human rights at the University of California, Berkeley and wrote my thesis on legacies of gender-based violence in Cambodia.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I’m currently pursuing a Master of Public Health within the UW Department of Global Health.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
Without the Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award I may not have been able to come to UW at all due to the out-of-state fees. It has provided me with a sense of relief so that I could focus on really taking advantage of the opportunities here and foster important relationships. This fellowship has also opened a number of doors since I’ve started the program. I have been able to be part of an ongoing research project in developing a collaborative care model in Vietnam and work towards achieving my life goal of learning how to read and write in Khmer. I’m grateful for such unique opportunities that only UW could offer, and I already know that the skills, experiences, and relationships that I develop here will be fundamental in my path within global health.
Anupa Gewali – MPH, General Track
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
Before coming to UW, I worked for Adhikaar, a Queens-based worker center that serves and organizes the Nepali-speaking immigrant and refugee community in New York City and across the world. My time at Adhikaar shaped my belief in the strength of grassroots organizing, and left me with a commitment to understand how resources can be better designed to meet the needs of marginalized groups.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I am a first-year Master of Public Health student in the Department of Global Health. While at the University of Washington, I worked as a Research Assistant for the IMAGINE Study, helping to develop and pilot a social media-based group counseling intervention to prevent depression in pregnant and postpartum adolescents.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
The Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped not only in supporting the aforementioned research and coursework, but also in pursuing independent study research on suicide disclosure among at-risk Nepali youth. I am also a student representative on the DGH Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, where I engage in department-wide conversations that advance equity within academic spaces.
Saida Mahamud – MPH, General Track
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born in Canada but grew up in Minneapolis in a Somali household. I attended the University of Minnesota and earned my B.A. in Global Studies while double minoring in Public Health and African American & African Studies. As a Global Health student, I am dedicated to creating effective health policies that support communities in their efforts to recover and build resilience after a natural disaster. Specifically, I want to focus on creating systems that alleviate the mental health impacts of climate refugees in Somalia and within the diaspora.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I am pursuing a Master of Public Health, and also earning a certificate in International Humanitarian Response.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
The award has helped me immensely. It’s provided me with financial relief that has allowed me to focus more on my courses and seek out more opportunities within the School of Public Health. For students like myself who come from a low-income background it’s very important that students receive support from their programs. I’m grateful to have received this award and want to thank the committee that had a role in my selection, thank you!
Sumaya Mohamed – MPH, General Track
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
I spent the first five years of my life in Iffo, Kenya and lived the remainder of my childhood and most of my adult life in Auburn, Washington. Prior to attending UW, I worked on a Population Health Initiative Grant to investigate and address the high rates of preterm/low birth-weight babies, cesarean birth, and inadequate perinatal care in South Seattle among the East African population. I will be starting my PhD studies in Sociocultural Anthropology with a focus on Statistics in the fall. During my time at UW, I’ve also been fortunate enough to be a research assistant for Donna Denno, which was a life-changing experience.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I am pursuing an MPH in Global Health and a certificate in Demographic Methods.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
This Fellowship has helped me tremendously. I do not have words to express my gratitude to be given this opportunity that has supported me in the past year of my graduate studies. Once I received that email informing me that I was the recipient of the Fellowship, I had to read it over a few times to make sure it was real. Not only would it cover my tuition, but I would have the opportunity to work with and be mentored by faculty members in the DGH.
This pushed me to commit to UW's DGH program, and I can't imagine myself not being part of this program, especially during such a monumental time in history. This Fellowship gave me peace of mind in terms of financial stress and enabled me to join a fantastic community. There is a great need for more scholarships like the Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity, and Impact. These fellowships will give people the necessary support to accept admission to UW.
Ingrid Sub Cuc – MPH, Leadership, Policy, and Management
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
I am Indigenous Maya Kaqchikel-Q'eqchi' from Guatemala. My family moved to Spokane, WA in 2003 where I have grown up since I was 12. Growing up in a traditional Maya community gave me firsthand exposure to the lack of medical resources for Indigenous peoples in my country. It is my personal experience and my community's experience that have propelled my academic and professional endeavors in public health. When I finished my undergraduate education, I spent several years working in Latin America advocating for Indigenous rights, specifically in the realm of community radios and health education. In 2016, I returned to Eastern, WA continuing my work in equity and health by working to address health disparities among tribal communities and advancing reproductive healthcare initiatives for immigrant and low-income families in the region.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I am currently working on my Master of Public Health in Global Health.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
Receiving the Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence allowed me to attend school and pursue my MPH as I dreamed. As a first-generation Indigenous student, my journey in academia has not been easy. When I received the notification of award from the University of Washington I was extremely excited! I felt that my hard work and achievements were validated and that the school truly saw me as an asset to their program.
This opportunity has given me connections and mentorship that I never imagined. I have had the privilege of working alongside researchers and professionals from various fields of global health. I am grateful to have received this award and hope that more funding initiatives like this one support underrepresented students to access spaces in academia where they are much needed!
Juell Towns – MPH, General Track
Please tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born in North Carolina but spent the majority of my childhood moving around the country. I am interested in understanding decolonizing methodologies and how they can be applied in the context of Global Health research, specifically focusing on the power of implementing culturally-relevant and responsive research interventions for all folks within the African Diaspora. I am passionate about and committed to meaningfully addressing health necessity in ways that center equity and justice.
What degree are you pursuing at UW?
I am a [nearly second-year] MPH student in the Department of Global Health, and recently graduated with my B.S. in community health education less than a year ago.
How has the UW Department of Global Health's Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact Award helped support you over the academic year?
Earning the UW DGH Endowed Fellowship is something I’m quite proud of; had I not been offered the award, I likely would have not been able to pursue my degree due to the high cost of out-of-state tuition. The stipends were also helpful in securing safe housing for my first academic year, something I was not sure I would be able to attain otherwise.
Your support of the Endowed Fellowship for Global Health Excellence, Equity and Impact will enable us to train the next generation of leaders who will dedicate their careers to tackling global health and health equity challenges locally and abroad. Donate here.