Meet MPH Student Naw EhKu

MPH student Naw EhKu enjoys learning about international health issues and has attended several global health seminars at UAlbany. A strong student and a CDPHP Scholar, she is eager to learn and apply her knowledge to improve the health of communities around her.

But in particular, Naw EhKu is passionate about improving refugee health.

She was born in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, where she spent the first 14 years of her life until her resettlement to Albany, New York in 2010. Her experience drastically influenced her desire to help others— and at a very young age, she wanted to become a midwife.

“My mother’s death while giving birth to me was due to a complex web of public health problems, including the minimal training of healthcare workers, lack of adequate medical equipment and facilities, and the politics of providing healthcare to refugees,” says Naw EhKu.

“I thought that if I became a well-educated midwife, I could train others to prevent unnecessary loss of life during childbirth.”

Naw EhKu decided to enter the public health field after completing a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She chose to attend UAlbany for graduate school due to its close relationship with NYSDOH and the amount of public health options available for students. It hasn’t been an easy journey for Naw EhKu.

“Schooling in my refugee camp was not up to standard, and when I came to New York, I had to learn everything from the beginning even though I was in high school,” she says. “In fact, I’m still learning new things that much younger students probably already know just because I come from a totally different world— my refugee world.”

Despite the language and academic barriers Naw EhKu has faced and continues to face, she pushes onwards with determination to complete her MPH. Sometimes, it’s hard for her to see the challenges she faces since her end goal is so strong: to work for a non-governmental organization such as the World Health Organization or the United Nations Refugee Agency to help improve health for vulnerable populations.

And already, Naw EhKu is making a difference through volunteer work as an interpreter and translator. She speaks English, Karen and Burmese, enabling her to help many refugees in the Capital Region.

In March 2020, through the Refugee Community Health Partnership of Trinity Alliance, she presented on social distancing to members of the refugee community who work in positions that may expose them to health and safety hazards, combining her public health knowledge with her understanding of the refugee experience.

“It’s important for me to participate in activities to support and uplift my refugee community as much as possible,” says Naw EhKu. “And with my degree in public health, I will be able to do so even more. Public health practitioners help communities— many people—to live a healthy life by promoting health and wellness and preventing disease.”