Caroline Folz’s passion for global health developed when she began to pursue her interests in medicine through the lenses of other cultures and health care systems. As a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Folz completed an internship with the Nehemiah Autism Center in Ethiopia and held a research position at the International Center for Migration Health and Development in Geneva, Switzerland. Through these experiences, she explored factors influencing health outcomes from local, national and international perspectives, and she began to grasp how deeply rooted inequalities can be in underserved populations.

Folz felt motivated to gain the skills and knowledge to address health inequalities at the global level in addition to within her community, which brought her to the Keck School of Medicine of USC. After completing her undergraduate degrees in Behavioral Neuroscience and Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill, she began USC’s Master of Science in Global Medicine program to strengthen her background in global health and health care.

Through the Global Medicine program, Folz was able to attend the 2019 Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in addition to special lectures at UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme. Her professional and educational experiences have fostered her strong passion for issues facing vulnerable populations, such as mothers, children and individuals with disabilities.

This fall, Folz is excited to continue her pursuit of medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as a member of the Class of 2023.