DGHI Celebrates Its Class of 2026

Growing up in Sudan, Afnan Siddig MS’26 sometimes heard her grandfather say, “Every time you think you are unfinished, you are not finished.”

Siddig, who completed studies in DGHI’s Master of Science in Global Health program this spring, reflected on her grandfather’s words during her graduation ceremony. “What does it mean to be unfinished?” she asked during her remarks as the Class of 2026 student speaker. “Does it mean there is still more strength in us? More courage? More tenderness? More purpose waiting quietly beneath fatigue?”

Siddig was one of 56 graduates honored in two DGHI ceremonies on Friday, May 8. In a morning ceremony in Duke’s Paul M. Gross Hall, 35 graduates earned the Master of Science in Global Health degree. Later that day, 21 Duke undergraduate students celebrated completion of the global health co-major. 

Many of the graduates echoed Siddig’s feelings, sharing joy and relief at reaching graduation, but aware that they are not yet finished. Whether they are looking ahead to professional careers, graduate or medical school, or service with groups like the Peace Corps and Teach for America, graduates expressed enthusiasm about taking on the challenges ahead. 

“I’m grateful for learning that there’s always a way forward,” said Jules Rakhatova MS’26, who will work as a business analyst for a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey. “Duke pushed me to expand what I thought was possible for myself, and by knocking on doors I never expected to open, I discovered strengths I didn’t know I had.”

DGHI Director Chris Beyrer, M.D., hailed graduates for their outstanding accomplishments throughout their Duke careers. While acknowledging the challenges brought on by cuts in global health funding made by the U.S. and other countries, he assured graduates that the world needs people who have the skills and desire to address complex health challenges now more than ever. 

“As long as there is inequity in the world around you, there is a place for people who are willing to fight against it.  You have acquired the tools to be a force for change,” he said. 

The master’s degree graduates are the 16th cohort to complete the program. They are a truly global class, coming from more than a dozen countries and collectively speaking 22 different languages. As part of their studies, they carried out original research on critical global health issues such as cancer, maternal and child health, infectious disease prevention and care, mental health, and the health impacts of climate change. Those research projects were done alongside global partners in 15 countries, including Brazil, Ghana, Iraq, Rwanda, Singapore and Sudan. 

The 21 graduates completing the global health major include six earning graduation with distinction, which requires additional research and scholarly wwork. The graduates combined global health with fields such as biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, cultural anthropology, economics, neuroscience, psychology, public policy, sociology, and Spanish. 

All global health students at Duke participate in experiential learning programs, which typically place students in communities across the globe to carry out collaborative research and service projects. Many members of the Class of 2026 participated in more than one of these activities, which are designed to build cultural understanding and perspective. 

Reena Kagan BS’26, who was chosen to speak at the undergraduate ceremony, reflected on how opportunities she had to learn and work in Honduras, Argentina, and Guatemala helped deepen what she learned in the classroom. She said those experiences taught her bravery, resilience, and the value of seeing the world through others’ eyes. 

“As many of us look ahead to more school in our futures, I think it is equally—if not more—important for us to seek and pursue experiences out in the world, to allow for personal growth in addition to intellectual growth,” said Kagan, a global health and neuroscience major. 

Brianna Clarke-Schwelm, executive director of the North Carolina Global Health Alliance, spoke to both graduating classes, encouraging them to embrace the ambition that has driven them to achieve as students. She cautioned, however, that ambition means not just striving for big goals or achievements that look good on a resume. 

“As we sit here today, the future of global health is not clear. Progress on a global scale feels uncertain… but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward,” she said. “It means that progress will only happen if people like you are willing to lend your ambition not only to the big, lofty goals, but also to the small, human ones.” 

But as they gathered one last time before taking on those challenges, graduates took time to share a few moments with mentors and peers who were with them along their journeys. There was plenty of laughter, but also some tears as graduates bid farewell to professors, staff and friends. 

DGHI helped me discover my passion for global health and a strong sense of community,” said Vaya Chhabra AB’26, a global health and economics major who will work in clinical research before applying to medical school. “I’m  grateful for the people. They truly make the place,"

Michael Merson Undergraduate Student Leadership Award

The Michael Merson Undergraduate Student Leadership Award, presented in honor of DGHI’s founding director, recognizes a graduating student who has excelled in and out of the classroom and has demonstrated a strong commitment to global health and health equity through extracurricular activities and leadership.

