October 7, 2016
Introducing the New Class of Global WACh Certificate Students
As we welcome the start of another academic year here at the University of Washington, we also welcome a group of highly motivated graduate students to the Global WACh Certificate Program. These seven new students join the 12 current members of our certificate program, entering a robust interdisciplinary community dedicated to improving the health of women, adolescents, and children.
From refugee resettlement work in Philadelphia, to Peace Corps service in Burkina Faso, these students’ experiences span multiple countries and disciplines, making them among the University of Washington’s most qualified graduate students to impact health around the globe. Read about each of our new students below, and please join us in welcoming them to the Global WACh community!
Jade Fairbanks is an MPH student in the Department of Health Services, and received her BA in Public Health and Medical Anthropology from the University of Washington. Prior to starting the MPH program, Jade was a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso, working in the field of reproductive health education, and improving health services and delivery at the village maternity. She spent last summer working as a GO Health Fellow in Merrueshi, Kenya to develop an all-girls mentorship program titled “Yes S.H.E. Can: Sharing Her Empowerment” as well as a training manual for community health workers to educate on childhood malnutrition, and implement mandatory malnutrition screenings. Within the field of maternal and child health, she is particularly interested in expanding access to family planning services and reducing adolescent and unwanted pregnancies through educational outreach and program implementation.
Hannah Frizzell is a third year Ph. D. student in the department of Bioengineering. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin and completed a minor in Spanish. She is currently a graduate research fellow working with Dr. Kim A. Woodrow, focusing on mucosal immunoengineering, vaccines, drug delivery, and how these relate to women’s and children’s health on a global scale. Her current work is centered around improving oral vaccination through the combination of biotechnology and immunology. Hannah is the Vice President of Funding of University of Washington Bioengineers without Borders, which develops medical devices for resource-limited areas. She mentors a teams focused on a low-cost device for diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women. Hannah is also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Roche/Achievement Awards for College Scientists (ARCS) scholar. As she progresses in her field, she hopes to apply both her technical background and experience from the Global WACh program to create and integrate medical technologies into communities to improve their accessibility and thus ultimate effectiveness in improving health globally.
Isatou Jallow is pursuing a Masters of Law in Sustainable International Development. A lawyer and refugee from Gambia, Isatou is interested in many different human rights and development-related legal issues. She received her BA in Law and Political Science from the University Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco. More recently at the University of Washington, she completed a year of service at the University of Washington School of Law’s Development Innovation Lab, where she researched conditions of women mining in the DRC and contributed to the formation of an NGO to assist these communities. One focus in particular is on the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation among immigrant communities in the U.S. She has spoken at the invitation of a number of organizations in the Seattle area, including UW Medicine/Harborview, the Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project, and Somali Maternity Services, providing a perspective for health care workers and others working with immigrants and survivors of Female Genital Mutilation from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Shadae Paul is pursuing a joint Master’s degree in Public Health and Public Administration and is interested in learning methods to increase women’s access to resources and services in their communities. After earning her BA at University of Maryland, College Park, Shadae served as a Peace Corps Community Health Promotion Facilitator in Fiji- an experience which serves as the foundation for her interest in global maternal and child health. She has spent many years working with women, children, and families both locally and internationally, including organizations such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), March of Dimes, Mary’s Center, and Hagerstown Birth. Shadae looks forward to strengthening interdisciplinary skills needed to address complex global health issues through the Global WACh certificate program.
Lauren Rotkis is a candidate in the Pediatric Doctorate of Nursing Practice program. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Washington, a Master of Science in Complementary and Alternative Medicine from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. Within the global health field, she is particularly drawn to working with adolescent populations who are at a unique stage of self-discovery and self-determination. Having grown up in Seattle, Lauren has observed societal and political shifts that have led to an increasingly vulnerable marginalized population of teens. She currently volunteers at the Country Doctor Free Teen clinic, which is an evening health clinic for homeless teens. It is this experience that has had a defining role in shaping Lauren’s career goals. She plans to continue working with vulnerable teens as a Nurse Practitioner, either in a school-based health clinic, Juvenile Detention or a primary care clinic with a specific focus on nutrition and stress-related health effects.
Gladys Salgado is a MPA candidate in the Evans School of Public Policy. As a native of Colombia, South America, Gladys grew up in a large family who taught her valuable lessons on what it means to be rich without having money, the importance of family above all, and the difference between poverty and despair. After a long career in Information Technology, Gladys is embarking on a new career in public service. Following her move to Seattle, she became restless by the abundance of social ills surrounding her such as homelessness, obesity, and untreated mental health disorders, and has decided to put her skills and experience toward helping make systemic changes from within on a full-time basis.
Manahil Siddiqi is an MPH student in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program. Her primary interest is in global health, particularly health politics and health systems strengthening with a focus on women and children. Manahil graduated with distinction in her self-designed major in Global Health from Bryn Mawr College in 2015, where she was the recipient of several honors commending her public health achievements in Philadelphia, England, and Nicaragua. Prior to joining the University of Washington, Manahil conducted research on refugee mothering, resettlement and mental health among conflict-affected populations, including refugee families resettling in Philadelphia. The principles of social justice, human rights and collective action fuel Manahil’s scholarship and advocacy.