Global Health

Sabrina Butteris, MD

Dr. Sabrina Butteris is professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, chief of the Division of Global Pediatrics, and vice chair of clinical affairs for the Department of Pediatrics. Butteris’ professional interests include developing local and international partnerships that span health systems and K-12 school environments to address challenges affecting children’s health.

Melinda Chen, MD

Dr. Melinda Chen is assistant professor in the Divisions of Endocrinology and Diabetes and Global Pediatrics. Her main interests include clinical care, global health, and education. Chen’s global health work includes development of a pediatric endocrinology curriculum currently in use at the University of Rwanda in Kigali. In addition, she is on the PREP Editorial Board for Pediatric Endocrinology.

James Conway, MD

Dr. James Conway is a pediatric infectious disease specialist. His primary work within global health centers on vaccine-preventable diseases and community-based public health programs aimed at improving vaccine delivery. His region of concentration in his vaccine work has been East Africa. Dr. Conway is the Associate Director for Health Sciences for the University of Wisconsin Global Health Institute.

Anthony Garcia-Prats, MD, MSc, PhD

Dr. Anthony Garcia-Prats is a general pediatrician who worked full time for 13 years in Lesotho, Tanzania and South Africa (2006-2019). His interests are pediatric HIV, the management of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) in children and the pharmacokinetics and safety of anti-tuberculosis drugs in children. He is leading multiple observational studies and phase I and II trials of TB drugs and improved treatment and prevention strategies for TB and MDR-TB in children.

Ebba Hjertstedt, MD, MS

Dr. Ebba Hjertstedt is associate clinical professor. Her professional interests include developing and teaching skills in Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). She also passionate about global health, and specifically cross-cultural communication. Hjertstedt has a joint appointment in the Department of Medicine.

Ryan McAdams, MD

Dr. Ryan McAdams is a neonatologist who loves caring for newborn babies. He believes every child everywhere is valuable and deserves the best opportunities to thrive. Dr. McAdams is currently the Division Chief and Fellowship Director of Neonatology and at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He has worked in Mongolia, Cambodia, Zambia, and Uganda doing volunteer medical work and promoting educational development. He is interested in developing global collaborative relationships focused on education to improve newborn outcomes.

Dr. Neil Munjal is a pediatric neurointensivist interested in acute and chronic brain injury care. He aims to preserve the brain health of ICU patients, including those who are admitted with a neurological diagnoses, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, and status epilepticus, as well as those who acquire an unexpected brain injury during their ICU stay. In addition, Munjal provides high-quality long-term care for these patients through the Pediatric Brain Care Clinic.

Jonathan Wong, DO

Dr. Jonathan Wong is assistant professor in the both the Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, and of Global Pediatrics. His interests include three broad categories­: pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy, quality improvement, and global health. Wong is currently a member of the Endoscopy & Procedures Committee within the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition ( NASPGHAN). He also serves as the Director of Endoscopy at American Family Children’s Hospital.

Ilayda completed her medical training at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey, where she developed a strong interest in pediatrics and cross‑cultural clinical care. Her clinical experiences include observerships in pediatric nephrology and immunology at Seattle Children’s Hospital, pediatric intensive care at the Cleveland Clinic, and international internships through the ERASMUS+ and International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations programs in Italy, Indonesia, and Bulgaria. In Turkey, she contributed to a departmental initiative focused on improving patient–physician communication, helping develop ward‑based visual tools and co‑authoring a book chapter on effective communication with patients and families. Ilayda has also co‑authored peer‑reviewed pediatric case reports and is committed to advancing compassionate, globally informed care for children across diverse healthcare settings.

Victoria brings a strong commitment to pediatrics, health policy, and population health, shaped by training across medicine and public health. Her dedication to equity‑driven care has been informed by experiences with immigrant and underserved communities, including work with the Cornell Farmworker Program and a community‑partnered global health project in rural Nicaragua grounded in ethical, community‑led engagement. Throughout medical school, Victoria has focused on local advocacy and service in Washington, D.C., including child health policy work with the American Academy of Pediatrics and community engagement with organizations addressing homelessness. Through her combined interests in pediatrics, public health, and policy, she hopes to build a career bridging clinical care with advocacy to improve access and outcomes for children and families across diverse settings.

