The Bass Connections program is an outstanding example of interdisciplinary work here at Duke. By concentrating on the psychosocial effects of resettlement on Bhutanese, Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Durham and abroad, I have been able to link my Bass Connections work with my area studies of global mental health at Duke Global Health Institute. It has also been fantastic to integrate my thesis work with my Bass Connections work. For example, I will be traveling to Nepal for two weeks to conduct a field assessment for my thesis, which is exploring the psychosocial impacts of climate change. At the same time, I will be meeting with policymakers to discuss Bhutanese refugee policy in Nepal for our Bass Connections team.

The interdisciplinary nature of Bass Connections will prepare me for working on diverse teams in the global health field. Having an opportunity at Duke to collaborate on complex and relevant problems has been both rewarding and challenging. My participation on the Bass Connections team has further developed my creative problem‐solving, leadership and cross‐cultural competencies that will set me up for success in my future endeavors.  

The two things I find most rewarding about participating on this Bass Connections team are engaging and collaborating with students and faculty from different departments and synthesizing global health challenges on a local scale while having the opportunity to compare and connect our learnings in the field. As a global health student conditioned to focus on the big picture, I really enjoy having the opportunity to be so connected with the local community…which in turn helps inform the big picture.