I M PA C T 2020
THIS IS STEMPEL COLLEGE. Within these pages, you’ll find the highlights of our 2020. As this historic year unfolded, we learned a few things about ourselves: Life inspires us. Our best work is often found outside our comfort zones. And a change in our momentum doesn’t mean an end to our momentum.
Message from the Dean.................................................... 3 About Stempel College...................................................... 4 COVID-19.............................................................................. 6 Student Success................................................................. 8 Research.............................................................................. 10 Faculty News....................................................................... 13 International Initiatives..................................................... 14 Stempel College Alumni.................................................... 16
REAL PURPOSE. REAL CHALLENGES. REAL IMPACT.
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DEAN’S MESSAGE “Together for the greater good” is our motto in Stempel College. This was particularly true in 2020. I will be forever proud of the way our faculty, staff, students and alumni came together. The twin public health crises that defined 2020 – a global pandemic and an overwhelming rejection of continued racism – tested us all. We did not break. Instead, we rose as a community of health professionals to alleviate the pain of many and to serve those in need. Throughout the pages of this report, you’ll learn of the stellar accomplishments and singular focus of the collective Stempel College community. When I came to Florida International University five years ago, it was in part because I was intrigued by the opportunities to drive impactful change in the lives of students and in our world. And thanks to the remarkable work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, we are doing just that. Today we are one of the country’s Top 50 colleges of public health among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. This climb in the rankings is powered by a willingness to think differently. The readiness of our faculty, staff and students to embrace a new paradigm has translated into increased enrollment, extraordinary research growth and new and better ways of engaging our students. I believe it is this kind of innovative thinking that will further propel Stempel College, Florida International University and our community to the next level.
Tomás R. Guilarte, Ph.D. Dean, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences Professor, Cognitive Neuroscience & Imaging Director, Brain, Behavior & Environment Member, Biomolecular Sciences Institute
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REAL KNOWS WHAT GETS DONE TODAY MATTERS MOST. Stempel College has experienced transformational growth in the last five years by following an unquenchable spirit of inquiry. Our students demand it, and our community deserves it. By exploring the interconnectivity of the social, biological, environmental and cultural elements of health, Stempel College students, faculty, staff and alumni have become a force for positive change. Together for the greater good? You bet.
80% of bachelor’s or master’s graduates were employed or continuing their education within one year of graduation
100% of Ph.D. graduates were employed within one year of graduation
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ABOUT STEMPEL ENROLLMENT FALL 2020
537 530 Bachelor’s
112
Master’s
Ph.D.
In Fall 2020, Stempel College experienced a 63% increase overall in new student enrollment in our MPH programs. The greatest spikes were:
73% increase in epidemiology compared to Fall 2019 131% increase in online MPH program compared to Fall 2019
• Public Health Biostatistics Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology Health Policy Management Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Generalist
DEMOGRAPHICS
• Dietetics and Nutrition
2% Asian
3% Two or more races
81%
7% International 13%
White
Academic Disciplines
bachelor’s degrees are awarded to minorities
RACE
19%
Black
56%
• Social Work • International Disaster Preparedness
Affiliated Research Centers • Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/ AIDS and Drug Abuse (FIU-CRUSADA)
Hispanic
• Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLaRO)
RANKINGS STEMPEL COLLEGE
#
49
Among public universities and 78th overall U.S. News & World Report
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
53
#
Among public universities and 77th overall U.S. News & World Report
• Center for Statistical Consulting and Collaboration (FIU-STATCONSULT) • Community-Based Research Institute (CBRI) • Global Health Consortium (GHC) • Health Disparities Research Center at a Minority Institution (RCMI)
ONLINE MPH
10
#
Program in the country, according to PublicHealth.org
15
#
In return on investment, according to Guide to Online Schools
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REAL LEANS IN TO A CRISIS. The Stempel College family sprang into action when a global pandemic gripped the world, tending to people, families and communities devastated by personal and economic losses and contributing to the healing of hearts and homes touched by COVID-19. Seeing the crisis as an opportunity to educate and innovate created ripples of hope felt throughout South Florida and beyond.
Researchers from Stempel College launched THE CLICK HERE TO VIEW WEBSITE
MIAMI-DADE COVID-19 TREND TRACKER, A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO MONITORING THE LONG- AND SHORT-TERM TRENDS OF COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON LOCAL HOSPITALS. Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, chair of the Department of Epidemiology; Dr. Zoran Bursac, chair of the Department of Biostatistics; Dr. Gabriel J. Odom, assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics; and Roy Williams MPH ’20, launched the site in April to explain the data in lay terms to local policymakers who have to balance public health and the economy. The site also tracks hospitalization data, a key indicator of the county’s hospital capacity to handle existing and new cases.
