Katarina Ho, a current student at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School, has been awarded the Alli and Danielle Raja RAMS Medical Student Research Grant from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF). With this Grant, Ho will research and implement techniques to improve patient outcomes in resource-limited emergency settings, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The strategy of this project is to reduce patient complications by providing pre-assembled kits and checklists to help patients, such as endotracheal intubation kits to aid airway management in emergency room settings. Ho is leading the project in collaboration with the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and the University of Rwanda. Together they hope to bridge gaps in global health by providing necessary resources in the environments where they are not readily available. 

Ho graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics. For two years after graduation she conducted research at the Neuro ICU Precision Medicine Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where she contributed to studies in subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. Her time at UCLA prepared her for her work at MGH, where she applied her theoretical knowledge to clinical research with real patients. Likewise, Ho’s time at MGH expanded her understanding of provider-patient interactions, the inner workings of hospitals, and further developed her biological foundations, preparing her for Medical School where she is now finishing up her second year. All of these experiences paired with her passion to extend her expertise and compassion to those in need and help from skilled mentors have set her up for success in global health settings. 

Ho’s investment in global health research began in childhood. A close family member who is a physician with Doctors Without Borders (DWB) helped spark her interests; they aided DWB in the aftermath of a major earthquake in Haiti. Hearing from them, Ho learned intimately the extensive impact that international organizations can have in helping people beyond national borders. With this passion ignited, Ho pursued professional partnerships through Brown Medical School and CHUK, specifically those which explored improvements to patients in Rwanda by providing for gaps that currently exist in care, procedures, and resources. Through Brown’s Disaster Medicine fellowship program, she attended lectures led by Dr. Selim Suner, and was able to meet with physicians from around the world focusing on her interest in emergency medicine following global and national disasters. Additionally, through her faculty mentor, Dr. Kyle Denison Martin, assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School, Ho was able to get involved in his work in Rwanda. Ho is grateful for Dr. Martin, who was essential to her opportunity to travel to Kigali and collaborate with local physicians and researchers.  

Ho found her time in Rwanda incredibly fulfilling — collaborating in person with local physicians and professionals and helping to enhance the emergency medical practices across countries. She was able to directly witness the amazing impact that medical supplies, which would otherwise be unavailable, has on patient health and wellbeing. She watched these accomplishments while adapting to procedures in data collection and record-keeping in Rwanda which can be quite different from customs in the United States. Still, through this experience, she knows she wants to continue exploring and developing global health. She understands how fostering international collaboration spreads information and technology which only improves patient’s lives across the globe. As she continues into her career, she will keep her eye on this goal, whether in clinical practice, research, or healthcare policy. She believes Doctors Without Borders exemplifies this kind of international collaboration and aspires to one day join their efforts. 

Ho feels fortunate and grateful for her positive experiences with global health through Brown University. The BioMed Center for Global Health Equity, SAEMF, her partners at CHUK, and her mentors at Brown have all been essential to her continued success.