School of Nursing Awards First Graduate Certificate in Global Health

Mary Martin, M.S.N.

Certified Nurse-Midwife Mary Martin, M.S.N. became the first School of Nursing student to complete the Graduate Certificate in Global Health when she graduated in December 2012. Martin has a passion for working with multicultural patient populations.

“The Global Health Certificate opened my eyes to many ways to serve the global community on a local level,” she said.

Under the supervision of Leilani J. Mason, M.S.N., C.N.M., Martin completed a 12-week practicum experience focusing on Arabic-speaking immigrant patients in the Department of OB/GYN.

“My heart as a midwife is to equip and empower those who are under-served to make positive healthcare decisions for themselves and their families," Martin said, "which in turn positively impacts the family, community, and world."

Martin’s practicum involved facilitating patient education through group settings to teach women to participate in their own health care. “This model of group pre-natal care is especially beneficial for immigrant communities.They are able to use each other as resources and help one another,” Martin stated. She recently accepted a position as a Certified Nurse-Midwife in a Federally Qualified Health Center in Salisbury, Maryland, where she will work to provide maternal health services to populations with limited access to care.

The interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Global Health is offered through the Institute for Global Health and is designed to equip students to assess public health challenges within international cultural and socioeconomic contexts.

Established in 2009, the program incorporates didactic coursework and participation in a Global Health-related practicum or internship. Students from all Vanderbilt graduate and professional programs are eligible, with previous certificate recipients from the School of Medicine, Peabody College, and Meharry Medical College.

LEARN MORE about the Graduate Certificate in Global Health here .