The Frist Global Health Leaders (FGHL) program affords young health professional students, residents, and fellows the opportunity to serve and train abroad in underserved communities for up to one semester. In doing so, they will bolster capacity in clinics in need of support as well as offer training to community health workers to promote sustainability upon their departure from these communities. As part of the program, they blog about their experiences here. For more information, visit our program page.
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Cody Bowers will graduate from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in August of 2010 with a Master's degree from the Family Nurse Practitioner program. As an undergraduate student at San Francisco State, Cody's interest in nursing was spurred while working as a mental health technician at a psychiatric hospital in Fremont California. The daily struggle for many of these patients was initially difficult to witness, but helped him recognize the need for a holistic approach to nursing and healthcare. With an interest in tropical medicine and infectious disease, he will work at Primeros Pasos, a primary care clinic in Xela, Guatemala where he will expand his Spanish as well as his diagnostic skills. |
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Brittany Cannon is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in the Health Care Administration track with a minor in Management at East Tennessee State University College of Public Health. Brittany is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee and will be completing her field experience in Roatan, Honduras at the Clinica Esperanza, located in a coastal community. |
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| John Deason has completed his second year of pharmacy school at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in Nashville, TN. Having been born in Nashville, he has lived all his life in the Middle Tennessee area and completed his undergraduate education at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN in 2008 with a BS degree in Biology and Chemistry. He will serve in Lusaka, Zambia aiding in the distribution of pharmaceuticals at a mobile clinic. | |
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Lauren Eppinger graduated in August, 2010 from the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. During the Fall of 2010, she will spend time at the Primeros Pasos clinic in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Passionate about making the world a better place through healing and the sharing of knowledge, she integrates teaching into every healthcare encounter. Before pursuing a path in nursing, Lauren studied art and psychology at Bennington College, in Vermont. She believes that this interdisciplinary perspective has helped her shape a deeper understanding of the world, and a desire to be a global citizen. Lauren lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2011, she hopes to start working in pediatric primary care, focusing on family-based preventative healthcare. |
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| Jennifer Hunt (at left) is a Master of Public Health Student in the Health Services Administration track at East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, and is originally from Cocke County in the Appalachia region of east Tennessee. She received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from East Tennessee State University with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. Jenny’s area of interest includes the exceptionally high rates of prescription drug abuse in the coalfield areas of Central Appalachia. Jenny will be completing her internship through Rural Medical Services in Cocke County Tennessee in the Appalachia region. | |
| Brittany Latimer just finished her second year of Pharmacy school at Lipscomb College of Pharmacy in Nashville, TN. She completed her undergraduate degree in pre-pharmacy in 2009 at Lipscomb University. Originally from Charlotte, NC Brittany was able to travel on her first mission trip experience through trips to Mexico and Haiti. She will be working in Lusaka, Zambia distributing pharmaceuticals at a mobile clinic. | |
| Bethesda O’Connell is completing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree with a concentration in Community Health and a minor in Biology and Emergency/Disaster Response Management at East Tennesssee State University College of Public Health. Beth is from Kingsport, TN and, her career goals include providing healthcare and being an international health advocate for underserved populations. She will serve the Faith and Hope Children’s Home in Cygera, Rwanda this summer. | |
| Analeta Peterson attended Florida A&M University where she earned her degree in Biology, with a focus in premedical sciences. She will graduate Meharry Medical College in 2010. Ms. Peterson enjoys providing health care to underserved populations and to those who are financially burdened. She is most concerned with the shortage of physicians seen in foreign nations, especially when it comes to women's health. Ms. Peterson plans to travel to Lusaka, Africa where she to provide a helping hand to those physicians and health care workers facing high patient volumes at University Teaching Hospital. | |
| Greg Schnepper is a senior anesthesiology resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He grew up in Northern California, and received his undergraduate BS degree in Biology from Pacific Union College. He received his medical degree from Loma Linda University, where he also received the Merit tuition scholarship. He has published case reports in Neurosurgical Focus and Urology, and he has presented medically challenging cases at the 2009 and 2010 American Society of Anesthesiology. He loves traveling, scuba diving, playing and watching sports. He spends most of his time with my wife, Catherine, a psychiatry resident at Vanderbilt, and Sebastian, his new 10 month old black lab. He will be serving in Kijabe, Kenya. | |
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Katie Skelton is a native of Kingsport, TN. She received her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Biology from Tennessee Technological University in 2006. Currently, Katie is pursing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health and a graduate certificate in Epidemiology at East Tennessee State University College of Public Health. This semester Katie will be completing the culminating field experience course for her Masters of Public Health degree in Urubamba, Peru. She will be interning through ProWorld Peru, a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose primary health objective is providing essential health services to communities where basic needs are not being met. |
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| Jodi Southerland (at right in photo) is a Doctor of Public Health Student in the Community Health track at East Tennessee State University. She is originally from Greene County in the Appalachia region of east Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree from Lee University and a masters degree, with a concentration in relief and development, from Biola University. Jodi plans to carry out her ASPIRE Appalachia work with Of One Accord, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps meet the needs of low-income families and individuals of Hawkins and Hancock County, TN. She is particularly interested in the health outcomes of the rural elderly population. |