By Claire Rotich
MSc-GH incoming class of 2013-14
I’m originally from Kenya and grew up in the capital, Nairobi. My experiences growing up are what stirred a passion for everything health care related. I had the great privilege of seeing the health system from all levels and aspects and had an insatiable curiosity for how it all worked and how to improve it to better serve the people. It is unfair, almost inhumane, that it was so difficult for people to access quality affordable health care.
I’ve volunteered in hospitals as a nurse’s assistant, helped during the C-section delivery of twins, conducted undergraduate research on the characterization of pathological cardiovascular calcification, shadowed a radiologist, hospital lab technicians, and epidemiologists at Kenya Medical Research Institute, and interned for the local distributor of a global medical diagnostic equipment manufacturer. Like many, I’ve even been a patient myself!
My vision for quality universal health care coupled with my love for science and technology led me to study Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, where I will complete my BEng degree in June. However, applying the skills I’ve acquired and the incredible insight into the use of technology seems really difficult to do in most parts of the world where the health care systems aren’t so well developed or funded. I really want to look for a way to use all of this exposure and experience to learn more so that I can really make a difference to health care systems and delivery both at home and globally. My answer came in the form of the Master of Science in Global Health at the Duke Global Health Institute and I’m very excited to be joining the program this fall!
When I first read about the degree program, I was impressed by how well-designed it is; there are classes and also the opportunity to carry out substantial fieldwork, which I feel is so important. The core modules are practical and encompass the essentials of bioethics, health economics and epidemiology while electives like health policy create a well-rounded view of global health. Health is after all a universal concern, so it only makes sense that the experiences of as many different nations as possible should be considered. I like the interdisciplinary approach and the opportunity to take elective courses at many of the other schools across Duke. This approach is something I looked for in all the programs I applied to because health care structures are so complex and involve so many stakeholders.
The MSc-GH is a perfect fit, and I am over-the-moon excited to start. I couldn’t start my application fast enough (you can imagine how I felt when I got my acceptance letter!).
Why did I choose Duke? It’s hard to pin point a single thing that made me choose to accept my offer to Duke over all my other options because there are a number of areas where Duke stood out. For example, the sheer wealth of opportunity; the focus and funding in groundbreaking health and medical research; proximity to the world’s largest research park; Duke’s reputation for innovation as demonstrated by the biomedical engineering department developing the world's first real-time 3-D ultrasound diagnostic system and the first engineered blood vessels; the civic engagement program, and to top it all off I’m told the basketball team is pretty good too! (Though I think I’ll stick to being a supporter and continue running cross-country and dancing instead).
The first thing that attracted me to Duke and why I applied was the attitude of those I spoke to from the university and the attitude portrayed by the professors in videos and writing. This positive, visionary, engaging, enthusiastic and energetic attitude was evident on the DGHI website and carried through to the university as a whole. The more I’ve learned about Duke, the more I find myself identifying with it and the brilliant people that make up the student body and faculty. It’s quite rare to find an institution that is as committed to excellence, learning and the success of each individual student as Duke. In an online orientation video, a Duke Professor said “[If] a student fails to live up to their promise, then that is a measure of our failure and that’s absolutely a key commitment that Duke is making to everyone, that if you work hard, we’ll work hard”.
Before I even chose Duke, a very welcoming and helpful student currently in the program reached out to me to answer all my questions. I could instantly tell that the university takes the professional and personal development of every single student seriously. I’m really looking forward to working hard with a faculty member that’s as passionate about inspiring me, my learning, my growth and my devotion to global health, as they are about the subjects they specialize in.
After what promises to be an exhilarating nine months in my first two semesters at Duke, I hope to work on either health policy or health care-centered social entrepreneurship, using technology to create solutions for health care delivery and health system management. By the end of the program (particularly after my fieldwork and thesis), my goal is to be well-informed and be able to decide between the two areas of study for my future career, or maybe a combination of the two or even something that I’d never considered before!
One thing I know for sure is that my time in the MSc-GH program will define the contributions I make to health care systems and delivery. This means that in the very near future, doctors in developing countries shouldn’t have to go on strike to protest poor patient facilities in public hospitals, poor working conditions or low wages; and patients who have traveled miles and miles from war zones aren’t turned away from hospitals because they ran out of supplies, bed space or are understaffed. Through the networks formed among my peers and during my fieldwork, the professional development events I attend and the opportunity to learn from experts in their field, the MSc-GH program will give me a solid foundation for navigating health care systems in developing nations and bring innovative, sustainable solutions to the forefront.
I can’t wait to start this exciting journey with my fellow classmates and join this world-leading program in interdisciplinary global health education and research at Duke!