Summer brings a longstanding commitment to global health and service shaped by experiences in clinical training, research, and community‑based work. Her passion for equitable care was deeply informed by over two years as a Peace Corps Rural Health Educator in a remote Q’eqchi Mayan village in southern Belize, where she worked in maternal and child health, developed malnutrition prevention programs, conducted home health visits, and trained community health workers. Beyond her global health experience, Summer has spent more than two decades engaging with underserved communities through youth leadership programs, public health initiatives, and community‑based research. Through her combined background in global service, pediatric and public health research, and medical education, she hopes to continue advancing culturally responsive, community‑centered care for children and families both locally and globally.

Marib completed his medical education at Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan (2023), where caring for children and families in resource‑limited settings shaped his commitment to pediatrics and global health. During medical school, he volunteered in rural flood‑relief camps following the devastating 2022 Pakistan floods, providing frontline care to displaced children with malnutrition, infectious illnesses, and acute medical needs in high‑volume, low‑resource environments. As a Dean’s Clinical Research Fellow and Research Associate, Marib has centered his work on health equity, caregiver advocacy, child protection, compassion training, and simulation‑based pediatric emergency education, with multiple peer‑reviewed publications and competitively awarded grants. Through his clinical, research, and community leadership experiences—including national first‑responder training and pediatric advocacy initiatives—he is committed to advancing culturally responsive, equitable systems of care for children and families globally.

Fatima completed her medical education at Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan (2024), where she developed strong interests in pediatrics, maternal and child health, and population health research. She excelled academically and completed broad clinical training, with particular exposure to pediatrics and community health sciences. Fatima has an extensive research background, with multiple peer‑reviewed publications examining barriers to pediatric neurosurgical care and health system challenges in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Through leadership in student‑run pediatric and research organizations and pediatric subspecialty electives in the United States and Pakistan, she strengthened her commitment to advancing equitable care for children and families globally.

Tahreem joined the Global Health Track after completing her medical education at Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan (2023), where she consistently sought out opportunities to address healthcare disparities through both clinical and community-based efforts. During medical school, she volunteered every year at annual orphan camps and vision screening initiatives for low income communities, and served as a class coordinator for the Blood Donor Society, organizing donation drives and awareness campaigns. Her interest in pediatric global health deepened through visiting clinical rotations in Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin, where she trained in pediatric cardiology, critical care, and adolescent medicine. Tahreem also contributed to research on vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan. Fluent in English, Urdu, and Hindi, and experienced in diverse care settings, Fatima is excited to build on her global health foundation to advocate for children and families in underserved populations worldwide.

Kristin’s global health efforts span the globe, from Stateside work with Americorps in Milwaukee and a refugee health organization in Salt Lake City, to research and education in Ghana, Malawi, and Sierra Leone, and an educational role in South Sudan. Her past roles have included managing field operations for nutrition research in Ghana and Malawi, coordinating sub-studies on maternal mental health in Sierra Leone, and investigating the long-term health effects of war-related forced captivity in South Sudan. Kristin has also served as a technical advisor to the Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program in South Sudan. Her interdisciplinary background combines fieldwork, data analysis, and policy engagement, reflecting her commitment to improving health equity in crisis-affected populations.

Izzy has quite a bit of experience in global maternal and child health, with volunteer experiences across Uganda, Cambodia, and the United States. In Uganda, she helped provide antenatal care in a low-resource maternity clinic, where she also helped treat patients and managed infectious diseases such as malaria and typhoid. While living in Cambodia, she promoted public health efforts, including vaccine clinics and literacy outreach. Her work at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Grifols Biomat USA included coordinating clinical trials and vaccine studies, with a focus on safety, immunology, and community access to care. She has also taken on leadership roles for medical students, particularly women and parents navigating Title IX concerns and structural barriers in the medical education system.

Hannah has a clear commitment to the service for the underserved, having coordinated medical clinics at Madison Men’s Shelter, and mentored students in underserved areas. She has also worked as a research assistant, contributing to studies on healthcare outcomes for vulnerable populations, including those affected by drug use and radiation-induced heart disease. Hannah’s commitment to global health extends to her leadership in organizing and participating in volunteer-driven clinics and health initiatives. She has a commitment to serve diverse communities of children right here in Wisconsin, including care for indigenous and Plain communities. She hopes to learn how global health skills and knowledge can be applied to improve care for local communities.