This year’s winner is Seth Liyanapathirana, a global health and neuroscience major. 

Liyanapathirana arrived at Duke already demonstrating a great capacity for leadership and compassion, having launched, as a high school student, an organization to provide academic and mental health support to school children. He was part of DGHI’s Student Research Training program team in India, where he worked alongside community partners and two other students to design and implement a mental health tracking system and life skills workshops for children residing in group homes in and around Delhi. 

Professors who nominated Liyanapathirana for the award said he bringsdeep empathy and understanding to his research and community service work, and he is motivated by humility, kindness and the conviction that everyone deserves the chance to thrive. As one mentor put it, he “embodies the kind of global health student we aspire to incorporate more deeply into our DGHI family.” 

Madeline Boccuzzi Outstanding Graduate Student Award

The Madeline Boccuzzi Outstanding Graduate Student Award is given in honor of Madeline Boccuzzi, a 2013 graduate of the Master of Science in Global Health program who died of cancer in 2014. 

This year’s winner is Nazareth Bertrand, who completed her master’s program with an emphasis on studying the spread of infectious diseases. 

Originally from Honduras, Bertrand completed thesis research mapping the impact of human mobility on the spread of malaria in the Amazon rainforest. She also volunteered with a community health project supporting Hispanic women and children in Greensboro, N.C., a population facing significant health disparities and barriers to care. 

Bertrand’s professors said she demonstrates a commitment to health equity that is“woven into how she moves through the world.” As one of her mentors noted, “In any cohort, there are students who stand out academically, and there are students who hold the community together. I think Nazareth is rare in that she is both.” 

Outstanding Capstone Research Project

This award recognizes the outstanding research project from the undergraduate capstone course, which all global health majors take during their senior year. 

The winning students are Ava Strohmeyer, Sinai Godino-Gomez, Damilola Bankole, and Seth Liyanapathirana, who completed a capstone project titled,  “Community Engagement Framework: Strengthening Health Literacy & Community Engagement for Ujala Cygnus Healthcare & Sehat Foundation.”

The students on this team worked with healthcare clinics in rural north India to identify barriers to health literacy and community engagement. Over the course of the semester, the students reviewed scientific literature to analyze the most effective strategies to boost health literacy and used what they learned to create audio and visual materials to improve community awareness of key health topics. They also developed implementation plans and tools for measuring feedback and the effectiveness of the campaigns. 

The seniors were part of the Fall 2025 capstone course, which was led by DGHI associate professor Sumi Ariely.

Global Health Undergraduate Professor of the Year Award

The Global Health Undergraduate Professor of the Year award recognizes a professor who demonstrates outstanding teaching and mentorship within the global health undergraduate curriculum. This year’s winner is Dr. Sumi Ariely, an associate professor of the practice of global health. 

Students who nominated Ariely describe her as a knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher who fills her lessons and class discussions with real-world examples and exploration of current events. As one student commented, “her lessons prompt us to reflect as future global health professionals, and as citizens of the world.”

Students also remarked about Ariely’s care for them outside the classroom, remembering details about their personal lives and asking with genuine warmth and curiosity about their activities. “That really means the world to a student,” one nominator wrote, “to know that their incredibly accomplished and busy mentor cares about them so deeply.” 

Global Health Graduate Professor of the Year Award

The Global Health Graduate Professor of the Year Award recognizes a faculty member who has gone above and beyond to teach, mentor, and support students in the Master of Science in Global Health program. This year’s winner is Dr. Eric Green, who is an associate professor of the practice of global health and DGHI’s director of undergraduate studies. 

Green is known as an innovator who consistently adapts courses and lessons to incorporate new technologies and tools. He teaches global health courses focusing on data science, research design and methods, and artificial intelligence, with the goal of preparing students to apply quantitative tools to real-world problems. 

Students said Green is extraordinarily aware of and responsive to their learning process, and he often adapts assignments or offers extra training when students are struggling with a particular concept. They also noted his attention to ethical and societal implications presented by the use of emerging tools such as AI. As one student nominator wrote, “he was an incredible mentor, acting as a support system and guide."