Min Kyung Kim completed an undergraduate degree in microbiology at Auburn University before earning a Master of Science in Global Health in 2019. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I was in Tanzania for three years working as a missionary when I got infected with malaria. That experience sparked my interest in global health, because growing up in South Korea and the US, the disease was something that hadn’t come close to me. While I had been previously bent on medical school, I knew that I now wanted a more population focused role than a clinical one. When I came back home, I sought out my undergraduate advisor to discuss my next steps. I told her about my interests, and she recommended looking into population and public health programs. I investigated various schools and Duke stood out to me because of the research work carried out in developing countries. I also loved the small class sizes, which was a welcome change from my undergrad program at Auburn University.

I joined Duke with a mind like a blank page waiting to be filled. There were no unexpected turns because everything was unexpected. I hadn't done any research work prior, but that's what I really wanted to learn. All my experiences at Duke were new and I wanted to just learn with no expectations or strategies attached. I wouldn't change a thing about this learning process because it allowed me to be open to everything.

When I joined Duke, my research mentor was Professor Joe Egger. I joined one of his projects conducting an impact evaluation on a project focused on improving the quality of maternal and child healthcare in Uganda. I really enjoyed working with local organizations and conducting data quality checks. I even had the opportunity to lead a smaller project while in Uganda during my summer research.

Three months before my graduation, I came across a job posting that aligned with my research interests. For three years, I worked as a research analyst at the Harvard School of Public Health with Professor Margaret Kirk, who conducts research on the quality of maternal and child healthcare. After that, I moved to South Korea to work for an international health agency where I worked as a researcher. I returned to Boston to work as a research associate with Tufts University, and now I am pursuing a Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All of the research skills I learned at Duke have been incredibly useful, especially the quantitative skills I gained while working with my mentor.

I have learned that being open-minded really enhances one’s learning. At Duke, I took a few elective courses in other departments and now have skills that I can confidently use outside of my work as a researcher.