History
Our story began with a small group of students and faculty passionate about global health and making a difference.
First Public Health Beyond Borders UMD Trip
January 2013
In 2012, then Dean Jane Clark first heard about the Engineers without Borders (EWB) program in the UMD School of Engineering and she wondered why there was not a “Public Health Without Borders” program. Conversations with EWB advisor Dave Level led to faculty and graduate students from the School of Public Health joining EWB on their trip to Compone, Peru in January 2013. After this trip, enthusiasm for Public Health Without Borders (now PHBB) was evident now only in those that were on the trip but among other students in the SPH. Dr. Lis Maring, who had been on the Compone trip and directed the Global Health Scholars program on campus, provided leadership to the students as they organized.
PHBB-UMD Student Club Officially Founded
October 2013
Public Health Beyond Borders (PHBB) was listed as an official organization at the University of Maryland. A group of 8 globally minded undergraduate Global Public Health Scholars students founded the student organization, Public Health Without Borders. With support and mentorship from the Dean and faculty in the School of Public Health, the student organization has grown from eight members and a single project in Compone, Peru, to one of 200+ students and four international and one local projects. Those eight students were Hannah Asmail, Cinthia Ennaco, Ali Jourabchi, Stephanie Olcese, Priya Parikh, Kamran Partovi, Syed Taban, and Joshua Trowell.
PHBB-UMD Begins First Local Project in Maryland
February 2014
PHBB team from the University of Maryland starts the first local project, delivering workshops and tutoring to students at Hyattsville Elementary School.
PHBB-UMD Begins Sierra Leone Project
June 2014
PHBB team from the University of Maryland travels to Calaba Town, Sierra Leone to collaborate on a water sanitation project at the at Abigail D. Butscher Primary School.
PHBB-UMD Begins Ethiopia Project
January 2015
PHBB team from the University of Maryland travels to Debre Berhan, Ethiopia to deliver two nutrition education workshops at Biruh Tesfa Primary School.
PHBB-UMD Begins India Project
July 2016
PHBB team from the University of Maryland travels to Lucknow, India to form partnerships with contacts in India and provide health education in local schools via the Sesame Street campaign. A team returned in 2018 to Varanasi, India and developed a partnership with Southpoint School and Men's Action to Stop Violence Against Women (MASVAW). The team conducted a needs assessment, as well as handwashing and oral hygiene workshops.
PHBB Graduate Committee Founded
August 2016
The Public Health Beyond Borders (PHBB) Graduate Committee was founded to assist PHBB undergraduate students and faculty advisors in furthering the mission of the organization.
PHBB Begins Strategic Planning Process to Become National Organization
March 2020
The PHBB leadership at the University of Maryland begins a strategic development process to scale nationally through a celebration dinner hosted by donors and supporters.
PHBB, Inc. Becomes a Federally Recognized Nonprofit Organization
October 2020
PHBB, Inc. receives its 501c3 designation from the Internal Revenue Service.