Lauren has extensive experience in community engagement and improving access to healthcare. Learning and working primarily in rural areas, Lauren understands and appreciates the impact a lack of subspecialty care and resources can have on patients, families, and communities. Lauren has worked on the front lines of these communities, working with Portage County, WI, to research the distribution and impacts of harm reduction kits in the community, as well as assessing stigma surrounding addiction. She has worked as a research assistant in studies evaluating risk-taking behaviors. Lauren has also volunteered with organizations such as Feed My Starving Children and participated in events to support children’s health education. Lauren’s work continues to be shaped by her passion for service, education, and improving healthcare delivery in underserved communities.

After pioneering several medical education efforts during and after her medical school training at the University of Khartoum Faculty of Medicine in Sudan (where she graduated in 2020), Rawan took the big geographic leap to the Midwest to complete her pediatric residency training prior to considering a fellowship in neonatology.  During her medical education, she was head of external affairs for a medical education/research organization and was a member of the Sudanese Childhood Diabetes Association. She has strengthened her medical expertise by working in the pediatric emergency room and the intensive care unit.  Currently, she runs an Instagram page that educates new mothers on neonatal care and spread awareness on the health hazards affecting Sudan. Rawan’s training in many diverse healthcare settings (rural, urban, suburban) has fueled her commitment to bridge healthcare disparities and work towards implementing projects that help on a global scale.

Tim must have lived at least five lives prior to coming to UW—to get a full sense of everything that he experienced prior to making the leap to Madison, it’s best to bring a world map and take some time to chat with him as he describes his many life adventures. While his most recent stop was Baltimore, Maryland for research and his MPH at Hopkins, he completed his medical school training in Israel at Ben Gurion University (2015), military Medic work in South Korea (2016-2018), and lived in many different regions prior to Israel. He brings with him a wealth of multicultural and humanitarian experiences, including working in mobile clinics, researching infectious diseases to help derive ways to improve antibiotic stewardship on a large scale, and exploring opportunities for healthcare professionals to advocate for patients.

Marla Perez Negrin, MD (PGY-3)

Having grown up in Cuba where her mother served as a pediatrician, Marla witnessed the challenges of delivering healthcare in resource-limited settings. During her medical education at Washington University of Health Sciences in Belize (2022), she emphasized the importance of community engagement and analysis of the needs of each community. Additionally, she worked and volunteered in a multitude of clinics, one of which she was able to lead advocacy projects and work alongside healthcare professionals and community members to bring awareness and inform the public on disease prevention. Marla hopes to engage in more initiatives to narrow the health disparity gap and improve the well-being of children.

From the Buckeye state to the cheese state, Paige is eager to learn more ways on how to care for underserved communities. As an undergraduate, Paige had the opportunity to study abroad in Botswana (2018) where she studied alongside local students analyzing the healthcare system and how to deliver care in a variety of settings. Her community engagement continued through medical school (University of Toledo, 2024) as she volunteered in community care clinics and a local hospital’s emergency department. Paige’s experience as a pre-med mentor and serving as an organization chair strengthened her leadership role, but also taught her the value of teamwork. She hopes this track will better her skills in disease identification and management in resource-limited settings.

Allison decided to continue soaking up the seasons of the Midwest after attending the University of Notre Dame in Indiana (2018) and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (2023). Allison had the opportunity to partake in a self-directed research project in Chiapas, Mexico. During her time in Mexico, she partnered with an organization called Compañeros en Salud (CES), where she interviewed community health workers about their experience interacting with patients with mental illness and how they deliver mental health services to people in rural communities. During her education, she has been part of various global health organizations that discuss major global health topics and recruit guest speakers to provide further insight. Allison wishes to continue exploring access and delivery of mental health services, and is excited to be learn more about the Madison community.

Jalal-Ud-Din completed his education in Lahore, Pakistan at the Salamat International Campus for Advanced Studies (2012) and in Karachi, Pakistan at the Aga Khan University Medical College (2017). During medical school he worked with the Humanity Initiative, which was a student-led organization that served communities in Karachi. He has also worked with several NGOs, including Aftari on Wheels and The Sanabel Trust Foundation. Seeing the detriment cardiovascular disease has on children is what spiked his interest in pediatric cardiology. Jalal-Ud-Din hopes to bring awareness to heart disease in children and increase access to subspecialty care.