The University of Alabama at Birmingham Sparkman Center for Global Health has announced its 2014 class of Sparkman Fellows. Fifteen undergraduate, graduate and professional students from 13 majors were selected to join the program, which is designed to enhance students’ understanding of global issues.
The winners are Victoria Allen, Yamini Bhat, Bliss Chang, Haley Kendrick, Courtney Rutherford and Yoonhee “Charity” Ryder, College of Arts and Sciences; Nathan Bayou Jemison, School of Engineering; Josh Muhammad, School of Health Professions; David Kim, School of Medicine; Anna Helova, Jumoke Ladapo, Charles A. Leath, Gisella Mancarella, Antonika Souder and Stephanie Tison, School of Public Health.
“The 2014 Sparkman Fellows represent the leaders of tomorrow,” said Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., MPH, deputy director of the center. “Students were selected regardless of program, because excellence is found at all levels — undergraduate, graduate and professional — of UAB’s student body.”
Fellows are mentored by faculty in the Sparkman Scholars program, a network of UAB faculty working in global health and international development. The relationship between the fellows and mentors encourages interdisciplinary collaboration outside the classroom and enhances the fellows’ academic experience while at UAB .
Fellows will contribute to the Global Health Case Competition held each spring in which teams of students from at least three UAB schools are given global health case scenarios and tasked with providing strategic recommendations to move the case forward.