Nelia Ekeji

I'm pursuing a major in International Comparative Studies and a minor in Global Health and French because international affairs and global health are both extremely important to me. Existing literature reinforces the role that identity plays in impacting health (particularly, gender identity/expression, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status). Health disparities as a result of socioeconomic status are things I hope to work towards mitigating and eventually eliminating throughout my career as physician and general healthcare professional.

I am a consultant for the Thompson Writing Program and work at the writing studio, helping undergraduate and graduate students with a variety of written pieces (these range from lab reports to personal statements to slam poems). Outside of work, I involve myself with writing as an editor for The Rival Duke, an online campus news publication. I did qualitative research through the Bass Connections program under Janet Prvu Bettger on the Global Alliance on Disability and Health Innovation (GANDHI) team, studying transitional care for children and adolescents who underwent intensive surgical procedures in Uganda. Off campus, I volunteer at my local Good Samaritan, a Christian free clinic that provides health services to all, regardless of background. Their services range from physical exams to mental health counseling to financial literacy courses. On campus, I volunteer in the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program. Through DCPSP, I help patients, as well as their family and friends, find resources on cancer literature and cancer care. I am a member of the Duke Catholic Center's Music Ministry, and play the violin at Mass weekly. In my free time, I like to run, read, bake, binge watch shows online (I personally recommend The Handmaid's Tale, Killing Eve, Claws...anything with a strong female lead!), and hang out with my friends.