Julie Tippens, MA, MPH

Julie Tippens, a doctoral candidate in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is a recipient of the David L. Boren Fellowship which provides up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students to add a language component to their graduate education. The fellowship will support Julie’s study of the Swahili language and her public health dissertation research in Kenya.

Boren Fellowships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Boren Fellows represent a variety of academic and professional disciplines, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Swahili.

Julie has an MA in International Peace & Conflict Resolution and an MPH in Community Health. She is currently a DrPH candidate in the Maternal and Child Health program at the Zuckerman College of Public Health. As a Boren Fellow, she will focus her research to identify coping strategies used by urban South Sudanese refugees to enhance psychosocial wellbeing and foster household and collective resilience. Her research will take her to the Kawangware slum which is located within the city of Nairobi and home to more than 500,000 Kenyans and refugees of diverse ethnic backgrounds. While rooted in social theory, this public health project has pragmatic implications for programs and policies intended to facilitate refugee integration into local communities.

“I have always admired the strength, creativity, and hope exhibited by refugee families and communities,” said Julie. “Understanding why and how communities thrive in the face of past trauma and continued adversity provides lessons for programs and policies intended to support refugees and promote health and wellbeing. My desire is that this project contributes to the growing research and practice that focuses on people's inherent resilience.”

Julie’s research advisor is Nicolette Teufel-Shone, associate professor of health promotion sciences at the UA College of Public Health.