Maranatha (Stephany) Gabaud, a third-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine, was recently named a 2013-2015 Anne C. Carter Global Health Fellow by the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA). Gabaud is one of only four women medical students awarded this fellowship in the country. This is a two-year fellowship that offers the awardees the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the practice of international medicine during their medical education.

"During my lifetime, I lived and volunteered in my community here in the United States and my native country of Haiti. The experience of living in both countries gave me a firsthand look at the health disparities that plague the health care system in the U.S. and abroad," said Gabaud. "As a future physician, I hope to combine my medical background and the global health expertise that I will gain from the Anne C. Carter Fellowship to help bridge the health care gap that exists in the U.S. and in other developing countries. I am truly honored to have been awarded this opportunity."

Gabaud earned her bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in public health at the University of South Florida before coming to Drexel to continue her studies. During her tenure as the co-president of the AMWA chapter at Drexel, Gabaud developed a community service project in which AMWA members collaborated with the Eliza Shirley House (women's shelter) to educate women about breast cancer. She is passionate about increasing access to health care for women and children worldwide.

The Carter Global Health Fellowship

The first year of The Anne C. Carter Global Health Fellowship focuses on a global health curriculum, local project development and mentorship. The second year focuses on in-depth planning and preparation for a medical service-learning trip to Engeye Clinic in Uganda. The Carter Fellowship culminates in a capstone global health project in Engeye. The fellows selected for 2013-2015 will be the fourth cohort of fellows and will be expected to actively work with their predecessors, as well as assist the subsequent class in their transition, to provide good continuity.

Each fellow will have approximately $1,000 to fund her local project planning and to subsidize expenses for her international global health project and trip to Uganda. Fellows will not be required to travel abroad if medical school scheduling does not allow; however, all fellows must plan a capstone project, even if the project addresses a more local global health issue.