As a life-long public servant, I have a strong natural instinct driving me to serve the public and to contribute to the common good. After interfacing with various communities at home and abroad during health aid points of distribution and emergency response events, I became interested in diving deeper into the science behind health care practices and medicine. I specifically yearned to learn the latest evidence-based approaches to chronic and infectious diseases and to understand why health interventions vary so drastically from one country to another.

This curiosity and desire to bolster my practical experience in global health with scientific knowledge and expertise led me to stumble upon the Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program at A.T. Still University's College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS). Of the DHSc programs available, I chose ATSU because of the diversified curricula and academic rigor associated with its Global Health concentration, which appeared to dovetail nicely with my professional experience and future career goals.

Over the course of the DHSc program, I was afforded the opportunity to conduct in-depth case studies on controversial medical ethics issues and to comprehensively explore a comparison of international health systems. I also pushed myself to the limits of my intellectual capacity during the Applied Research Project (ARP) phase of the program, where I conducted original clinical research using a survey instrument on the topic of dietary treatment approaches to migraine management. I have never excelled in statistics; however, the patient guidance of my faculty advisor and her kind coaching empowered me to push myself and to persevere through quantitative methods, and my original study is now pending publication with the American Medical Journal (AMJ).

During my time at ATSU, I also served as a CGHS Student Ambassador and helped connect current and prospective students with information and guidance from a peer perspective. As for next steps, I am hoping to leverage my newfound scientific research skills from ATSU into a new Global Health or Health Scientist career. I am grateful to ATSU and its faculty for recently helping me cross the doctoral finish line with flying colors!