Barbara Bush with AU Public Health Scholar, Shiko Wambaa.

AU Public Health Scholar Shiko Wambaa and Public Health Scholars Program Director Melissa Hawkins attended the 2016 Global Health Mini-University at George Washington University. Held on March 4, the Global Health Mini-University is an annual day-long learning forum for global health professionals and students.

Barbara Bush, co-founder and CEO of Global Health Corps (GHC), spoke to a packed room of attendees for the Discover Your Global Health Career panel session. GHC is a leadership development organization focused on mobilizing a global community of young leaders to improve health equity by pairing young professionals under the age of 30 with a nonprofit health organization or government agency in a year-long paid fellowship.

 “This was my first time attending the Mini-University. As I approach my last year at AU, I am eager to learn about the job and fellowship options that are available to me after graduation, as well as new skills I can practice and develop as I consider applying for different opportunities,” said Wambaa, a second year Public Health Scholar who is interested in global health. “The career panel was informative and inspiring. I am excited as I prepare for the next steps in my public health career!"

Wyatt Bensken BS Public Health ’16 and Public Health Scholar attended the meeting of the National Prevention Council at the Department of the Interior. Through his internship in the Office of Public Health of the National Park Service, Wyatt worked on a project analyzing the smoking and tobacco policies of the 59 national parks. This information was presented to the National Prevention Council as the National Parks were being used as a model for health. 

After the meeting, Wyatt met with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy about Public Health and what it means to be a student of Public Health at AU. In addition to the presentation to the National Prevention Council and the Surgeon General, the information was passed to decision-makers to inform them on the current status of smoking in national parks, and to make recommendations for updating policies to reflect public health priorities.