Degree

MA international development, concentrations in communications and humanitarian assistance

What are you doing now?

I am currently part of the strategic resource development team at Water for People. More specifically, I provide support to our 60 volunteer committees around the United States and Canada, facilitating their awareness- and fund-raising efforts.

How did GHA help prepare you for this position?

GHA improved my work by giving me a good understanding of the health challenges that face many in developing countries, of which water and sanitation are a significant component. I have a solid foundation in the intersection of health and development, and so I am able to apply that to my work and to my understanding of the organization's approach to development.

Degree

MA international development

What are you doing now?

I am currently working as an administrative coordinator in the Center for Health Services at Management Sciences for Health (MSH). I am supporting a portfolio of global health projects in Uganda, Liberia, Burundi, Kenya and Guinea, as well as providing department-wide support to the director of Health Service Delivery.

What projects did you work on while in the GHA program?

I organized the Appropriate Technologies Expo two years in a row, and I was the GHA and HA program assistant!

How did GHA prepare you for your current position?

GHA affirmed my passion in global health and provided me with a comprehensive background in health issues, interventions and research which helped me get this job and informs my work every day.

GHA internship

New Concepts Information Systems

Ashley's internship presentation

Degree

MA international development

What are you doing now?

I am a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department. I am currently in Washington, D.C., for training but am posted to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

How did GHA help prepare you for this position?

GHA improved my work during graduate school by providing a framework for understanding development and community health both in the United States and abroad. Since graduating, the degree helped open the door to several job opportunities. The benefits of the GHA certificate cannot be overstated. A solid understanding of global health underpins and enhances work in many different fields.

What special projects did you work on while at Korbel?

During summer 2009, I was able to return to Kenya (where I previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer) to conduct research on morbidity trends in the region of Lare, outside Nakuru. This opportunity was possible through collaboration with GHA professors (Neena Jain and Randall Kuhn in particular) and through scholarship opportunities at Korbel, as well as within GHA (summer achievement award). While at Korbel, I also interned with the 1010 Project and worked at Planned Parenthood—two unique experiences which helped to build upon lessons from the classroom.

Degree

MA international development

What are you doing now?

I am a project coordinator with JSI Research and Training Institute in Denver. In this role, I manage several projects related to the monitoring, evaluation and assessment of locally and nationally based health initiatives. I also conduct primary research for state and local, health departments, as well as federally funded agencies, surrounding the social determinants of health, public health outreach methodologies and programmatic sustainability.

How did GHA help prepare you for this position?

The GHA program at DU tremendously improved my research and writing skills while providing the tools to manage complicated and multi-faceted research projects. Foremost, however, the GHA program greatly enhanced my critical thinking capacity and forced me to view both health and disease morbidity within a larger social construct from which neither can be extricated.