I was interested in learning how to use media to encourage the public to engage in positive health behaviors. Team effort is necessary to achieve social impact beyond an individual's ability. I created a film on the Holy Spirit private clinic and on Lungi TBAs. I conduced interviews during fieldwork and helped code them. I contributed in the writing of the textbook. I presented at the MoM conference and helped secure funding for MOSL. My proactivity was heightened after realizing my ability to connect with people from different cultures through my conversational skills and to influence individual's health behavior via films. 

Khanjan Mehta came to speak to the class I had with Dr. Wakeel, Introduction to Maternal and Child Health. I knew very quickly that I was interested in the Global Social Impact Fellowship and after further research, the Mothers of Sierra Leone project was at the top of my interest. The project was unique because it combined by interest in film and documentary-making with my passion in public health. The project also cemented my interest in global population health and having the opportunity of in-country fieldwork in Makeni, Sierra Leone was an obvious advantage.The project had taught me so much as a student and as an emerging adult that I am unsure if I can accurately conceptualize it. As a student, I learned the essentials about situational leadership, various research skills, the art of filmmaking, and much more. As a person, I learned valuable lessons about working with others that are within my academic circle and also outside of my life as a student. Going to Sierra Leone was my first experience with leaving the US and I would not have changed it for anything else. Sierra Leone has a unique beauty that can be found in the environment and within the people. I truly believe that this experience shaped me to be the person I am today. I was mainly involved in the research portion of the project as I took lead on the IRB process/approval. When we were in-country, I was able to implement my novice skills in filmmaking and found my love for it.

I joined the Mothers of Sierra Leone team because I am passionate about improving healthcare access and outcomes, which aligns perfectly with my desire to contribute meaningfully to global health initiatives and positively impact maternal and child health. I firmly believe in the power of media to raise awareness, amplify the voices of women in Sierra Leone, and inspire more women to seek healthcare.I was specifically involved in research exploring the efficacy of documentary films in promoting maternal health. My films include The Role of the Father and A Nursing Mother that inspires more mothers to seek care at healthcare clinics. Through my work with the Mothers of Sierra Leone team, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of cultural competency within healthcare, particularly in the context of global health. I aim to build meaningful connections with people in Sierra Leone, learning from their experiences and perspectives to inform future films and projects. I want to contribute to improving healthcare access and outcomes in Sierra Leone while also fostering cross-cultural understanding and collaboration with partners. Post graduation, I will be applying to medical school. 

I joined the Mothers of Sierra Leone project because I am passionate about global health and was captivated by the use of filmmaking as an innovative approach to reducing the high maternal mortality rate in Sierra Leone. I collaborated with our team to code qualitative data from focus groups conducted in 2022 and write up the findings. I assisted with conducting filmic interviews on perinatal care and focus groups to assess the efficacy of our films in-country during the summer of 2023, and created two films, one on Gladys Koroma Hospital promoting health-seeking behavior and patient comfortability, and the other on normalizing mental health in Sierra Leone. I am in the process of leading a quantitative paper utilizing the data we have collected from our ongoing 12-month study, analyzing perceptions and behavioral changes in maternal health before and after watching one of our films. I’m doing a Master of Public Health in Global Health at the University of Washington after graduation. 

I joined MOSL because I am passionate about maternal health and interested in how women are influenced to make healthy decisions regarding their pregnancies. I also was interested in how film can be used as a medium to uplift the voices of women to drive behavioral change. I worked on the Perceptions of family planning paper, Warning Signs During Pregnancy film, Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference presenter (2023). My hope for the project is that we can further our collaboration with the University of Makeni to move closer to our long-term goal of sustainability. I hope the public health and communications students can collaborate with our team to create films and conduct research in the future. 

Dia participated in Mothers of Sierra Leone in her sophomore year, which was the summer of 2021. She wanted to see the healthcare side of global health equity, and appreciated this project specifically because maternal and child health, in her opinion, isn't talked about enough. She learned about the impact the films MOSL creates has on the Sierra Leoneon population, the importance of personal and bedside manner in healthcare, and gained a global perspective and an introduction to scientific research. Specifically, she collaborated with Dr. Fathima Wakeel and started qualitative research with IRB approvals and developing relationships with Sierra Leoneon partners that are still utilized today. Currently, Dia is working in an immunology lab researching CD4+ T cell development and function at the National Cancer Institute with the NIH. 

