Collaboration in Action
Project Presentations from our Global Health Internship
Meet Our 2026 Interns and Their Projects
The 2026 PACH Global Health Immersion Internship took place from June 13 through August 8. Once again, the program was made possible through the contributions of our donors, PACH and FIBUSPAM staff, and community partners throughout Ecuador.
Throughout the summer, our interns collaborated with our teams and partners on projects addressing nutrition, mental health, women's health, water quality, thyroid health, and dermatological health. Their work contributes to programs and applied research that PACH, FIBUSPAM, and our partners can continue building upon.
Watch their final presentations below to learn about their projects, findings, and recommendations.
Aura Gallardo Muñoz
Aura is the lead author of an infant nutrition publication co-created with contributions from PACH, FIBUSPAM, and partners in Southern Ecuador. The publication will be distributed throughout Ecuador as a resource for service providers and families.
Ann Hinrichs
Ann developed a comprehensive needs assessment to guide support for mental health programming. Her work incorporates input from international informants and identifies opportunities for long-term program sustainability. She also contributed to PACH and FIBUSPAM's ongoing cervical cancer screening program.
Fiona Wolter
Fiona led development of a water quality project implementation plan that brings together five years of collaborative work and provides a feasible path for improving community water quality, sanitation, and hygiene. She also contributed to the assessment of PACH and FIBUSPAM outreach programming for young mothers.
Luca Clark-Shaw
Luca developed a pilot project focused on providing attention to thyroid dysfunction in Ecuador. The project establishes a framework for future outreach and is intended to support his return next year to collaborate with PACH and FIBUSPAM teams on implementation.
Luca Hardy
Luca led a new study examining skin diseases in Ecuador. His work included a needs assessment and feasibility study considering communities in both the Andean and Amazonian regions and provides a foundation for continued project development.
2025 Presentations
An Epidemiological Overview of Water-Related Illnesses in Ecuador
A Statistical Analysis of the Cervical Cancer Screening Program Results
Monitoring and Assessment of The Young Mothers Outreach Program
An Observational Study for the Cervical Cancer Screening Program
The Ecuadorian Healthcare Access Affordability, and Availability Survey
Coming Soon!
Hilal Akman presents on the implementation of the Cervical Cancer Screening Program implementation.
What Our Intern Community Says
“Overall the program was very responsive to each intern’s interests and professional goals and allowed us to focus on the topics that interested us the most.“
Amandari
2022
“My experience with PACH was absolutely incredible. I had the opportunity to visit Ecuador for the first time and was fully immersed in its rich culture.“
Toyosi
2019
“This internship has not only allowed me to contribute to meaningful projects but has also been an incredible experience for my personal and professional growth.“
Hilal
2024