Doctor of Public Health student awarded international fellowship

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) recently awarded Keziah Illidge a David L. Boren Fellowship to study in Ghana, West Africa.

Illidge, a student in ECU’s Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program in the Brody School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health, was one of 119 students chosen from a pool of 268 applicants for the fellowship. The award includes an opportunity to study abroad to pursue academic goals, international language, proficiency and culture.

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) recently awarded Keziah Illidge, a student in ECU’s Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program, a David L. Boren Fellowship to study in Ghana, West Africa. (Contributed photo)

“I am beyond excited to be chosen as a Boren Award Fellow,” Illidge said. “Being awarded a Boren Fellowship will open so many doors for me, and I am excited to see what the future holds for me during the course of the program and after I have completed it.”

Her year-long fellowship in Ghana is anticipated to begin Jan. 21. She is also scheduled to attend the Boren Awards Convocation and Orientation  in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 25.

According to Dr. Greg Kearney, associate professor and DrPH Program director, Illidge was the perfect candidate for the fellowship.

“Keziah came into the program with the passion and desire to improve public health and we are ‘Pirate Proud’ of her accomplishment,” Kearney said. “Our program is a very applied ‘boots on the ground’ type of public health program, so having Keziah immersed in working with underrepresented populations abroad will give her lots of learning opportunities to apply what she is learning inside the classroom.”

“Also, because our doctoral program is the only online DrPH of its kind in the country, it will give her the opportunity to continue her coursework while working in another part of the world,” he said.

This won’t be the first trip to Ghana for Illidge. During her senior year of undergraduate education, she studied abroad there and became interested in pursuing a career in public health.

“While abroad, it was impossible for me to ignore the obvious health disparities plaguing the country’s underprivileged communities; disparities leading to the spread of numerous infectious diseases which could be prevented through a healthier and cleaner environment, education and access to basic resources,” Illidge said. “I believe health equity in nations everywhere is important because it not only helps in protecting the health of people in the world’s most underprivileged communities but also protects all people equally through the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases causing deadly epidemics and pandemics. Through a career in public service focusing on infectious disease prevention, I would like to help build prosperous interconnected global communities by resolving environmental health concerns.”

Illidge said the Boren Award Fellowship was appealing to her because of the program’s emphasis on underrepresented language, cultural immersion and public service.

“Language study and cultural immersion are important because they help us break language barriers, fill in cultural gaps and most importantly, connect us as a global community of people,” Illidge said. “The skills and experience I will acquire as a Boren Fellow will make me better equipped to effectively resolve a country’s specific concerns. This broadened perspective will help me to make contributions in my field, and will help me assist, encourage, and inspire other public health professionals to do the same.”

She also said her fellowship will benefit ECU and other students interested in similar opportunities.

“I think this fellowship will show other students the opportunities that are available for them whether they are interested in pursuing a career in the U.S. government, learning a language to help them advance in their careers or other opportunities they wish to pursue,” Illidge said.

“I hope this is an inspiration to women, especially those in STEM programs,” she said, “to break barriers and pursue their dreams.”