Author: keyarris@uoregon.edu

Riley Shaffer graduated last spring with a double major in International Studies and Spanish and a minor in Global Health. She’s spent the last year in Los Angeles as a residential counselor at a treatment center for teens with mental health, behavioral, and substance use issues. She recently committed to Boston University to pursue a Master of Public Health degree. 

Riley answered a few questions about her takeaways from UO and what her future at Boston University and after holds. 

Why did you decide to pursue an MPH at Boston University and what do you hope to learn there? 

I decided to pursue my MPH/MSW at Boston University because their program encapsulates a social justice lens using a “think, teach, do” approach. I believe BU’s programs will allow me to simultaneously gain a broad foundation of public health thought and practice as well as specialize in learning to create appropriate interventions that resonate and align with community goals across various contexts and populations. I am looking forward to diving into the Mental Health and Substance Use track within the MPH and the clinical and Trauma and Violence track in the MSW. In a broader scope, Boston city has been and continues to be at the forefront of innovative public health delivery and service.  

What was your biggest takeaway from the GH minor? 

The Global Health program at UO inspired me to become curious about why health disparities such as education and access to mental health support and services exist and how different approaches function to be effective or ineffective.  

How can you apply the topics you’ve learned about in GH classes to work outside of the classroom? 

I have found that I am already utilizing my global health toolbox at the residential treatment facility I am working at.  I try to be mindful about the intersectional social determinants that may have contributed to a client’s experience with mental illness. Furthermore, I have found myself tuning into various pillars of explanatory models of distress within the clients I interact with: What language do they use to describe their experience? What cultural, familial, and personal factors contribute to how they perceive themselves?  

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your aspirations of working in health promotion and disease prevention? 

I have been inspired by the local, national, and global actors that have stepped up to respond innovatively to begin filling the many “need gaps” uncovered by COVID-19. I have been thinking about the role of social support as a protective factor in resilience and recovery from illness.  

Grant Klausen graduated from the University of Oregon with a minor in Global Health in 2019. Read on to find out more about their post-graduation plans.

After graduating from the U of O, I moved home to the Seattle area to begin working on the graduate school application and job search process.

[In Spring 2020], I committed to go to New York University’s School of Global Public Health to get my Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health.

During my time in the program, I hope to focus on the impacts of US imperialism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and single payer healthcare.

In the meantime, I will be working as a home health aide in the Seattle area.

Have questions about the Global Health Minor, the Students for Global Health Club, applying to MPH programs, or finding MPH programs with global health components? Email us at ocias@uoregon.edu!

Gabriella Farland knew from a young age that she had a love for language and travel, as well as an internal longing to help others and a nerdy fascination with science and health. That is why Farland originally came into the University of Oregon as a Biology major planning on pursing a pre-medical track in college. However, during Farland’s second term of college, a friend asked her to take a Global Health course with them, and since the course went with her general track, Farland decided to check it out. “I wasn’t aware of the International Studies major or that a subject area like Global Health existed. I had always loved science, but the STEM field was missing the elements of humanities and social sciences that I also loved. I was immediately drawn to the global health course material, and it felt like all of my academic interests were finally falling into place,” said Farland.

It was in that Global Health course where Farland discovered her true passions and made the decision to switch her studies to Global Health (GH) and International Studies (INTL) because the programs combined her passions for health and culture, showing how they intersect and impact how we view and approach health. “My area of study challenges me to approach health from a holistic point of view and problem solve from many different angles, which constantly brings something new and exciting in the process of trying to do some good,” said Farland.

Farland has since loved her experience in the program. Farland has taken courses ranging from Schizophrenia Across Cultures to Global Reproductive Health to UN Interventions and Conflict Resolution. The INTL program allowed Farland to study many different things and grow in her academic career, which she feels has prepared her to continue to grow. The INTL program has also helped Farland see the world in a different perspective. “I feel this is at the root of the International Studies program,” said Farland. “I now see the world through multiple cultural lenses and perspectives and hold the view that there is a beauty in the diversity of these perspectives.”

