From the president
Macie is dedicated to a true liberal arts approach to health and well-being by working to combine her skills as a nursing student to a community-centered approach grounded in the humanities and social sciences. As one of the first students to complete coursework in Wittenberg’s Health Humanities program, Macie has developed a keen interest in working with people to examine more than their physical health, including the health disparities that exist more broadly and what society can do about them.
Personal Statement
Holding my patient’s hand and stroking her arm while she is in labor is really the only comfort I can offer during her labor pains. From her point of view, she sees five nurses huddled around her with masks, seemingly yelling at her, only to hear the proper translation of us encouraging her minutes later. She has not had prenatal care to teach her how to push, so the fetus was stuck in the birthing canal temporarily. This language barrier also prevents her from understanding what an epidural is, because there is no word or explanation of it in Haitian Creole, so pain medication is also unavailable to her.
Being a nursing student in Springfield, Ohio, has shown me firsthand the health disparities within the community. Working at the local Springfield Regional Hospital Labor and Delivery has opened my eyes to the lack of healthcare many families receive for one reason or another. Many families lack support with finances and transportation and experience cultural barriers that impact their ability to obtain healthcare. Through my work with Second Harvest Food Bank and Springfield Regional Hospital Labor and Delivery, I have worked toward addressing social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, housing insecurity, and language barriers. I am working to address these health insecurities and access for all in our community. In the long term, I hope to use the experiences I gain through this Fellowship to make a lasting difference in my community and in global healthcare. One of my ultimate goals is to travel abroad to developing countries, where I can work on treating waterborne illnesses, distributing vaccines, and providing essential medical care.