Sarah Iribarren didn’t originally want to be a nurse, but after a study abroad experience in Ecuador she knew that was the career path she wanted to take.
Iribarren recently received the Fogarty International Research Scholar award-an honor usually given to medical students. She is the second nurse in history to receive the award.
In the program, students are paired with a mentor in one of 22 sites worldwide to perform research. Iribarren will spend 10 months researching the health care policy in Argentina and working with a mentor to help local people.
Iribarren, a nursing graduate student at the U, said this experience will open up a lot of doors for her future career in nursing.
“I think I’m just beginning to realize how big of a deal this really is,” she said.
Iribarren went through a grueling process to apply for the award, which started with filling out paperwork and ended with interviewing in Washington D.C. She is one of 30 students to receive the award.
Ginette Pepper, associate dean of research said the School of Nursing is thrilled to have one of its students receive such a prestigious award.
“Sarah is a remarkable and unique student,” Pepper said. “She’s a shining star student.”
Iribarren, 33, grew up on a farm in Washington and received a biology degree with a minor in Spanish from Washington State University. She received a nursing degree from the Intercollegiate College of Nursing.
While Iribarren was in Ecuador, she worked with two doctors who had studied in Cuba, and a medicine man and midwife who used traditional medicine.
Iribarren will be able to apply her interests of international studies, public health and infectious disease to her research in Argentina. She wants to help improve health care by assisting local people with finding solutions to health problems from within their communities.
Patricia Pearce, an associate professor in nursing, said Iribarren is hardworking, dedicated and has an intellectual curiosity crucial for doing research.
“I’m very proud of her,” Pearce said. “This is our goal as faculty and researchers. We mentor students through these processes and so our goal is to see them succeed and this is a huge success.”
Lennie MahlerNursing graduate student Sarah Iribarren became the second nurse to receive the Fogarty International Research Scholar award.