June 4, 2015 — In the spring of 2015, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health provided Loan Relief Awards to seven graduating students. The awards, totaling $200,000, will help alleviate the federal and private loan debt burden on students, allowing them to pursue careers that align with their passions and interests, rather than choose careers simply for financial reasons.
The Loan Relief Awards are intended to promote careers in public service, with a focus on nonprofits located in underserved areas in the United States or in developing countries. The awards were funded by the recent $350 million gift from the Morningside Foundation.
Loan relief award recipients
Timothy Attoye, a physician, graduated with his MPH in global health and will return to his home country, Nigeria, and complete his residency at Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Timothy pursued his MPH to better understand how non-medical factors such as poverty and gender inequality have negatively impacted Nigeria’s health system. After completing his residency, Timothy plans to pursue a DrPH, and will use his education to help Nigeria better deploy its resources to meet growing health needs.
Sandra Danso-Bamfo, a native of Ghana, graduated with her MPH in global health, and will start a year-long fellowship with the GE foundation as a Global Health Corps Fellow this summer. Fellows with the Global Health Corps serve their communities and gain valuable on-the-job experience, while promoting global health justice and equity. Working with the GE Foundation will give Sandra the opportunity to explore innovative approaches to addressing access to primary care by equipping communities with the technology and capacity to expand primary care for under-served populations.
Martín Escandón graduated with his MPH in social and behavior sciences, with a concentration in maternal and child health. Martin will be returning to the University of California San Francisco to finish medical school. He plans to complete his residency at a county hospital where he can serve underinsured and underserved patients, and eventually hopes to return home to Washington State and work at a Federally Qualified Health Center.
Natalie Gyenes graduated with her MPH in global health, and is pursuing positions involving research and advocacy for child development. Natalie is passionate about studying the effects of poverty and related socioeconomic and environmental factors on health and child development. During her time at the Havard Chan School, Natalie worked on a project with the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and also served as primary investigator on a project in Ghana that examined the effects of nutrition on child health.
Katherine Heflin graduated with her SM (2-Year Master of Science) in health policy and management, and will be working at the non-profit Center for Health Care Strategies. In this role, Katherine will be focusing on Medicaid programs in 38 states, as well as the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program for low-income access to hospitals for indigent populations in New York City. The position is an extension of Katherine’s work with low-income populations, including: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) patients at the Fenway Institute; low-income seniors and Medicare recipients in Massachusetts at the BCBS of MA Foundation; domestic violence survivors at D.C. SAFE; and those in need of legal assistance and access to the courts (such as for evictions and domestic violence) through the Self-Help Center at the Superior Court of California Santa Clara.
Sean Kim graduated with his SM in epidemiology, blending his training as a pharmacist with his interest in pharmaceutical sciences and public health. Kim will work as a graduate civilian pharmacist in the Indian Health Service in Arizona, eventually transitioning to a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service. Sean’s goal is to improve health outcomes for Native Americans. He is particularly interested in establishing a Medication Therapy Management program for Native Americans with metabolic syndrome.
Nana Yaa Koram, a physician and a native of Ghana, received her MPH in health policy management. Nana was inspired to pursue a career in public health following her mother’s diagnosis with malignant hypertension—a condition exacerbated by the lack of primary care options in Ghana. Nana will return to Ghana and advocate for improved primary care access to basic chronic disease screening measures, including hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
photo: Emily Cuccarese
Additional Coverage
Harvard Chan graduates urged to stay alert to unexpected opportunities
Commencement video
Commencement slideshow
Commencement photo gallery
Award winners
Commencement Eve photo gallery
Dean Julio Frenk address
Student speaker Shaniece Criss address
Alumni Association President Anthony Dias address