Student Profile

Stephen Himley is creating pathways to improve the quality of life for millions of people. Himley, who is a current student in the Extended Master of Public Health Degree Program (EXDP) at the University of Washington, applies his skills as a mechanical engineer to help those in need in both developed and developing worlds.

After receiving his mechanical engineer degree from University of California at Davis, Himley became interested in biotechnology in his work designing artificial hearts. For Himley though, biomedical engineering was missing an important component: people. In 1995, Himley took a position with the Thoracic Transplant and Mechanical Heart Program at the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, where he cared for patients with end-stage heart disease. These patients have run out of options in the management of their cardiac disease and require artificial hearts until they can receive human heart transplants.

"Working with end-stage heart patients was a rewarding experience because I spent years with them and their families from the time they initially came in for their pre-operational care, through hospital discharge, outpatient care, and until death or transplant," Himley explains. "I got to know and care for the patients and they were extremely grateful for our help in improving the length and quality of their lives."

During this time, Himley came across several journal articles written by Doctors Without Borders concerning antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in resource-limited countries. Upon realizing the full extent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in developing countries, Himley felt compelled to get involved. In his research, he discovered that many people living in rural, limited-resource settings in developing countries were not receiving ART. This therapy, which does not kill but slows the growth of HIV, requires long-term commitment from providers because people receiving ART need to remain on the drug therapy for the remainder of their lives.

In 2004, Himley, along with Dr. Michael Nash, created a non-profit organization called Two Tunics to increase access to ART among rural South Africans. Although the number of people on ART has increased in urban areas of South Africa, people living with HIV in more remote areas are unable to obtain the drug therapy. Working with the government of South Africa, Two Tunics delivers ART to residents living in outlying villages surrounding Port Shepstone, a coastal town about 120 km southwest of Durban.

The name Two Tunics comes from a story in the Bible where John the Baptist says to the crowd surrounding him that those with two tunics should share with those that have none. To Himley, this parable runs parallel to ART treatment. Developed countries like the United States spend millions of dollars on one patient to improve his or her quality of life whereas many people in developing countries have to go without even basic health care. For Himley, it is "unjust to do nothing."

Two Tunics not only strives to provide ART to residents who might otherwise die of AIDS, but also encourages people living in the United States to get involved and "share their wealth." In 2006, over 100 patients were able to start ART because of Two Tunics.

From his experience co-creating Two Tunics, Himley felt he needed to increase his knowledge and skills in international public health. In 2006, he enrolled in EXDP. Through what he learns in this program, Himley hopes to become a leader in improving health care systems in resource-limited countries. He intends to finish the program in 2008.