CLICK HERE TO SEE DR. TREPKA IN ACTION
DR. MARY JO TREPKA, chair of the Department of Epidemiology, educated a nation on edge as she conducted interviews across TV, radio and online outlets. The former director of epidemiology and disease control for the Miami-Dade County Health Department worked to educate viewers and readers, reaching an estimated audience of more than 300 million through her efforts. Her media work was particularly welcomed in Miami-Dade County – home to nearly 3 million people and the 7th most populous county in the United States.
As the number of positive cases rose and Florida became Ground Zero in the global pandemic, STEMPEL COLLEGE
STUDENTS INTERNED WITH LOCAL COVID-19 EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS, including those for the City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach. Our students’ participation in these critical operations came at a time when community leaders needed it most. Stempel College students brought energy and optimism to their volunteer roles and gained real-world experience beyond our campus borders.
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C O V I D -1 9 R E S P O N S E WITH MIAMI SERVING AS A GATEWAY TO LATIN AMERICA, STEMPEL COLLEGE FACULTY PROVIDED MUCHNEEDED SUPPORT TO THE REGION, STRENGTHENING OUR INTERCONNECTEDNESS. Dr. Carlos Espinal, director of
ALUMNA BRIDGET PELAEZ MA ’17 rushes in where there’s disaster. In
Stempel
November that meant commanding a federal team of 20 critical care physicians,
College’s
nurses and respiratory therapists as they answered a call for help at a hospital
Global Health
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
out west overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. As deputy
Consortium and a consultant
commander for the two-week deployment, Pelaez – who holds a
for the Pan American Health
master’s in disaster management and works as assistant director
Organization/World Health
of FIU’s Division of Operations and Safety and serve as adjunct
Organization (PAHO/WHO),
faculty at Stempel College’s Academy for International Disaster
continues to consult with PAHO/
Preparedness – created relationships among the different hospital departments
WHO on how best to improve
to better understand their needs holistically. She and her team ultimately left
health outcomes in Latin
behind a blueprint for continuing the work once her team returned home.
America during the pandemic. He also serves on a task force
Knowing that Blacks and Latinos experience disproportionally high death rates from COVID-19 but are underrepresented among
MARIANNA BAUM, A PROFESSOR OF DIETETICS AND NUTRITION, AND HER TEAM EMBARKED ON AN NIH-FUNDED STUDY THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A LARGER STUDY EXPLORING POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO TESTING AND WAYS TO INCREASE COVID-19 TESTING AMONG POOR MINORITIES. The team is collaborating with colleagues in CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
those tested, DR.
the Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program to encourage testing at temporary testing sites associated with the study. Participants complete questionnaires in English, Spanish or Creole to determine if they had previously sought testing and, if not, why not. Another goal of the study is to evaluate the success of community leaders’ efforts to encourage testing – information that will inform strategies to promote COVID-19 vaccination.
that advises the government of Cartagena, Colombia. And Dr. Cristina Palacios, associate professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, worked with a team of international experts to develop a guide for the Latin American Society of Nutrition to help frontline workers protect their health.
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RAHEL DAWIT, A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, IS EXAMINING SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS SUCH AS LIVING IN ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED NEIGHBORHOODS OR DISTANCE TO CARE FACILITIES ON HIV CARE OUTCOMES AND THEIR IMPACT ON SUSTAINED HIV VIRAL SUPPRESSION. Dawit received a two-year grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health to conduct the research. “There has been little research to date about the role of neighborhood factors in achieving sustained viral suppression,” Dawit said. “The objective of this study is to assess the contribution of neighborhood, geographic and distance factors on racial/ethnic disparities in achieving sustained HIV viral suppression.” Miami-Dade County, home to FIU and Stempel College, has one of the highest rates of HIV in the country.
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STUDENT SUCCESS Real knows confidence comes from being prepared. Stempel College students earn their education in the community as well as in our classrooms and labs. This was especially true in 2020, when our community grappled with myriad effects of living through a global pandemic. Our goal every year is to ensure that our students gain the knowledge and experience they need to graduate prepared and confident for whatever their futures hold. They rose to the unprecedented challenges of 2020, helping our communities in ways real and relevant and preparing themselves for successful lives beyond FIU.
