Welcome to my home of Public Health Professionalism.
I am a Rwandan who was born in Burundi grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo countries where public health is ignored by both governments and residents. Political lines and traditions are the major barriers to public health development causing massive premature deaths.
My interest in public health dates back to 1995 when my country, Rwanda, lost many of its skilled health care personnel, who were killed or fled the country due to the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. This loss was especially difficult because the need for health practices was high and it was important to respond to hundreds of thousands of genocide survivors and prisoners. Even simple processes such as boiling water, washing hands after using the toilet, and keeping latrines covered were not common practices at all which, consequently, caused premature deaths among those who survived the killings.
Out of this experience, I set a goal for myself to pursue an academic profession with emphasis on preventive care, due to the benefit on long-term health. Unfortunately, I was unable to achieve this goal, as attending health care school is a privilege that not everyone can afford. Instead, I completed coursework in business and administration.
After moving to the United States in early 2010, I noticed many ways my business and administration skills could actually complement my aspirations in public health. Consequently, I enrolled in a graduate certification program in health policy and later I successfully completed a Master’s program in Public Health at the Concordia University of Nebraska. I did a three-month internship at the City of Amarillo Public Health Department where I conducted healthcare quality assessment.
As a goal-oriented person and author of inspirational non-fiction books, I enjoy the sense of fulfillment that is achieved through health assessments, taking action to correct a potential health problem, and then observing the outcomes. A sense of achievement and self-satisfaction has always been my reward. While I am focused and goal-oriented, I also value having an open mind in my academic life. In order to facilitate community involvement and promote open-mindedness, I stated Green Morality Initiative a health promotion 501 (c) (3) based in Texas and currently, through AmeriCorps, I am developing community health coalition in the city of Killeen, which is a Greater Killeen Free Clinic initiative.
