This spring we have 5 incredible new interns joining our team. They will be helping us research for our upcoming projects in Guyana, El Salvador, and Honduras. Here is a list of what each intern will be focusing on this spring semester.

Nevin: Developing and finalizing our advanced certification in nutrition and first aid

Ayodele: Guyana and Curacao: Program planning for 2 new community projects.

Adriana: El Salvador: Program planning for new community project and translation.

Joyce: El Salvador: Program planning for advanced certification with current CHW’s in nutrition. Also, helping with translation and being the point of contact for a few of our current CHW groups

Erin: Honduras: Program planning for a new community project.

 

Nevin Varghese  

Nevin Varghese is a physician from Texas who enjoys patient care and teaching medicine. He considers himself an
educator and believes that the advancement of global health depends on education and research involving all levels of society. He is also completing Master of Public Health at Benedictine University, a strong interest he developed during the Covid pandemic. The MPH program focuses on health policy, epidemiology, social and behavioral aspects of health, medical ethics, public health education, health and environment, biostatistics, and research methods. He believes that this path will help in advancing global healthcare and eliminate health disparities. Nevin is currently doing an Internship/Practicum with International Help through which he aims to improve global health needs in Central America. Besides medicine, you would find him learning new languages and exploring new cultures. He enjoys watching international movies and documentaries and reading about the universe and space exploration.

 

Ayodele Tyndall 

Ayodele Tyndall is a Master of Public Health student with a concentration in Nutrition at Liberty University. She is passionate about community education and nutrition intervention. Her interests in disease prevention through good nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits. Her goal is to equip individuals in the community with the knowledge to choose and live healthily.

 

Adriana Araica 

Adriana Araica was born in Managua, Nicaragua. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Community Health from George Mason University, with a concentration in Global Health. While completing her studies she worked at a small nonprofit dental organization, servicing the indigent population of Northern Virginia. As a Community Health worker for the Fairfax County Health Department, she aided clients to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, she works as a family assistance worker, providing resources to the residents of Fairfax County, as well as finalizing her MPH studies. During her free time, she enjoys reading, watching documentaries, and spending time with her chihuahua, family, and friends.

 

Joyce Gonzalez 

My name is Joyce Gonzalez. I am originally from New York and have a big family as one of 8 siblings. I am a Navy veteran with over 15 years of navy service. I married a fellow sailor, and we have two beautiful boys, Sebastian (4) and Gabriel (7). I work for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, issuing permits and clearances for wastewater collection systems.   I am currently in the final year of my MPH at the University of Nevada Reno. I enjoy playing video games, reading, and spending quality time with my family in my spare time.

 

Erin Bates 

Erin Bates is a dentist in upstate New York with a background in private practice dentistry and an interest in global health. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia, she attended the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Dentistry. Erin completed a General Practice Residency at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and then returned to her home state of Missouri to practice. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health through Liberty University with the aim of utilizing ongoing continuing education to augment her dental practice and enter the academic realm in the future. She is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry and the American College of Dentists and enjoys having the opportunity to travel, spending time with her husband, and adventuring in the great outdoors with her dog.

 

 

Hello 2023! We are so grateful for all of our 2022 interns. We had total of nine new interns join the team, as well as a few that stayed with us from previous semesters. We wanted to give you the opportunity to learn more about the people who made this past year possible. With their help we were able to complete nine projects, training over 140 Community Health Workers in El Salvador, Syria, Honduras and Zimbabwe! Once again we want to say a big thank you and highlight our awesome interns

 

Fatou Cisse 

My name is Fatou, and I am an MPH student at the University of Miami. My experience consists of 10+ years of non-profit public health experience. My interests are in epidemiology and program development. I became interested in the field by observing inequities in underserved communities along with low levels of health literacy and its effects on the population’s disease conditions and overall health.  I have been involved in founding and consulting a non-profit foundation, supporting community-based programs, and using research data to plan and execute community interventions in underserved populations.

 

Ashley Richard 

My name is Ashley, and I am studying for my Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health at Saint Louis University. I am passionate about partnering with communities to improve health and well-being, from the people’s perspective. I am excited to join the International HELP team!

 

Bobongile Nkala

My name is Babongile Blisset Nkala. I am a Registered Nurse and Master of Science in Public Health degree (MPH) candidate. I have vast experience working in TB & HIV research projects in Eswatini and Sierra Leone. I have worked within a variety of settings with diverse contexts thereby, providing me with valuable experiences. I am passionate about working closely with communities in countries with limited resources and various health system gaps to provide sustainable solutions.

 

Kelda Lee

I am an MPH Candidate at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at GWU. I am also working part-time as a Public Health & Community Development Consultant in Maputo, Mozambique where I currently live.

 

Kaitlyn Mikalic

Currently, I am a graduate student at Arcadia University in Philadelphia completing a dual MPH and MMS degree. I graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2020 with an undergraduate degree in Health Science. Personally, I enjoy the beach, listening to podcasts, and writing in my planner. Throughout my time in Orlando, I worked and volunteered for various organizations and health care clinics. I found my passion for public health through these experiences as I recognized just how important it is to not only treat diseases acutely but also take an upstream approach to understand the root of the problems people are experiencing. During the first few semesters of my MPH degree, my favorite classes were program planning and communications and through these classes, I’ve gained the knowledge and skills to create communication materials and programs that promote positive health behavior changes. I am very excited to put my new skills to work this spring and to learn even more from my new internship with International HELP. 

 

Djenabou Diallo

My name is Djenabou Diallo, an MPH in Epidemiology student at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston at the San Antonio Regional Campus. I am originally from Guinea but moved to the United States in 2009. The health and science field has always been an interest of mine from a young age. I was fortunate to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) for my undergraduate studies and earned my Bachelor of Science in Biology there. My undergraduate studies helped me hone in on microbiology and infectious diseases as my fields of interest. After a semester at UTSA graduate program in Microbiology and Immunology, I decided to pursue my master’s in public health. I hope to find my professional fulfilment in the public health field as an infectious disease epidemiologist that intersects research knowledge and advancement with everyday health measures and practice for the betterment of people’s health; be it locally or globally. My hobbies include cooking, visiting parks and museums, sleeping, and volunteering. As a practicum intern with an organization like International HELP who seeks to educate, empower, and equip future health leaders to serve their communities; I wish to take my first steps in public health practice learning as much as I can with a powerful mission and vison centered around sustainability and the communities I serve.    

 

Riley Connelly

Hi! My name is Riley, and I am a sophomore at Saint Louis University studying Public Health, International Studies, and Spanish. I hope to pursue an MPH in the future with concentrations in Global Health and Biosecurity/Disaster Preparedness. I am passionate about disease prevention, and I am so excited to work with this incredible organization to do just that! In my free time, I enjoy exploring coffee shops, taking outdoor walks, and reading.

 

Joanna Herrera

My name is Joanna Herrera, new intern for International Help. I have been a Registered Nurse for over 18 years and work in Los Angeles. I grew up in the Northern Virginia area. This is my last year in my Masters in Public Health degree in American Public University System. I love art, traveling, barre, nature walks, and writing.

 

Alicia Etwaru

Hi! My name is Alicia Etwaru and I am an MPH intern at International HELP. I studied Health Sciences on a pre-med track during undergrad where I was exposed to the field of public health. I am currently completing my 2nd year of the MPH program with a concentration in Urban Health at Northeastern University. I am passionate about community and global health with hopes to improve the health status of underserved communities. I look forward to working with International HELP as we learn from various cultures while educating and empowering individuals to take charge of their health.