May 18, 2021 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Emily Saathoff’s twin sister stayed in Texas for college, but Saathoff felt certain she would enjoy living in the Carolinas. She loved her campus tour and all the study abroad opportunities at UofSC. The arrival of her invitation to join the Capstone Scholars program sealed the deal.
Saathoff studied biology and then exercise science before her home in public health during her junior year. She became interested in the field after taking courses in community psychology and mental & social healthcare and completing a hospital internship during a semester abroad at the University of Ghana.
“I got to work with a group to create and conduct a survey in the Accra community, and we chose to focus on individuals with physical disabilities living in the streets,” Saathoff says. “I really appreciated being able to talk to these individuals firsthand when working on our project, and the project helped me realize that I wanted to work with community-based initiatives in the future.”
My best piece of advice is to find something you’re passionate about and to then take advantage of all opportunities available to you for pursuing that passion.
-Emily Saathoff, B.S. in Public Health 2021
She also learned about mental health in Western Africa and the differences (including disparities) between healthcare systems around the world. When she returned to UofSC, Saathoff’s first public health course introduced her to clinical associate professor Kara Montgomery. Her transition into public health during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (and the shift to virtual learning) made it difficult for the University Ambassador to get to know the professors in her new major. Despite these challenges, Saathoff found inspiration and a mentor in Montgomery.
“Dr. Montgomery’s class really deepened my interest in public health,” Saathoff says. “I attribute her class with teaching me the importance of viewing public health issues through an intersectional lens – which helps me to better understand the issues and challenges that are unique to specific groups of people or cultures.”
The Flinn Scholar developed a passion for maternal and child health and continued exploring public health in global contexts. As a Magellan Apprentice, Saathoff conducted research with pscyhology professor Jeffrey Schatz in the Pediatric Health and Neurodevelopment Lab, presenting their project on electronic pain management for preschool children with sickle cell disease at Discover UofSC this spring.
For the past year, Saathoff has been interning with the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education/U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Undergraduate Research Program (see the first paper she and her team published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences) and participating in the Peace Corps Prep Program. Its summer completion is well-timed for preparing Saathoff for her next adventure: returning to the University of Ghana to pursue a Master of Public Health in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health as a Rotary Global Grant Scholar.
“I’ll be focusing on Rotary’s area of focus of maternal and child health, and I hope to specifically study maternal mortality rates due to pregnancy-related complications,” says Saathoff. “What I’ve become increasingly aware of as I’ve gotten older is that children in other parts of the world aren’t always as lucky, often because of a lack of access to essential services. This is something that is preventable, and it is something that I want to change through working in the area of maternal and child health.”
One of my biggest takeaways from the last four years is that the best way to make a difference is to learn from the differences of others.
-Emily Saathoff, B.S. in Public Health 2021
First, the Capstone Fellow graduates from UofSC. A recipient of both Outstanding Senior and Presidents Awards, Saathoff has also achieved Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Global Learning and Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Research (fun fact: Arnold Schools students have the highest participation rate on campus for Graduation with Leadership Distinction). She also has some advice for current and prospective students.
“My best piece of advice is to find something you’re passionate about and to then take advantage of all opportunities available to you for pursuing that passion,” Saathoff says. “One of my biggest takeaways from the last four years is that the best way to make a difference is to learn from the differences of others. Seek out these differences and take the time to truly understand them.”