Kilgore Pursues Dream of Expanding Access to Healthcare Through Study Abroad Excursion

Cassandra Thomas

Breanna Kilgore

Graduate and international education is all about discoveries — the discovery of knowledge, the discovery of research and creative scholarship that improves lives, and the discovery of new countries, cultures and people. The Graduate School and International Education is celebrating our students, faculty and staff that make discoveries happen at the University of Arkansas.

Breanna Kilgore wants to see a world where a person doesn't have to choose between paying medical bills or buying food for their family. 

Growing up in El Dorado, Kilgore saw first-hand how poverty and social status affected one's health. Barriers such as access to affordable and healthy food, clean housing and education could mean the difference between sickness and health.

"Everyone deserves to be healthy, and I've seen how poverty, environment and social status impact the overall health of a person," she said. "My zip code shouldn't determine my healthcare, and I hope that combining technology, global health and engineering can solve these issues."

She wanted to change that — specifically by increasing access to healthcare technology. To do so, she enrolled at the U of A through the Honors College's Path Program, where she studied at the intersection of technology and healthcare.

One day, an adviser from the Study Abroad Office attended a meeting in the Honors College and presented to Kilgore and others about study abroad opportunities. Kilgore saw how immersing herself in the healthcare system of another country could not only make her more effective in finding solutions to challenges in healthcare, but it would also be a strong addition to her resume when she graduated and entered an increasingly globalized job market.

"I saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I really wanted to step outside my comfort zone," she said.

But the prospect intimidated Kilgore. As a first-generation underrepresented student, the prospect of attending college at a flagship university was daunting enough. No one in her direct family had ever traveled outside of the country, much less tried to take academic courses while living in a different country. On top of that, studying outside of the country was expensive.

Then Kilgore met with the Study Abroad Office, where advisers gave her information on scholarships and provided her recommendations on what study abroad experiences would be best for her, given her interests.

Her conversations with the Study Abroad team put Kilgore at ease and helped her land on Switzerland as the destination for her. In her program, she spent six weeks studying global health and developmental policy, where she conducted field research with biotechnology professionals and attended briefings from international organizations such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

That experience led Kilgore to become a Rice 360 Global Health Engineering Fellow after graduating from the U of A, a post-baccalaureate fellowship where she will help create affordable and sustainable medical devices to help pregnant women in Africa give birth and babies survive after birth.

During the interview for the fellowship, Kilgore was asked about her study abroad experience and talked extensively about her time in Switzerland and its impact on her.

"I loved my study abroad experience, and the program is robust, so it definitely helped me to become more well-rounded," she said. "I highly recommend and encourage studying abroad to everyone."

For more information on study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of Study Abroad website.

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and join in the conversation by using the #DiscoverGSIE hashtag.