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Greetings!
We are proud to usher 39 new global health graduates and the inaugural class of Master of Science in Global Health students into the world, armed with the tools and knowledge to make a difference. Take a look at photos from last Friday's commencement ceremony, video interviews and profiles of the graduates.
Congratulations and best wishes to the next generation of global health leaders!
Until next week,
Geelea Seaford and Everyone at DGHI
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48 Students Graduate with Master's in Global Health or Global Health Certificate
The Duke Global Health Institute awarded 48 individuals with global health degrees or certificates at a special Global Health Commencement Ceremony last Friday. The graduates include nine Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) students who were part of the inaugural class. The others received a Global Health Certificate, which has become the second most popular certificate program on campus. During the ceremony, DGHI Founding Director Michael Merson encouraged students to build on their accomplishments, experiences and knowledge acquired at Duke to take the field of global health in new directions - through their creativity, intellect and compassion. MSc-GH Faculty Director Chris Woods, Global Health Certificate Faculty Director Sherryl Broverman and Global Health Certificate Graduate Meghan Rudder also gave remarks. The award for Outstanding Thesis went to MSc-GH graduate Aaron Stoertz for his research on health system strengthening through education. The award for Outstanding Capstone Research Project went to Sarah Chapin, Brian Clement, Alexa Monroy, Gregory Morrison and Katherine Roemer for their project on imposing higher cigarette taxes in the Southeast region of the U.S. In the following videos, both MSc-GH and global health certificate students share their experience in the program, and what they will take with them as they pursue a career in global health.  | The First Graduates of Duke MSc-GH
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 | Global Health Certificate Graduates Share Story
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NUS President Praises Partnership with Duke at Commencement Events
On Sunday, the university awarded an honorary degree to Tan Chorh Chuan, president of the National University of Singapore and an international leader in biomedical sciences, public health and higher education. The day before,  Professor Tan met with leaders at DGHI and spoke to Duke Medicine leadership about global health in Asia.
Tan, a renal physician by training, spoke about the tangled web of health systems around the world, including the tension between rich countries with an aging population and large amounts of chronic disease, and poor countries that continue to struggle with infectious disease, poverty and malnutrition. He argued that these health challenges present an opportunity for universities to lead and collaborate and "go beyond producing excellent research and bring these innovations to scale."
Tan praised the partnership between Duke and NUS which led to the establishment of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in 2005. The school will graduate its first class of physician scientists next month.
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Pursuing Her Passion for HIV Research
Madeline McCrary's interest in global health began in high school when she volunteered in Lilongwe, Malawi, when  she realized HIV affected everyone and that care and treatment could truly improve people's lives. Since then, her global health journey at Duke has led her through Global Health Focus and the Global Health Certificate, fieldwork in northern Togo and a Capstone project on the uptake of voluntary HIV testing. She has volunteered as an HIV counselor at Durham Regional Hospital and worked with the Duke Center for AIDS Research to study gender-based violence, transactional sex and HIV risk in South Africa.
"My work with researchers at DGHI was a great opportunity to use my skills as a cultural anthropologist, analyzing qualitative data on a major issue of global health relevance," said McCrary, a cultural anthropology major. "What I have most gained from the Global Health Certificate program is the opportunity for experiential learning and to work closely with Duke faculty mentors who are experts in their fields."  |
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Haiti Project Fuels Interest in Health
Kendra Hinton does not remember when she first became fascinated with Haiti. Growing up in Boston, a hub for Haitian immigrants, she was exposed to the Haitian culture at an early age. Then just days after the devastating Haiti  earthquake, she went to the first "Global France" class of the spring semester, in which most of the discussion centered on Haiti.
"This class turned an interest in Haiti into a true passion," said Hinton, a French and psychology double major with a certificate in human development. "I found The Haiti Lab at Duke to be a remarkable and productive reaction to an unfathomable crisis. After hearing about it, I wanted to get involved." Through The Haiti Lab, Hinton worked on a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) project, in which she interviewed earthquake victims on the incidence and manifestations of PTSD and their beliefs about shock, grief, distress and trauma."
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 | Antenatal Screening Kit - Save One
Click to watch video |
ABC News & DGHI Announce Winner of $10K Maternal Health Challenge
Can a test that costs half a penny save a life? The answer is yes.
ABC News and the Duke Global Health Institute are pleased to announce the winners of the Be the Change: Save a Life Maternal Health Challenge. Selected from more than 65 video entries from university students on three continents, the grand prize award of $10,000 has been awarded to a group of graduate students from the Johns Hopkins School of Engineering Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design, for their invention of a low-cost health kit to screen pregnant women and newborns for life threatening conditions like gestational diabetes using a specially-designed pen. ABC News' global health project Be the Change: Save a Life and the Duke Global Health Institute launched a challenge for university students - undergraduate, graduates and professional students - to design emerging innovations in maternal health care. The challenge is intended to provide a launch pad to take those ideas, or prototypes, into the world. In partnership with The Lemelson Foundation, the challenge encouraged students from around the world to submit a five-minute video explaining their idea for improving maternal health. The Johns Hopkins University Engineering Team was notified Tuesday by ABC News Chief Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser. They will receive $10,000 from The Lemelson Foundation and mentorship and support in the development, marketing and distribution process of the innovation. The team will also present its idea before global health experts at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Conference in November in Montreal, Canada. |
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