Medical student honored with national APHA award for global health research
Isabella (“Bella”) Dunn, a third-year medical student and Global Health Scholar at Penn State College of Medicine, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Cancer Forum Health Equity Award in Global Health. The award, a nationally recognized honor, is presented by the nation’s leading nonprofit association of public health practitioners and scientists.
Dunn received the award for her collaborative research examining the effectiveness of training community health workers in breast cancer screening in rural Ghana. The project, conducted in partnership with collaborators in Ghana and at the University of Richmond, required approval from Ghana Health Services and reflects a growing global effort to strengthen early detection and improve outcomes for women in under-resourced regions.
For Dunn, global health work is not an extracurricular interest but a core part of her identity as a future physician and scientist.
“I’ve never seen global health as something separate from clinical care or research; it’s the way I understand medicine,” she said. “It’s shaped how I learn, how I lead, and how I show up for patients and communities.”
Her approach to research and community partnership emphasizes humility, sustained collaboration and a commitment to equity.
“Through these experiences, I’ve learned what equity looks like in practice, and I’ve come to value the process as much as the outcomes,” Dunn wrote. “What’s made the biggest difference in this work isn’t technical skill, it’s mindset. I lead with curiosity, persistence and a deep respect for partnership … I don’t just want to participate in global health; I want to do it well, with care, and with communities at the center.”
Dunn credits the College of Medicine’s Global Health Scholars Pathway (GHSP) – and her placement with the Zambia site – as a major influence in her decision to pursue medical training at the College. The program provides immersive education and experiential learning opportunities designed to prepare future physicians for collaborative, ethical and community-centered global health work.
Her recognition by APHA underscores the impact of student-led research within the College of Medicine and highlights the vital role of global partnerships in advancing equitable cancer care.
For questions related to this story, please contact the GHSP.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.