2009 Scholar of Change: Elisa Watters

Ph.D. in Public Health student demonstrates her health education program in Nepal
Nov 8, 2011 9:30 AM ET

For the past 15 years, Elisa Watters have been living and working in Nepal providing medical care and developing health education materials for vulnerable populations. Because of their remoteness and lack of access to health infrastructure, for healthy changes to be sustainable, they must involve the community at the grassroots level.

After 12 years of caring for people in Katmandu and more remote places of Nepal, she knew she needed to do more to increase lasting healthy outcomes for these communities that she works among. Walden’s Ph.D. in Public Health program has opened that door for her.

She now focuses more on prevention campaigns involving communities of Nepal. The focus has become much more than curative medicine but rather sustainable solutions for social change that is felt at a heart level. What this means is change they believe in adopt and integrate into their own lives.