Student Dr. Sophie Hockran is the Campbell University Global Health Student of the Year.
The prestigious honor recognizes Hockran for her exceptional contributions to advancing global health initiatives for the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Her dedication to promoting health equity, her leadership in addressing healthcare challenges in underserved communities, and her unwavering commitment to making a global impact embody the spirit and mission of this award,” the school’s Global Health Committee wrote.
“Her work serves as an inspiration to all of us and exemplifies the values we strive to uphold as future physicians and advocates for health equity.”
Hockran, who plans to graduate next year, said her work in global health began before coming to Campbell.
The med school, she said, has a well-established Global Health program under Dr. Joe Cacioppo, “and it has only grown during my time here.”
Hockran, who grew up in Ohio, earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. She has visited Liberia four times and also traveled to Guatemala, where she helped provide medical care and other outreach services.
“I am truly blessed to have been welcomed into these communities and to have learned more about myself and medicine with each experience. Access to healthcare should be readily available, regardless of a patient’s location, socioeconomic status or background,” she said.
Financial burdens, distance to care and trust and issues, domestically and abroad, present challenges to accessing quality healthcare, she says.
“Over the past 10 years, I have witnessed growth in many healthcare systems across the globe through partnerships and human connections. I look forward to continuing this work, using the tools I have gained here at (Campbell), to improve access to healthcare, challenge threats to health equity and provide deeply compassionate care to every patient I encounter.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the Global Scholar of the Year award.”
Missions to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala were among the most recent trips for the medical school. This past summer, a Campbell team visited Ghana, in west Africa. Medical school students also stayed busy this past summer setting up clinics about once a month in local underserved areas. This includes places such as Siler City, Raleigh, Dunn, Goldsboro and Durham.
The med school regularly utilizes its mobile clinics throughout Harnett County and other rural areas throughout North Carolina.