MPH ONLINE STUDENT AARON BORRELLI EXPERIENCED THE INTERSECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE during the pandemic in his role as a public health advisor at the Centers for
JERVON WRIGHT IS THE FIRST STUDENT TO WORK TOWARD HIS MPH DURING HIS MEDICAL DEGREE COURSEWORK THANKS TO A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN STEMPEL COLLEGE AND FIU’S HERBERT WERTHEIM COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.
for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious
AS PART OF HIS COURSEWORK FOR HIS BACHELOR’S IN SOCIAL WORK, ARD MANEUS
Disease. Borrelli coordinated and
conducted his internship through
concentration in epidemiology. After
fostered opportunities for strategic
NeighborhoodHELP. For Maneus and
making the decision to specialize in
collaboration and communication in
his student colleagues, the need for
radiology, Wright decided an MPH
a national cooperative agreement
social distancing and to shelter in
would give him much – needed
program that awards funding
place presented an opportunity to
exposure to research design,
to state, local and territorial
learn about the future of telehealth
biostatistics and critical appraisal
health departments to detect,
and the changing dynamics of social
– areas that he believes will bolster
respond to, control and prevent
work. The students learned that
his expertise when it comes to
infectious diseases. Borrelli says
connecting with their clients via
interpreting data and developing his
he saw firsthand the “diverse and
phone calls – particularly for those
own studies. He says knowledge of the
interconnected sectors of society
whose homes do not have internet
healthcare system will also give him
that are affected and how many
access – provided a great benefit,
the power to recognize what changes
ways public health plays a key role
especially to those experiencing
to policy are necessary for the benefit
in our lives”.
extreme isolation.
of the public’s health.
Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections within the National Center
Wright is using his fourth year of medical school to complete the accelerated MPH program with a
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Real asks what the world doesn’t know and goes after the answers. Our Stempel College community spent 2020 accelerating research around complicated health and social welfare issues, hoping to drive better outcomes in the most underserved populations. Our passion and perseverance is reflected in our progress:
We’ve tripled our research growth in the last five years.
STEMPEL RESEARCH BY THE NUMBERS
$16.5M
#18
FY 2019-20 award actions
Rank in NIH funding among public Schools of Public Health
+152%
+179%
In research growth (award actions) since FY 2015-16
In research expenditures since FY 2015-16
Researchers at Stempel College are one step closer to understanding how inhibiting dynamin related protein-1 (Drp1) in the brain might be a protective mechanism that can be used as a therapeutic strategy for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients.
A TEAM LED BY KIM TIEU, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, TARGETED AN IMPORTANT PROTEIN LINKED TO PD, A-SYNUCLEIN. In cell models, the researchers
STEMPEL COLLEGE RANKED 18TH IN THE COUNTRY IN MOST NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)-funded
observed how a-synuclein impaired mitochondria, increased
public health programs at public universities and
oxidative stress, accumulation and spread of toxic protein.
28th overall, according to The Blue Ridge Institute
The team found that blocking Drp1 significantly improved
for Medical Research.
the function of mitochondria and autophagy. Through a combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches, the team found that blocking Drp1 was protective against toxicity caused by a-synuclein. Most of the data in the resulting published paper was generated from a dissertation project by Rebecca Fan, a post-doctoral research associate in Tieu’s lab.
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THIS PUTS STEMPEL COLLEGE NO. 2 IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND NO. 1 IN SOUTH FLORIDA in NIH funding.
Out of a possible 177 public health schools nationwide, only 67 schools had enough NIH funding to be included in the list.
Researchers from Plymouth University and Fudan University
The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research is an
also contributed to the publication.
independent, non-profit, scientific research institute.
RESEARCH
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT STEMPEL RESEARCH
RESEARCHERS AT STEMPEL COLLEGE HAVE FOUND THAT EXPOSURE TO SOCIAL MEDIA DISCRIMINATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, particularly among male Hispanic young adults. Miguel Angel Cano, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, sought to examine how exposure to ethnic discrimination on social media impacts mental health. Results of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism-funded study, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, found that upon exposure to social media posts such as photos, memes or videos that include ethnic discrimination, users felt higher levels of depression and anxiety, even after controlling for overall self-esteem. Cano says more studies on the topic are needed to develop culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions.
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BOUBAKARI IBRAHIMOU, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOSTATISTICS, WAS AWARDED A FIVE-YEAR GRANT BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH’S NATIONAL HEART, LUNG & BLOOD INSTITUTE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND PARTICULATE MATTER METALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR EFFECTS ON HEALTH. The project looks to find a novel statistical STEMPEL COLLEGE RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO SMOKE E-CIGARETTES ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME REGULAR CIGARETTE SMOKERS. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that young people who were using e-cigarettes were five times more likely to be regular cigarette smokers a year later. Led by Wasim Maziak, professor in the Department of Epidemiology; Zoran Bursac, chair of the Department of Biostatistics; and Olatokumbo Osibogun, post-doctoral associate in the Department of Epidemiology, the study found e-cigarette users who transitioned to regular cigarettes were also more likely to have “robust transitions” rather than experimentation.
method to identify pollutant mixtures and will investigate racial/ethnic disparity in cardiovascular risk factors after exposure to pollutant mixtures during pregnancy. Ibrahimou hopes his research will lead to healthier babies and serve as the basis for future air pollution regulation.
