Changemaking starts at any age.
This summer, Devex and Johnson & Johnson assembled some of the youngest changemakers in health care from across the globe at Devex World 2018. Totaling ten, these J&J Fellows’ fresh perspectives and social innovations are taking global health care in new directions. It will likely be these faces at the forefront of global development efforts in the decades to come.
As young people from diverse backgrounds, J&J fellows know that creating change isn’t easy. And yet, here they are. After standing witness to many of the health care struggles around the world — refugee displacement, lack of proper sexual education, and inadequate medical knowledge — Patience, Abdul, Nick, Trang, and Aya took action. Now they are calling on other young people to do the same.
Meet five of the 2018 Johnson & Johnson fellows, the young leaders taking global health care in new directions.
Originally from Botswana, Patience studied biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She led the technical redesign of the suits worn by Ebola health care workers, revolutionizing health care protective equipment.
After losing his aunt to cancer, Abdul founded the Zurak Cancer Foundation, aimed at educating the public in Ghana about cancer. The foundation runs a program to test women for cervical cancer in two districts of Accra, using specialized training tools.
Nick runs the Paradigm Youth Organization in the slums and rural outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Working to improve health and hygiene for women, he most recently created an artificial intelligence mobile app to privately answer pressing health questions.
Originally a social worker in Vietnam, Trang now conducts PhD research to promote LGBTQ inclusivity within Vietnamese social workers’ practices and attitudes. Trang’s activism also amplifies young Vietnamese women’s experiences through a published e-book and an ongoing lesbian and transgender blog.
Aya co-founded All Girls Code, an initiative that introduces girls in Lebanon to STEM fields. Beyond striving to include refugees in her work and being appointed Google Women Techmaker, Aya is developing a TeensWhoCode community.
About the authors
Julie Espinosa
Julie Espinosa is the Associate Director of Creative at Devex. She leads a team of visual storytellers who work with reporters all over the globe to cover the topics of humanitarian aid, sustainable development and global health. Prior to joining Devex, Julie worked in documentary film production in Austin, Texas. She holds a master’s degree in communications and cultural studies from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s in visual arts from Harvard University.
Dee Wisne
Dee Wisne is a former video production intern at Devex. She has a background in nonprofit work and feminist activism, having founded a women’s empowerment club called Wink Me in 2014. She will graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University in May 2019 with a bachelor's degree in film studies.