Arianne Smith
Arianne is pursuing her MD at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with a certificate in Global Health and Health Policy at Princeton University in New Jersey. She says that having been born and raised in Jamaica, she is particularly passionate about global health and improving healthcare outcomes for those of immigrant and underserved communities, particularly those of low and middle resource backgrounds. At Brown, she is part of a Global Health scholarly concentration, co-leads community engagement efforts as part of her Student National Medical Association chapter, and a volunteers at a free clinic. Her efforts in these spaces have deepened her understanding of the structural barriers to care as well as have reaffirmed Arianne's desire to address health equity. Outside of medicine, she enjoys dancing and spending time in nature.
An Examination of the Relationship between Gut Instability and subsequent Microbial Translocation due to Schistosomiasis on Placental health
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine-Department of Health
Philippines
What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?
I am truly honored to be designated a recipient of the Ben Kean Fellowship. The Ben Kean Fellowship has shown its commitment to support community and collaboration as well as long-term investment in the field of tropical medicine. These are values that deeply resonate with me. As I am in the early stages of my career, being part of this fellowship has emboldened me to continue my exploration and pursuit of a career in global health alongside my future practice as physician.
What do you anticipate learning?
With the Ben Kean Fellowship’s support I will be visiting the Philippines and working alongside my mentor’s local collaborators. I hope to gain firsthand experience navigating the practical aspects of conducting community-centered global health work. Additionally, I hope to also learn more about the Filipino culture and their healthcare landscape. In particular, I look forward to learning what matters most to the community as well as the nuances of healthcare delivery.
I anticipate my immersion will not only reinforce the human dimension of the data I will be working with, but will also provide deeper insight that will drive my research in such a way that aligns with the priorities of the Filipino community.
What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?
It is pertinent to my future career to enrich the underserved and marginalized communities. More specifically, impacting healthcare outcomes in low and middle income communities in the Caribbean or those within similar contexts is of importance to me. In order to improve maternal care and surgical outcomes, I am keen on garnering greater insight on the healthcare context, barriers and challenges within these arenas. I am interested in first understanding of how to provide care in such environments where resources are limited, and where creativity, community partnership and cultural awareness are essential. I am certain that continued engagement in tropical medicine will equip me with a toolkit suited to achieve these goals.