CRISTINA PALACIOS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DIETETICS AND NUTRITION, PUBLISHED TWO WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION-FUNDED PAPERS THAT SURVEY GLOBAL INTAKE OF CALCIUM AND ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL TO INCORPORATE IT INTO FOOD CONSUMED IN COUNTRIES WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE OF NUTRITIONAL RICKETS. In cultures where animal milk and products such as cheese and yogurt have not traditionally played a role in diet, such as Japan, and in developing countries without easy access to such foods, such as Nigeria, the prevalence of nutritional rickets can be several hundred percent greater than elsewhere. Palacios suggests that introducing calcium fortification programs in countries that do not have them could have a positive return on health.
IN OTHER E-CIGARETTE RESEARCH, STEMPEL COLLEGE INVESTIGATORS COMPLETED ONE OF THE FIRST CONTROLLED STUDIES TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF RESTRICTING FLAVOR OF JUUL ON USERS’ EXPERIENCE. The pilot study was led by Mayra VargasRivera, clinical research laboratory manager, and Wasim Maziak, professor in the Department of Epidemiology, and was part of an FIU Research Center in Minority Institutions initiative. The study found that participants using the standard tobaccoflavored JUUL pod reported less satisfaction, enjoyment, urge to vape and product appeal compared to their preferred flavor. In fact, participants said they would be less likely to vape the tobacco-flavored JUUL in the future, even if it was the only available flavor. The results were published in the specialty journal Tobacco Control. Says Vargas-Rivera, “We believe that limiting flavors on all devices represents a potentially effective strategy that needs to be further explored to reduce the appeal and use of e-cigarettes by young people in the United States.”
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F A C U LT Y N E W S
Michael Anastario joined Stempel
Tomas R. Guilarte, Stempel College dean
College as an assistant professor in the
and professor in the Department of
Department of Health Promotion and
Environmental Health Sciences, received
Disease Prevention. His current research
the Society of Toxicology’s 2020 Metal
focuses on examining two aspects of
Specialty Section Career Achievement
marginalized communities: 1) sexual and reproductive
Award. The group is the largest professional organization
health; and 2) diseases of the genitourinary system. In
of toxicologists in the world. Guilarte has made impactful
addition to grant-funded research, he has more than a
contributions to the field of metals neurotoxicology, and
decade of experience directing health program evaluations
his work has been cited more than 11,000 times.
for nonprofit organizations. Roberto Lucchini joined Stempel College Diana Azzam, assistant professor in the
as a professor in the Department of
Department of Environmental Health
Environmental Health Sciences. He is a
Sciences, is working with colleagues
world expert in manganese neurotoxicity and has an extensive publication record.
from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on an observational study to test the efficacy
As former director of the World Trade Center Data Center, he
of standard drug protocols on individual children’s
has expertise managing large epidemiological health
tumor tissue. She will treat doctor-provided samples of
surveillance on neurodegeneration, mental health, cancer
sarcoma with the pharmaceuticals most commonly
and respiratory diseases among the responders of the 9/11
prescribed for the disease as well as commonly used
terrorist attacks.
combinations of those drugs. Jason Mitchell joined Stempel College as Shanna Burke, assistant professor in the
an associate professor. He has more than
School of Social Work, and a colleague in
14 years of experience in design,
the College of Arts, Sciences & Education
implementation and analysis of HIV
received a grant to develop leadership training for human resource personnel
prevention research projects with male couples, sexual minority men, and LGBTQ couples. His
and supervisors whose organizations offer internships or
research leverages digital technologies and combines
provide shadowing opportunities for FIU Embrace students
relationship science with biobehavioral strategies to
with intellectual disabilities. The duo plans to provide
improve HIV- and substance use-related outcomes among
managers with strategies that focus on supporting
at-risk populations.
employees with intellectual disabilities. Kim Tieu, chair of the Department of Miguel Angel Cano, associate professor
Environmental Health Sciences, was
in the Department of Epidemiology,
invited to serve as a member of the Neural
received a distinguished early career
Oxidative Metabolism and Death Study
award from the National Latinx Psychological Association for a body of
Section for the Center for Scientific Review. Members are asked to serve based on the quality of
work that includes a groundbreaking investigation of how
their research accomplishments, publications in scientific
online discrimination and racism impact the mental health
journals and other significant scientific activities,
of those on the receiving end.
achievements and honors.
