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Changing the World
Alice Kennedy
(Story from UofL Magazine - Summer 2016)
Alice Kennedy had a job she enjoyed in a career field she valued. Still, she knew she was ready for something more. She wanted to make a difference, to impact lives. And that’s where UofL and the School of Public Health and Information Sciences came in.
“I love working in health care, but I couldn’t quite find my way,” Kennedy said. “Through the public health program, I started learning about the bigger picture of healthcare and how I could effect change.”
Kennedy started her college story at New York University, earning an undergraduate degree in European studies and French in 1999. She spent several years after graduation working at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. It was at Magee that she became involved with The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and their work with spinal cord paralysis. That work led Kennedy to UofL and faculty members Andrea Behrman, Ph.D, and Susan Harkema, Ph.D., and their groundbreaking efforts in spinal cord paralysis research.
At UofL, Kennedy found a place that allowed her to work with world-class researchers and to discover her path toward making a difference the healthcare field: a master’s in public health. She wants to work in program development and evaluation, a track that will let her visit communities with acute needs and address access to healthcare.
Kennedy will start changing lives this summer as she travels to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana to study the country’s public health system. Her trip is possible because of financial support including the $2,000 David Hershberg Scholarship for study abroad and other smaller gifts designated for students completing international travel.
“My trip would not be happening without this support, it’s that critical,” Kennedy said. “This program is affording me the opportunity to do things I never would have been able to otherwise.”
