The Planetary Health Center of Expertise (COE) selected nine qualified candidates from eight African countries to join the Planetary Health (PH) International Student Ambassador (ISA) Program.

The ISA program aims to develop visionary young leaders who will design and implement PH initiatives that address major planetary health challenges in their home countries. 

For the first year of the program, international students from Africa who are enrolled in any University of California campus were eligible to apply.

The International Student Ambassadors include UC Berkeley students Laura Atukunda, Sara Habiba, Kwinoja Kapiteni, Albert Kisole, Marie Pelagie Una Elimbi Moudio, Ashley Jean Sango and Mokganedi Tatlhego as well as Samira Ismaili and Janice Mwaniki from UC Davis. Read more about the ambassadors here.

The ISA Program officially launched during UCGHI’s annual UC Global Health Day event. A full day workshop at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography brought this diverse group together to introduce them to planetary health, develop networking and communication skills, and provide them with real life networking practice at UC Global Health Day.