I am a current MPH candidate at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health specializing in the environmental health sciences. NYC. I chose to join MOSL because it offered a unique opportunity to blend my passion for documentary storytelling with my commitment to public health. My primary aim was to contribute to meaningful change, and it was clear that MOSL was actively making a difference in this regard. I learned that collaboration and community driven approaches are essential in implementing projects that yield tangible and positive outcomes. I was a Mountaintop Fellow for the project during the summer of 2021. I participated in filming, editing, and interviewing efforts during August 2022 fieldwork. Specifically, I was involved in editing "Maternal Health Initiatives in Sierra Leone," which was shown at the APHA Public Health Film festival in November 2022. In addition, I edited "Family Planning at Kunsho Clinic." I also co-authored "On 'Mothers of Sierra Leone': Improving Maternal Health Through Storytelling." This project inspired me to pursue a career in public health. Dr. Wakeel and Dr. Kramp were exceptional mentors during my time at Lehigh. I attribute where I am today to their support and guidance. 

I am an assignment editor in the Bay Area at a local news station. I am very passionate about creating impact with information and stories. I believe it humanizes. I learned how to coordinate in media, how to edit footage, and how to work as a team. IRB Approval, some short films but mostly building out research give coronavirus limited us.I think it pushed me to go for my passion - documentary storytelling.

I currently live and work in Boston, MA where I am in the medical device industry in the regenerative medicine/cell therapy space as a Territory Development Representative at Vericel Corporation. I joined MoSL because it seemed like a great opportunity to do something totally unique and to hopefully create a little while an early undergraduate. I also wanted to explore a discipline, filmmaking, that was totally alien to my background and see how I clicked with it.I learned a tremendous amount about the healthcare system both in Sierra Leone and in the United States, particularly when it comes to disparities of outcome and unequal access to care. I was a part of the inaugural MoSL team and was responsible for initial research into the country for our first fieldwork trip, helped to develop professional relationships both in and out of Sierra Leone, and produced two mini-docs. These were the 2019 Makeni Midwifery School and 2019 Advice from a Medical Professional: Safe Motherhood and Healthy Babies. It helped me develop an interest in the healthcare system and ultimately propelled me toward pursuing a career in the larger healthcare industry.

I am doing my Master's Degree in Nutrition and Food Systems at Ghent University, Belgium. I was very interested in filmmaking and video journalism. This came across as an exciting opportunity so I took it without hesitation. I was lucky enough to work with so many interesting and talented people, and the fieldwork itself was also a valuable learning experience, and I was mainly involved in film making. It really broadened my perspective and helped me see so many possibilities for my life. And I was lucky enough to have someone as Michael to guide me along the way.

Currently, I'm a Prime Brokerage at UBS Investment Bank in New York City. As an IR Major and Film Minor in undergrad, I was always interested in the intersection between film, social impact, and international affairs. MOSL is an inspiring project that aimed to understand the nuances of the Sierra Leonean health care system and governance while aiming to create meaningful social change through art. From this project, I learned a lot about the maternal health crisis in Sierra Leone, how to effectively tell a story via documentary storytelling, and most importantly how to understand an issue and highlight the importance of how the impacted community would like to be represented and how they would like their story to be told. A key to success in any industry is understanding people, how to help people, and what drives them. Whereas my current role is quite different then what I studied in school, through the MOSL project I learned how to understand communities and their needs.

I currently live in New York City and work as a Digital Content Creator for the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), which is a non-profit advocacy organization. MOSL, and the GSIF program in general, gave me the opportunity to engage with an issue I care deeply about, think about how to tell that story, and make something real. It was a brand new team and I was attracted to how open ended the program was. I also enjoyed the long-term commitment that came with participation. My participation in MOSL taught me how to find common ground with people from different backgrounds, how to ask great questions, how to make people feel comfortable in front of a camera, and many many more. Perhaps most importantly, participation in MOSL reinforced the importance of listening and empathy. It's one thing to hear a story about maternal death, it's another to hear it from a woman sitting right in front of you who lost her sister to it. I produced two films during my time in MOSL - one on Antenatal Care, and the other on Family Planning (the Sister Momoh profile). Before this project I had only taken one documentary story-making class. This project gave me the confidence (and the portfolio) to pursue video production as a career. I don't think I would be where I am today without it.