Marjan Zarghami is the first recipient of the UW School of Medicine鈥檚 Global Health Pathway Certificate, awarded to students who have completed additional coursework in international health during their medical school training.
“I feel very honored to be recognized for this certificate,” Zarghami said. “The UW community is laying down such a great foundation for students to be involved in international and global health activities. It鈥檚 also exciting to see the collaboration of various UW schools working to strengthen the UW鈥檚 commitment to working with underserved populations in developing countries.”
The Global Health Pathway was developed to prepare medical students for work in underserved communities, increase medical students鈥� cultural competency; encourage research on global health issues; raise awareness of ethical issues related to global health, and introduce students to the challenges of practicing in resource-poor settings.
Zarghami鈥檚 interest in global health has been apparent since her undergraduate days at the UW, where she majored in neurobiology and international health. In medical school she was one of the first students to participate in the International Health Opportunities Program and worked for 10 weeks in the Marshall Islands focusing on clinical diabetes.
Born in Iran, Zarghami has had a lifelong passion for travel and people. “I love to travel. In addition to the Marshall Islands, I was a medical volunteer in Honduras, a service volunteer in Costa Rica, and did a reproductive health elective in Cuba. I鈥檝e also traveled to Tehran and Israel. I want to combine my interests in women鈥檚 health and travel,” she said. “I鈥檓 the first doctor in my family. I鈥檝e always been drawn to working with people on a personal level; being a doctor lets me do that.”
Zarghami has also been a teaching assistant for the School of Medicine鈥檚 international health course and has worked with a number of local community service programs, including El Centro de la Raza Latino Community Center, the Multifaith Works AIDS CareTeam program, and the Harborview Student Evening Clinic.
Zarghami will do a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California.
Dr. Tom Norris, vice dean for academic affairs, presented the certificate to Zarghami on June 2 at the Office of Multicultural Affairs Celebration 2006, honoring this year鈥檚 graduates.