As a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Thailand between 2003-2006 Dan VerSchneider helped combat the spread of HIV/AIDS through prevention education in village schools. Last summer, he returned to Thailand to work on health issues as an intern in the U.S. Department of State’s Regional Environmental Affairs Office.

From the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, VerSchneider helped monitor health and environmental situations in 11 Southeast Asian nations (the 10 ASEAN countries--Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam--and East Timor). As part of his duties he was charged with investigating topics ranging from avian flu in Indonesia to an outbreak of a multi-drug resistant strain of tuberculosis along the Thai-Burmese border. 

“The skills classes I took at GSIS really helped prepare me to jump right into my position,” says VerSchneider. “I felt I could operate at the level of the Foreign Service officers I was working with; my GSIS education helped me to do that.”

A second-year student in international development, VerSchneider is also completing a certificate in Global Health Affairs (GHA). The certificate program trains students to examine complex global health issues in an international affairs framework. Students are taught by professors with real-world experience in international medicine, humanitarian assistance and global health issues.

“The professors at GSIS, particularly those who teach in GHA, are intelligent, accessible and they push you,” says VerSchneider. “I feel my certificate will give me a competitive edge over other job seekers when I graduate this fall.” 

Raised in upstate New York, VerSchneider attended St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, where he earned his BA in international studies in 2002. He had planned to pursue a career in law, but three years in rural Thailand changed his mind. 

“When I graduated from college I felt like I didn’t really know myself.  Law was intellectually interesting, but I wasn’t passionate about it,” VerSchneider says.  “The Peace Corps provided a good way to challenge myself personally, get to know another culture, and get to know myself.

Originally assigned to training primary school teachers in Thai villages, VerSchneider eventually found himself working with CARE International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting global poverty. He was tasked with helping local community members educate students about HIV/AIDS. After completing his Peace Corps service, he returned to the U.S. with a newfound interest in the area of global health. 

“When I came back I had a focus, I knew myself, and knew where I could use my skills in the best manner,” says VerSchneider. “And I knew what I needed in an education to help me attain those goals.”

VerSchneider found the education he was looking for at GSIS. Intensive study of health in the context of international development, amid a strong community of returned Peace Corps Volunteers, helps him feel his education at GSIS is preparing him well for a career in global health.

Although passionate about combating the world’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, VerSchneider is dedicated to a career in global health that is broader in scope.

“HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are the sexy issues in global health right now,” says VerSchneider. “While I’m passionate about HIV/AIDS prevention, I’m open to working on a number of health issues.  Ideally I’d like to be out in the field managing health projects, and while my experience is in Asia, my real interest is in health.  I’m willing to go wherever the health issues are.”