Kelechi Weze Wins Public Health Photo Award

Congratulations to Dr. Kelechi Weze, a physician from Nigeria and Master in Public Health (MPH) student in global health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who currently works with the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator. Dr. Weze recently won the Chan School’s 2015 Public Health Student Photo Contest for his photos on “Empowering Differently Abled People,” which highlight the untold stories of people affected by road traffic accidents in rural Bangladesh. The winning images, on display at Harvard Chan, show individuals at work or training at TRAUMALINK a social venture started at the School and the Center for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) Bangladesh, a non-profit dedicated to individuals with permanent disabilities from road traffic accidents and injuries. Founded by British physiotherapist Valerie Taylor in 1979, CRP is the only facility that provides spinal injury care in Bangladesh.

While in medical school, Dr. Weze almost lost his father following a gun-shot injury due to the lack of an emergency response system in Nigeria. This harrowing experience forced him to think deeply about the health systems in developing countries, especially in the provision of emergency response and trauma care. Dr. Weze chose to come to Harvard as it offered a rare opportunity to explore the intersection of public health and trauma. He was excited at the opportunity that Harvard Chan offered to get involved in the field in Bangladesh with TRAUMALINK, empowering community members to become first-responders for victims of road traffic accidents.

The Public Health Student Photo Contest is sponsored annually by Harvard Chan’s Office for Student Affairs. Winning photos illustrate students’ work in local communities and around the world. The goal of the contest is to build an engaged community and to share important stories and influence the way people think about public health through photography. Detailed rules and guidelines are provided to ensure that contestants observe ethical principles regarding the content and distribution of photos.