Nurse practitioner and founder of the nonprofit For Mamas, dedicated to reducing neonatal mortality in Zanzibar, Tanzania; works in pediatric primary care and manages the school-based health center at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina
Life-Changing Duke: “During my MSN residency in Tanzania, I witnessed a difficult birth that provided a defining moment. I knew I wanted to do something but didn’t know what to do. I took this experience to Duke, and the university said “yes,” fully encouraging my doctoral work to focus on learning more about what I experienced. This was the catalyst to implement a proven newborn resuscitation program and distribute reusable supplies to facilities in Zanzibar, ultimately leading to the birth of For Mamas, a 501(c)(3). This initial support allowed the work to grow sustainably over 10 years, now serving over 70 clinics and over 300 midwives in Zanzibar.
“I view success as focusing on the ‘power of one’: one baby, one mother, one family changed for the better. ... There is nothing like the look in a mother’s eye as she cradles her baby, knowing that a life was intervened for and ultimately saved.”