Jenna Kay, 2022 Nehal Shah Memorial Global Health Award
Recipient
Like Nehal, Jenna Kay has demonstrated a deep commitment to the Global Health Distinction Track throughout her time in medical school. Additionally, Jenna participates in the Commitment to Underserved People (CUP) Distinction Track by volunteering with Shubitz Family Clinic. Shubitz Family Clinic is a student-run, physician supervised-clinic caring for patients who are underserved, of low socioeconomic status, or are undocumented immigrants. Jenna is also an Editor-In-Chief for Harmony, the College’s medical humanities magazine, again following closely in Nehal’s footsteps.
Jenna has passionately pursued opportunities in global health throughout her life. As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, she traveled to rural areas in Mexico, Honduras, and Panama to provide free healthcare services and health education to locals. During medical school, Jenna traveled to rural Tanzania to conduct research evaluating the prevalence of Sickle Cell Trait and Disease in pediatric patients. She is planning her next global health preceptorship to Nepal, where she will study the different barriers to vaccination that rural populations face. It was through global health that she discovered a calling for rural family medicine, and she plans to continue pursuing global health opportunities throughout the rest of her career. Jenna is a deserving recipient of the Nehal Shah Memorial Global Health Award and hopes to continue to live up to the ideals that Nehal demonstrated throughout her life.