Expressing myself through my public health work, with Medical Doctor, Entrepreneur, and Master of Public Health + Medical Law & Ethics Student Wubrest Bekele

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Wubrest Bekele, a physician, health media producer, medical law and public health student amongst other titles. Wubrest takes us through a journey of her multiple careers and discusses how all of her experiences and perspective have led her to the field of public health.

You’ll Learn

• Wubrest’s start as a physician and the many detours she has taken to arrive at her MPH program in Yale. 
• How volunteering in Wubrest’s early life played an important role in shaping her perspectives and goals
• A brief overview of Ethiopia’s healthcare system and how it motivated Wubrest to work in community health
• What lessons Wubrest learned from her various work experiences in different fields
• How lessons can be learned from all experiences, whether good or bad
• Why Wubrest chose to pursue her graduate degrees in the US 
• What factors Wubrest took into consideration when applying for schools as an international student

Today’s Guest

Wubrest Bekele is a Medical Doctor from Ethiopia currently enrolled in the MPH postgraduate studies at Yale School of Public Health and LL.M. Medical Law and Ethics at The University of Law. She is an Acumen Leadership Program Fellow, Board of Directors in philanthropy, and winner of the Ethiopian Medical Women Association’s ‘Celebrating Women in Medicine 2020 Award’. 

In her five years of work experience, Dr. Bekele led a newly built rural hospital to reach a commendable milestone of better patient care and efficient operations as a clinician and quality improvement head. She Co-founded the first health-focused media in Ethiopia, comprising 24- hour satellite TV, 24-hour radio, call center & online media, and created over 200 hours of educational TV & Radio content on COVID-19, reaching ~ 50 million population. Dr. Bekele worked in the national COVID-19 task force leading the Risk Communication and Community Engagement team at the Federal Ministry of Health. Currently, she is working as a summer intern at a healthcare VC firm and leading a research project on Childhood cancer in Ethiopia from the grant she won at Yale Collaborative Action Project. 

Resources

• Connect with Wubrest on LinkedIn 
• For more information on international studies, listen to the previous episode with Nikita Sandeep Wagle 

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!