Kabba Kargbo, Public Health Threats in Suriname, Summer 2026
Before traveling to Suriname, I understood public health mainly through classroom lectures, research projects, and a handful of community-based experiences. However, participating in the Public Health Threats in Suriname study abroad allowed me to experience public health in a completely different way. Instead of reading about environmental, health policy, and community issues, I was able to observe them firsthand and see how they directly affect people’s health and daily lives.
My experience also strengthened my understanding of the One Health perspective, which recognizes that human health is connected to animals, the environment, public policy, and many more factors outside the hospital. During our site visits, I saw how environmental conditions and natural resources can influence the well-being of entire communities. It was cool seeing improvements being made to health requiring more than treating illnesses after they develop. Seeing the ways in which the community addressed environmental, economic, political, and social conditions that contribute to health outcomes was also eye-opening. Studying abroad also reinforced the importance of listening to the people being served. Public health professionals cannot enter a community and assume they already understand its needs. On our trip, we were able to see how residents possess valuable knowledge about their community’s strengths, traditions, and challenges. Effective public health programs must therefore include community members in the development of policies and interventions.
This experience has directly influenced my future direction and career plans. I plan to graduate in spring 2027 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a minor in Chemistry, and a certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduation, I hope to earn a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management before attending medical school. My ultimate goal is to earn both an MD and an MPH. Suriname showed me that medicine and public health can, and better yet, should work together. I hope to become a physician who not only treats individual patients but also understands that their cultural, environmental, and social conditions affect their health.
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