“We talked about policies, hardships and political instability within a country, but I was struck by how we didn’t discuss the well-being of the people who were living there,” said Limbong. “How were communities doing during these times of war, natural disasters and other atrocities?,” she wondered.

It was this desire to understand the people and root causes of issues that led the Louisville native and to study public health. 

Limbong, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public health in May 2026, explored the global interconnectivity of cultures when she embarked on a month-long project in the African country of Malawi this past summer. This opportunity was led by Rochelle Holm of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.

According to the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), Malawi’s economy is largely agricultural with more than 80 percent of the population dependent on farming. While this supports livelihoods for millions, Malawi is vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are concerns for much of the population.

In Malawi, Limbong assisted with nutrition research by surveying hundreds of Malawian university students and staff. The aim was to see if dietary indicators can be detected in wastewater and environmental surveillance, and how that compared to what people reported. She explored her interest in food insecurity by visiting a coffee planters’ co-op and participating in a grassroots feeding program for vulnerable community members.

The ‘warm heart of Africa’: Beyond the stereotypes

Malawi is often described through a narrow lens defined primarily by economic hardship. While poverty is a reality for many, Limbong said that is not the full story. Approaching Malawi with the intention of learning from local communities, Limbong focused on listening to resident voices. Through conversations with Malawians, she began to see how limiting the dominant narrative can be.

“Malawians are resilient, brilliant, and capable,” she reflected. “They are doing their best to provide for their families and are innovative in the ways that they can be.” For Limbong, it was essential not to reduce people to their struggles alone. “I want to make sure we don’t forget people’s humanity,” she said.

In the country known as “the warm heart of Africa,” Limbong was particularly struck by the communal nature of Malawian culture. Almost every evening, she heard large groups of people gathered together singing. These moments reflected more than music. “It speaks to the community-centric nature of the people,” she explained. “I think it’s important to be fully immersed, take time to hear people’s life experiences, and to share those stories from their perspective.”

Global citizenry

Upon graduation in May, Limbong plans to continue public health at UofL and pursue a master’s degree to better understand where her gifts align with the needs of the community.

Limbong said her Malawi experience deepened her understanding of global humanitarian work as both meaningful and demanding, “This is important work and hard work,” she said. “The experience helped me examine how my own contributions can fit into the broader picture of global health.”

For Limbong, what resonated from her experience was a sense of collective humanity. “While our realities might be different, they impact one another,” she said. “We are all connected on this shared earth, and that is something I will take with me wherever I go next and whatever I end up doing.”

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Tennessee and medical school in India, Abraham arrived in Louisville seven years ago. She was shadowing doctors and getting ready for a medical residency when she became intrigued by the idea of helping not just individuals but populations.

“I am a numbers person so I was comparing clinical versus population health data and seeing how research could impact a lot more people,” Abraham said.

Once she decided to embark on her master’s degree in public health at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS), Abraham met Stephanie Boone, a two-time UofL alumna (MPH ’08, PhD ’13) and associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and faculty member at the Brown Cancer Center, Boone encouraged her to apply for the PhD program and got her involved in epidemiological research.

Now a graduate of SPHIS, Abraham has been working as the coordinator of the Kentucky Core (Boone, PI) of the RURAL (Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal) Study. This is a large National Institutes of Health-funded study to conduct community engagement and evaluate heart and lung diseases among rural populations in four states: Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Abraham has connected with local communities in Perry, Breathitt, Boyle and Garrard counties in Kentucky, to help recruit more than 1,000 residents and provide education and resources for unmet needs for hundreds at community meetings and events.

Since 2021, Abraham has been building a network, spreading the message and promoting the study, becoming a constant presence and trusted local contact in these counties. A mobile exam unit is traveling county by county and offering free health screenings to participants to determine lung, heart and overall wellness indicators.

Abraham, Boone and epidemiology graduate assistant Scotland Stewart, along with Community Advisory Boards established from each of the counties, meet with residents virtually or in person at city councils, church events, health fairs and festivals.

“You don’t want them to think you’re just there to use them for their data and leave,” Abraham said. “We want to share the results with the community and help them find funding or grants and design programs for what the data shows is lacking in their community.”

Establishing the participant cohort for the study has been a game changer for each community’s health now and in the future. “The CT scan on the mobile unit can measure Coronary Artery Calcium, which could show an individual if they are at risk for future heart disease, but also the scans have found incidental findings in the lung or other health concerns that people did not know existed, which is life-changing,” Abraham said. “It’s gratifying to know that your work does mean something and it is actually making a difference.”

Abraham plans to continue in her role until study participant recruitment is completed in Kentucky. After that, Abraham said she hopes to seek post-doc opportunities to take her population level research one step further into dissemination and implementation.

“Research shouldn’t just be about publishing papers, it should be about translating your findings to make a positive impact in people’s lives – that’s where my heart is.”