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REAL IS MORE EFFECTIVE TOGETHER THAN ALONE. Stempel College’s outreach extends into Europe, Asia and the Americas.
GLOBAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM Stempel College is home to the Global Health Consortium, which addresses key global health challenges affecting large populations around the globe. Leveraging an international community of experts and partnering with the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization on many initiatives, in 2020 the consortium hosted virtual workshops, online non-credit courses in Spanish on arboviruses, and webinars to help the public separate COVID-19 fact from fiction. The consortium also conducts research in vital global health topics, including COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, diabetes, cervical cancer elimination, vaccine hesitancy, and pertussis.
CLICK HERE CLICK HERE FOR THE FOR THE CONFERENCE’S CONFERENCE’S PLAY LIST IN PLAY LIST IN ENGLISH SPANISH
73 Global experts presented and participated in panel discussions
2,500+ 17,000+ Participants from more than 60 countries
Views of online conference content
The highlight of the consortium’s year is its annual conference. In 2020, the pandemic necessitated that the conference go virtual, but enthusiasm remained at an all-time high. Over the course of 3 days, a who’s who in public health participated in panel discussions, providing a critical global forum. The next Global Health Consortium Conference will be hybrid (in-person and virtual) in Cartagena, Colombia, from Nov. 17-20, 2021.
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L
BEYOND OUR BORDERS In 2020, nine MOUs were signed CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
with universities, bringing our expanded reach to the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Italy and Peru. This expanded reach will lead to increased research initiatives, more student
GLOBAL CONTINUING EDUCATION
and executive seminars, and better and more frequent student and faculty exchanges.
INCREASED RESEARCH INITIATIVES, ADDITIONAL STUDENT AND EXECUTIVE
ONLINE COURSES
TARGETED SEMINARS
An arbovirus course late in the year
In 2020, Dr. Nan Hu taught a
in which GHC partnered with the
biostatistics module in Quito,
AND MORE FREQUENT
Pan American Health Organization
Ecuador, at Universidad de las
STUDENT AND FACULTY
attracted nearly 19,000
Americas, to glowing reviews.
registrants, 12,000 of whom
This brings the total number
EXCHANGES ARE JUST
completed the course and received
of international students
A FEW OF THE BENEFITS
their certificate.
participating in non-credit
OF OUR GLOBAL
seminars since 2018 to 135.
COLLABORATIONS.
SEMINARS, AND BETTER
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REAL KNOWS THE WORLD IS WAITING. Stempel College graduates span the globe, contributing their skills and knowledge in myriad ways.
9,288 Alumni
49
4
29
States
U.S. territories
Countries
Anchoring the defense for Super Bowl LIV Brian Rafky MA ’19, a major in the
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
Miami-Dade Police Department and
Fatima Arifi ’20 is among the first girls
director of the South East Florida
in her family to attend school. When
Fusion Center, led the joint operations
it came time to earn her master’s
center, intelligence operations center
degree, she left the male-dominated
and emergency operations center for
society of Kabul, Afghanistan, and
Super Bowl LIV. Brian holds a master
traveled 7,000 miles to FIU for
in disaster management and said that
her MPH with a concentration in
the program helped prepare him for the
epidemiology. Now working for the
processes and collaboration structures needed to ensure that all the first
responders were Super Bowl ready. The inter-agency
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Focusing on community health in Afghanistan during COVID-19
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
World Health Organization, Fatima is supporting the development of the core capacities required for
task force combined all local, state and federal agencies
preparedness and response to COVID-19 by preventing
– everything from public works to the FBI. Before the big
cross border and national spread of the virus. “While
game, Rafky said, “This level of cooperation isn’t easy
many would prefer to work abroad rather than in a
to do. We’ve been meeting regularly for over a year to
conflict-affected country like Afghanistan, I want to
discuss the possible best outcomes on game day.”
make an impact on my own country.”
ALUMNI
A RISING CHAMPION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD After serving 10 years as a physician in his African homeland of Burkina Faso, Dr. Donald Yanogo MPH ’19 came to FIU as a
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
Fulbright scholar to earn an MPH. His country’s poor record on communicable diseases served as a catalyst for leaving his young family behind. Since graduating, Donald has returned home where he cofounded and leads the community-based organization Association Burkinabé pour le Bien Etre Collectif. He and a team of fellow doctors and nurses travel outside of the capital two or three times per month on market days to conduct health-education sessions.
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