Eleanor

Eleanor Strand

Class of 2021, Global Health and Biology
Duke in Sri Lanka

  • Dinner on the beach.
Dinner on the beach.

Eleanor (Elle) Strand graduates in May 2021 and is majoring in both Global Health and Biology, with a Chemistry minor. She spent the summer after her freshman year on Duke in Sri Lanka

 

On why she decided to do this program... 

“I decided to pursue the Sri Lanka program because I wanted to experience global health in the field. I took multiple global health courses my freshman year and learned a ton in the classroom, but it was time to apply my newly-gained knowledge on the ground. Sri Lanka provided me with the opportunity to do just that.”  

The beach.
The beach in Sri Lanka

On what surprised her or turned out differently than expected... 

“The hands-on research component of the program really surprised me—in a good way! You have the opportunity to conduct a student research project on a health issue of your choosing. Professors in the university will connect you with prominent people from that area within Sri Lanka. You can interview these people and conduct field visits. For example, I, along with two students from Amsterdam, researched how leprosy is treated in the health system along with recommendations for its eradication. We were able to interview a dermatologist, the directors of the Anti-Leprosy campaign in Sri Lanka, and we visited both a skin clinic and the national hospital in Colombo. It was a wonderful way to engage with Sri Lanka and to dip our toes into global health research.

I was also really impressed by the program’s three-way partnership between the United States, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands. This three-way partnership created opportunities to engage with cultures different from my own, which was incredible. I learned so much from the Dutch students—including knowledge about Europe and European health systems, along with how to consider global health issues from a different perspective.” 

Me and Giulia with the elephants.
Eleanor (right) and Giulia with the elephants.

On how this program played into the rest of her undergraduate experience... 

“This program was part of the reason why I decided to make global health a second major. I was originally going to minor in it, but thanks to courses at Duke and this experience abroad, I realized I loved global health and global development enough to add another major. My time in Sri Lanka also inspired me to figure out what global health field I’m most passionate about and to continue to travel for field research. I actually just went to Honduras in January 2019 with a medical brigade and will be going to Rwanda for two months this summer. Then I’ll spend the fall semester studying in South Africa.” 

Child and Maternal Health Clinic.
Child and Maternal Health Clinic.

On how this program will affect her career interests/next steps after graduation... 

“Coming into Duke I was pre-med. After Sri Lanka, I wasn’t so sure about medical school. The Global Health Institute at Duke and its courses, along with Duke in Sri Lanka, exposed me to the realm of global health. Now I don’t know if I want to be the woman on the ground helping communities directly, or the woman designing programs and conducting research within these communities. In an ideal world, perhaps I can do both.” 

At the Leprosy Clinic.
At the Leprosy Clinic.

On advice she has for other students considering this program... 

“If you’re interested in global health, this program is a wonderful opportunity to engage with the area—both in the classroom and in the field. And you’ll have the opportunity to do this with students from the Netherlands!”

 

Programs Featured:

Duke in Sri Lanka

 

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