Making a difference in global health is what Catherine Arkell has always wanted to do. Today, not only is she working to improve the physical health of women in Kenya, but she is also helping them rebuild their confidence and self-esteem after being stigmatized.

Arkell has been working in Kenya over the past two years and has seen the difference that education and prevention has made in protecting and promoting maternal health in urban and remote populations. Women formerly affected by fistulas have now become advocates, mentoring and coaching others going through the same problems.

She is an exceptional scholar who is concurrently pursuing a master of public health (MPH) degree in the School of Public Health and a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. As part of her MPH studies, Arkell collected qualitative data from women who suffer from obstetric fistulae, a condition which develops following prolonged, obstructed labour. The condition causes incredible discomfort in women who don’t seek medical attention.

Catherine Arkell

“I am interested in helping women with interventions and prevention related to obstetric fistulae,” says Arkell. “We’re helping these women with surgical interventions but there needs to be education and awareness around prevention in the first place.”

Her research was partially funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) program called Students for Development (SFD). Together with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), CIDA is injecting dollars to help continue international projects undertaken by universities.

Thirty-seven Canadian university projects, including Arkell’s, have been selected for the new SFD program. These projects will see 660 Canadian university students spend at least three months over the next four years working with 100 partner organizations abroad.

"Canada's universities are keen to provide their students with the kind of international experiences that will prepare them for leadership positions in our changing world," says Paul Davidson, AUCC president.

Arkell, the first University of Alberta student to benefit from this initiative, couldn’t agree more with the rationale behind the funding program. Without it, she would not have been able to pursue the work of helping women and others, work she’s passionate about.

“When you’re a graduate student, not only is a lot of your time spent on research, but also on finding funding to help you achieve your research goals,” says Arkell.

She notes that she has written letters, cold-called organizations and knocked on doors, all with the aim of being able to further facilitate her learning experiences. Without the funding from CIDA and AUCC, finishing her research may have been a challenge.

“She is incredibly enthusiastic and isn’t afraid to take initiative in any situation,” says supervisor Duncan Saunders, professor and former chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences. “I have no doubt that Catherine will be able to take her shared knowledge and experience from her public health and medicine backgrounds and bring them together to improve the health of populations.”

For Arkell, moving forward means continuing to work towards better maternal health for women, locally and globally.