Janet Matani, an Oregon State global health MPH student, completed her required internship at One Health Collaboration Center Universitas Cenderawasih in her hometown community of Papua, Indonesia. She plans to continue this work after graduation.
Why did you choose to study global health?
I chose to study global health because I’m interested in improving health, and increasing access to health services and quality health care for all people across the globe, especially people living in low-income countries.
I believe an education in global health from Oregon State University will expose me to innovative ways to solve public health problems around the world.
Tell us more about your global health internship.
The main project is called Kampung One Health, translated as One Health Village. The goals of the One Health Village are to educate the community, especially children, about having good health behaviors, awareness of the importance of One Health (human, animal and environmental health), and to encourage the community as a whole to be the future agents of change for their village and neighboring villages in promoting positive health behaviors.
What was the greatest value of your internship?
The greatest value of my internship was to go back and serve the community in my hometown, Papua. I got to interact directly with the community in one of the villages in Papua, Indonesia.
I am very grateful and humbled to be able to teach and learn together with the future leaders of Papua.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
After I graduate, I plan to go back to Papua and work diligently to improve the health of the population, especially among mothers and children through education, research and community outreach.
I hope I can apply all the knowledge I have gained from my education to increase the well-being of the people locally, nationally and internationally.
Learn more about what it means to study global health at Oregon State University.