Elisabeth Point Du Jour

My career path really began in high school, inspired by the things I witnessed growing up. I was born and raised in Haiti, and I know firsthand what it means to not have access to medical care or health equity. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of family members because of that. One of the biggest losses that hit me was my uncle - what started off as a minor gas or stomach ache brought him to his grave. The closest hospital was an hour away, and he didn't make it on his journey there. All of that really got to the point where I was fed up. I'm like, wait a minute, why do the people in my community keep dying for minor reasons? And I'm just sitting here with my arms crossed, as if I don't know what to do about it. At first, I decided I would pursue a career in medicine, but along my journey, I realized there's something greater that I just couldn't put my hand on. I'm like, yes, medicine, but there's something else in between. During my time at Geisinger, I did research in non-communicable diseases, and I got exposed to global health. I connected with a mentor of mine who went abroad and told me the best way for me to get exposure to health is by going abroad. So I did Tanzania, I did medical volunteering there, and that's when it clicked. I'm like, yes, I see how I can be of use and of help to impact people who look like me. I'm a woman of color, so I see how I can serve those populations, because if they don't have an advocate to speak for them, literally, days are just gonna keep going on by, and we'll have silent deaths. This is a career for me, and I'm passionate about all things women empowerment. I'm a miracle baby. My mother herself, she's a miracle - she survived 5 multiple miscarriages, so that really inspired me to become who I am today and work in the field that I'm working in.