Kristen Zozulin

Kristen completed her bachelor’s degree in Systems Biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland with honors for research in ecology and minors in technical theatre and classical studies. After college, she served in the Peace Corps as an Education Volunteer in Liberia from 2013 to 2014. As a Peace Corps volunteer, she taught high school biology in rural Liberia and designed secondary projects in malaria outreach and organization of the school library. She was evacuated in August 2014 due to the Ebola outbreak, then returned the following year as a Peace Corps response volunteer. She taught chemistry and had secondary projects in girls empowerment and practical science experiments. When she returned from Liberia, she was accepted to the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. With a passion for the art and power of storytelling, she has won recognition for her writing on patient and global health experiences in medical school, including the Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare essay contest sponsored by the Gold Foundation for her essay entitled, “Eric.” Her capstone project is a collaboration with Mukogodo Girls Empowerment Program in rural Kenya to develop programming for Maasai students. Through an informal, summer camp-style setting, students learn about reproductive health, menstrual hygiene and female genital mutilation from local and international mentors and carry out community projects. Kristen is currently in her fourth year of medical school and plans to pursue a residency in Family Medicine and continue her work in global public health.

Kenya

What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?
The Ben Kean Fellowship is a terrific honor that will enable me to implement an effective, longitudinal program in Kenya. It was my dream when I applied to medical school to become a physician in global public health and receiving this award is an important step toward that goal. I feel I am a part of the community of professionals committed to building systems of global health and equity, and it is both humbling and incredibly inspiring.

What do you anticipate learning?
With the funding provided by the Ben Kean Fellowship, I will be taking part in clinical experience in Kenya as well continuing my capstone project on educational programming for youth in rural areas. I anticipate that I will develop significantly as a clinician, including clinical reasoning and treatment decisions in scenarios that I would not encounter in the U.S. I am very excited about the opportunity to learn from expert Kenyan physicians and other clinicians. I will also continue to learn from my counterparts on my capstone project, who have a wealth of experience on development and education work in that setting. I look forward to building my leadership skills in project design and implementation.

What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?
I am interested in essentially all aspects of clinical tropical medicine, especially as they relate to equitable distribution of healthcare resources and empowerment of local communities. My main areas of interest are women’s health and empowerment, community health and healthcare advocacy. During my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, I was often struck by the systemic dysfunction and the innovation of individuals and organizations in the face of everyday challenges. Individuals cannot pursue education, employment or systemic development if they are not well, and therefore any kind of positive social change must include access to quality healthcare. I hope to be both an advocate and participant in initiatives to address the unfair provision of healthcare access.