When students in Temple’s Public Health Beyond Borders arrived in India over winter break, they came prepared with a set schedule and extensive programming.

In class on Main Campus throughout the fall semester, they developed activities and materials to distill and promote important public health information to individuals in villages and schools near Mumbai.

But while working in the field, they found that their lessons didn’t always go according to plan, and those times often provided the best learning experiences.

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“Students get hands-on experience that prepares them to become culturally humble and understand personal cultural biases,” said Graciela Jaschek, faculty lead of Public Health Beyond Borders and associate professor of instruction in the Epidemiology and Biostatics Department. “Additionally, they learn to think on their feet when encountering challenges.”

Ian Patzman-Rivard, Class of 2025, recalls changing the approach on the fly to enhance the effective communication training for local community health workers. After noticing that their prepared presentation wasn’t reaching the workers as intended, students decided to split the workers into four smaller groups to act out scenarios demonstrating negative interactions. “They were more engaged in these small group activities, and it was beneficial for them to see the different strategies used when people aren’t as open to speaking with public health workers,” said Patzman-Rivard, a public health major from Washington, D.C.

“You often don’t understand the implications of course assignments until you put together a project that impacts people,” he added. “Being in these communities allowed us to understand the reasoning behind the methodology we learned in class. It also taught us as public health workers how to improvise and use resources to the best of our ability.”

Public Health Beyond Borders at Temple is a student-led program—with support from faculty—that’s dedicated to global community development projects. Its mission is to reduce health disparities and promote health through education, hands-on training and research in partnership with international organizations.

(Courtesy of Public Health Beyond Borders)

It’s available to students from all schools and colleges. Temple’s chapter includes both a student association and classes in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Undergraduate students take PHBB International Community Projects and PHBB International Travel Experience, while graduate students enroll in PHBB International Experience. These classes are offered in the fall and spring semesters.

The courses provide students the opportunity to travel to other countries to engage with communities through health education and promotion activities.

During this year’s trip to India, students developed materials and conducted interactive activities for children on nutrition at Sarnobat Netaji Palkar School in Chowk Khalapur and oral hygiene and handwashing in the Sangurli village. They also presented on menstrual health, menopause and iron-deficiency anemia to parents in Sangurli.

Additionally, prior to traveling, they created a survey on water quality and access and then designed activities based on the results. Students implemented these lessons in the Sangurli and Chinchavan villages. They also met with leaders from Sangurli and Chinchavan to discuss the results of the water survey and possible future actions.

(Courtesy of Public Health Beyond Borders)

“There’s still work to be done in these communities, but just leaving the impact we did is a good start,” said Prakriti Karki, Class of 2026. “This is a unique opportunity that broadens your outlook and provides firsthand exposure to field work as well as a sense of autonomy. I’m especially proud of the team’s feminine hygiene and women’s health project because it gave these girls and older women a greater understanding of their own bodies,” added the public health major from Baltimore. “The experience also reaffirmed my interest in working with children.”

Temple collaborated with Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM) Dental College and Hospital students, who helped implement the activities as well as culturally adapt and translate the materials into Marathi for community members.

“I learned so much about myself while in India and what the people in the villages are experiencing,” said Elena Giannoumis, a sophomore health professions major from Philadelphia. “They were so thankful for the information we provided.”

For Simrahn Bidaye, Class of 2027, traveling to India to educate the community about public health was an opportunity to connect with her roots. “I go to India often, but I hadn’t seen this side of the country,” said Bidaye, a health professions major from South Brunswick, New Jersey. “After I presented about iron deficiency, community members felt comfortable enough to speak with me in Marathi and ask questions, which felt rewarding. I chose the healthcare field because I love to learn about people and listen to their stories.”

The experience also made her feel more connected to her classmates. “The friendships I made in India and with our class at Temple have been amazing,” she said. “We had so much fun together working toward a common goal. I talk about this trip all the time now. I loved it.”

(Courtesy of Public Health Beyond Borders)

Next, students from the spring 2025 session will prepare materials in class and travel to Cusco, Peru, for two weeks in May. The program is partnering with students and faculty from Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, and its research is in collaboration with the Gerencia Regional de Salud Cusco.

In the Compone community, they’ll conduct activities in elementary and high schools. Additionally, a graduate student will develop plans for a PhotoVoice project, which uses photography to document and share people's experiences.

Public Health Beyond Borders is also an opportunity for research for both students and faculty. Recently, MGM has expressed interest in collaborating on oral cancer work. And Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Inkyu Han, who is part of Public Health Beyond Borders, is developing a grant to study air pollution on the Cusco Basin in Peru.

“It’s important for Temple to train the next global citizens,” said Jaschek. “Through this experience, students develop leadership, owning what they do and feeling proud as a result. And they realize the value of their education at Temple.”