Farland’s experience in the program has been tremendous, but she could not have done it without the inspiration of her mother, who inspires Farland everyday with her patience, intelligence, tenacity, courage, and compassion. “Not only was my mother a first-generation college student, but she was also a pioneer businesswoman in an environment of mostly men and a loving mom who preserved at home and in the workplace after suffering two strokes,” said Farland. Farland’s mother’s ability to overcome challenges also helped Farland help her deal with her biggest challenge of living with a chronic illness of her own. “Each day that I am healthy is a small victory and learning to live with my chronic illness rather than let it define me and takeover my life is a win in my book,” said Farland.

Because of her integrity to fight her biggest battle, Farland knows that she isn’t afraid of challenging any obstacle that comes in her way, especially the time she climbed her first ever mountain in Patagonia, Argentina. “I am proud of accomplishing other academic and professional pursuits, yet this in particular, was an accomplishment that I am physically, mentally, and emotionally very proud of,” said Farland. It felt nearly impossible for Farland to climb the mountain at certain point, but it was a true testament that if she set her mind to something and believe in herself, then she could accomplish anything.

For these reasons, Gabriella Farland is a Future Global Leader!

She’s an avid gamer, a cat lover, and a Frisbee fanatic. She’s also an occasional explorer, who’s been to Vietnam, Mexico, France, England, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Dominican Republic. She is none other than Mekinsie Callahan.

The UO senior from Portland, Oregon is studying Global Health (GH), and is a passionate individual, especially when it comes to the health field. In fact, Callahan’s greatest inspiration in life is Jim Yong Kim, a pioneer in the world of health who has advocated bringing healthcare to places that need it the most. However, it wasn’t until joining the Students for Global Health Club here, at the University of Oregon, where Callahan got serious about pursuing a career in health. It was at this club where Callahan received the opportunity to hang out with like-minded peers, participate in fundraisers, and discuss ethically challenging matters regarding global health. This is also where Callahan discovered the Global Health minor. “The program seemed to align well with my interests, so I decided to apply,” said Callahan.

Since then, Callahan has enjoyed studying global health, as she finds it very informative and intellectually stimulating. “I have always enjoyed learning the material involved with global health as they often apply to my interests,” said Callahan. Global health has allowed Callahan to participate in exciting local health opportunities, such as volunteering with the HIV Alliance, where she serves as a testing technician, and volunteering at the Needle Exchange Program, which helps to reduce the transmission of HIV through harm reduction principles. The global health program has also taught Callahan important information on the current state health around the world. Callahan’s new knowledge on such topics has shaped the way she views health in different communities as well as change many misconceptions that she has held previously about the field.

Callahan believes that the global health minor has helped her academic growth improve significantly over the years, which has also helped her overcome her most significant challenge of anxiety involving academics. “I often feel as though I have to do correctly on every test or else I won’t have any chance for getting into graduate school. I overcame such stresses by coming to terms with the fact that whatever grade I get won’t really matter in the grand scheme of things,” said Callahan. That is why Callahan tries to enjoy what she is doing as much as possible and weed out anything that does not bring her joy. Regardless, Callahan believes in a strong work ethic.

Callahan wants to work as a physician’s assistant in the future and hopes to bring healthcare to places where it currently isn’t accessible. Callahan also has a passion for the HIV/AIDS community and wishes to use the knowledge in global health to better assimilate into the field later on. But for now, Callahan is in the process of applying and attending graduate school, where she hopes to deepen her passion and knowledge for the field of global health.

Challenges may get in Callahan’s way, but that doesn’t stop her from breaking them down. Despite the challenges along the way, Callahan is able to break down the root of the challenge and overcome the adversity. This capacity has given her the ability to follow her passion and pursue big dreams in her life, and the knowledge she has gained from the GH program will get her there.

For these reasons, Mekinsie Callahan is a Future Global Leader!