Meilani Cayabyab earns her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in global health.
Why did you choose to pursue your degree?
I chose to study Global Health because I wanted to understand health from different cultural perspectives.
What’s one of your favorite memories from your program?
Some of my favorite memories in the program were meeting with classmates from across the country and finding things we all had in common. In the Global Health Ethics class with Dr. Withers, I met amazing people from countries like China, Japan, the Philippines, and Mexico!
What will you miss most and why?
I’ll miss talking with and learning from others who are passionate about making a difference in the world through public health! Everyone I’ve met in the program is talented and incredible, even outside the classroom. I’m glad we all plan to keep in touch!
What are you doing after you graduate?
After graduation, I plan to continue working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Cedars Sinai helping physicians to conduct clinical trials and develop disease cohort centers for rheumatic diseases. I’m planning to apply to medical school over the next two years with the hope of becoming a pediatrician. In the meantime, I am working on a passion project to develop a non-profit organization that serves Native Hawaiian communities by improving their access to healthcare.
What do you look forward to in your career path?
I think I just look forward to serving and healing communities through medicine and public health initiatives! I hope that someday, I’ll be able to use my experience to inform policies that will increase access to health for vulnerable populations.
What advice do you have for future grads?
Robert Frost was right: I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference. As long as you stay honest with yourself, that is a great marker of success.
