DGH Excellence Award Teaching Assistantship 

Master of Public Health in Global Health

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I was born and raised in Rwanda where I pursued most of my education. At a young age, I witnessed how social determinants of health can impact health outcomes on an individual and population level. At the time I thought the health challenges I witnessed could simply be solved if we had more doctors, so with this in mind when I got the chance to further my studies in the U.S. I pursued a bachelor's degree in biology with a pre-med emphasis. Throughout my rigorous training, I quickly realized something was missing from my health courses; none of them touched on upstream factors that impacted certain health outcomes. Even though I was fascinated by the intricate functioning of the human body, I found myself asking questions that couldn't be answered physiologically, but instead through the lens of public health. With this in mind, I set out to supplement my biology training with various internships that truly shaped and refined my interest in public health. One such experience was an internship I did at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center where I designed a research project using Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data to address racial and ethnic disparities in the occurrence of late-stage gastric cancer across five races and ethnicities in the U.S. By the end of this experience I knew the next step in my educational journey and career would involve pursuing a Master's of Public Health in Global Health because this is a discipline that looks beyond an individual to consider the greater forces at play that influence both patient and population level health outcomes.

Why did you decide to attend the UW for graduate school?

I chose the UW for graduate education because the faculty within the Department of Global Health are doing real-time astounding work that is alleviating the health challenges we see in Sub-Saharan Africa. Being from the region myself, I want to learn as much as I can from the interdisciplinary approach used by the researchers across the department and the School of Public Health with the goal of contributing to efforts around improving health outcomes in the region. I also sought out the UW because of the wide range of expertise and experiences that my MPH Global Health cohort peers bring; learning from them is an integral part of my training.

What are your research interests and career goals?

My research interests are broad and range from health disparities and inequities, health system strengthening and optimizing health care outcomes among underserved communities. In terms of career goals, I see myself as a public health practitioner and researcher. Ideally, I would have a career where I do both community engagement and public health research.

Did your award influence your decision to attend the UW?

Absolutely, this award mitigated the financial burden that comes with paying for graduate school, giving me the space to fully engage with the coursework. It has also given me the opportunity to be a teaching assistant within the DGH, allowing me to mentor UW students and participate in their educational journey.

When you aren't studying, where is your favorite place to hangout in Seattle?

This is a tough one because I have many favorite places around the city (most of them involve food). I love trying out bakeries such as The French Guys in Capitol Hill, and Saint Bread close to campus. I also enjoy walking around parks such as Greenlake and Carkeek Park. The art scene around Seattle is also unmatched, so that's definitely one of my other favorite aspects of Seattle.