Posted on
When the rural villagers of Frankadua, Ghana, saw Elyse Ryan ’26 in her nursing scrubs, they would stop her in the street to ask her to assess their medical conditions. Some had wounds that needed treatment. Others needed walkers or wheelchairs.
It was a scene that Ryan, a nursing student minoring in public health, got used to in her 18-day trip there during winter break.
“I like to be able to provide what I can, and learn from others,” says Ryan, who, like the locals she served, lived in sparse conditions with no running water and only intermittent electricity.
As a volunteer with International Volunteers HQ, she worked in a medical clinic in Frankadua and also made home visits, traveling with a translator on the back of a moped.
“The sense of community there was an invaluable experience for me,” said Ryan, who plans to return someday.
Closer to home, Ryan is doing research with nursing professor Vicki Brzoza and the local non-profit Homefront NJ on breast cancer education and screening for those who are temporarily without housing.
The research found that communication about available health resources for the underserved population was lacking. Brzoza and Ryan will be presenting at an upcoming nursing research conference in Philadelphia in April and have submitted their work to a national nursing journal.
“Elyse is a committed student,” said Brzoza. “She wants to make a difference, and she does.”
