Student Spotlight: Julia Eigner
Julia Eigner (SFS'21) was a fall 2019 Global Health Initiative student fellow and first year Master in International Development Policy candidate at the McCourt School of Public Policy.
Tell us why are you interested in global health?
I hope to help reduce the societal barriers that systematically disadvantage certain groups of people in hopes of creating a more equitable world. I’ve chosen to focus on global health because my family has struggled with health issues and it’s clear to me how detrimental that can be, even under the most privileged circumstances. It humbles me to think what could have happened if our situation was different and I work in global health to reduce inequities in access across the world.
What are some global health events you have participated in on campus/in DC?
Aside from being a part of the Global Health Initiative, I try to attend as many talks as possible on experimental research of health. The McCourt School focuses heavily on economics, so I am constantly attending lectures on new approaches to incentivizing preventative care or contraception use.
What activities are you involved with on campus?
I am part of McCourt Policy in Practice (MPiP). MPiP provides students in the McCourt School with the opportunity to partner with local communities and nonprofit organizations in developing countries to use rigorous policy tools in designing, implementing, and evaluating sustainable, evidence-based development projects that address identified needs.
What is your favorite part about being at Georgetown?
My favorite part about being at Georgetown is being part of a student body with incredibly diverse experiences. Being at the McCourt School of Public Policy, it is interesting to discuss ideas of State health delivery with students who have lived through non-democratic regime changes or constitutional changes in their respective countries. It is important to recognize that creating viable solutions to global problems is dependent on having diverse experiences in the room.
Tell us about your educational and professional aspirations.
After school I hope to join an organization that runs experimental research on health delivery in partnership with foreign governments. There is a lot of demand for understanding the effects of both local and donor initiatives and I hope to be part of that growing body of evidence.