Kent State University at Salem senior Lillian Kavishe took advantage of the University’s Global Health Immersion class this summer. Kavishe, along with other students from the College of Public Health, spent time in Geneva, Switzerland, where Kent State has an international campus. As part of the class, Kavishe had the opportunity to attend the World Health Assembly, which is held every May at the United Nations.

“This was a once in a lifetime experience that was very beneficial to my education,” Kavishe says. “It has broadened my knowledge and understanding of the importance of global health and public health in general. I would recommend this experience to any student in the field of nursing and public health.”

The course was designed to help students understand global health in the context of specific programs and policies aimed at improving health status. In addition, students were asked to discuss their knowledge of major contemporary global health issues including their interdisciplinary nature and interconnectedness. Students were also asked to discuss the role of major international organizations that disseminate public healthcare and those charged with paying for such services.

During the students’ time at the World Health Assembly, Kavishe observed the reviewing and voting of the pandemic influenza preparedness resolution. As part of this process, Bill Gates presented on the importance of vaccines. Kavishe said she found all the speakers, including Gates, to be very interesting. “The topics they spoke on were motivating,” she says. “The experience has changed my thinking and reshaped me in many ways. It makes me want to become an even better public health nurse.”

Kavishe is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Kent State Salem, along with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Following her December graduation, Kavishe will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps and work in one of the Army’s medical centers.