Member Highlights
Joanna Conklin and Laura Smith
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Joanna Conklin and Laura Smith to the Global Health Team. They will be working together to coordinate the Global Health Program at WCHN. Joanna has been coordinator of UVM Larner College of Medicine, and Laura of Ross University School of Medicine and American University of the Caribbean. We are honored and privileged that they have accepted these new responsibilities atop their existing ones.
Their multidimensional professional and personal skills, and wealth of experience in administration will contribute greatly to our program. Their tasks, both numerous and essential, include coordinating with several partner sites inside and around the world, welcoming guests from international sites for capacity building, and supporting our students, residents, and faculty at WCHN as well as in our satellite sites. Let us welcome Joanna and Laura to the team!
A Word from Marina Zakharova
Since joining the Office of International Affairs of KSMU last year, I have been involved in coordinating a number of happenings in the Global Health Program, alongside Global Health Officer Dilyara Nurkhametova. I recently organized the annual Global Health Scholarship Contest for electives in Uganda and the Dominican Republic through which students are chosen every year. I also help global health participants prepare required documents. Next year, I will be in charge of organizing the global health elective at KSMU.
Through my work in global health, I have learned a lot about the field and its ideology. I have discovered that the notions of human rights protection, effective healthcare, philanthropy, and empathy are truly important to me and vital to the world. I plan to work toward boosting KSMU’s global health structure and development in the years ahead. I hope to gain more experience in the Global Health Program, become more well versed in its philosophy, and be prepared to manage its challenges.