Story and photo by Marc Glass (Fall 2007 issue)

Elizabeth Connelly ’08 knows how much money it takes to save two lives in the malaria-ravaged East African country of Uganda: exactly $10.

She drove the point home by displaying four empty cups during her Michael D. Wilson Symposium Day presentation at UMF on April 11.

“The cost of four iced coffees—$10—is all it takes to manufacture, ship and distribute a mosquito net, which is the most effective prevention strategy to combat malaria,” says Connelly, who used Wilson Scholarship funds to spend two weeks working with Soft Power health clinic in Uganda, where malaria kills 30 percent of all children under the age of 5. “Two children can sleep under a net at a time, so $10 to a family in Uganda means the lives of up to two children saved and healthy parents who are able to support their families. This small amount of money means hundreds saved on medical treatments that can be used toward education and sending children to college so they can contribute to their communities and boost their country.”

Connelly, who has supplemented course work for a major in psychology with a pre-med mix of biology and chemistry, plans to become a physician assistant after graduating from UMF.

“Working with Soft Power made me more certain of what I want to do with my career. As a PA, you have the opportunity for more patient contact and, unlike doctors, spend less time dealing with insurance companies and administrative matters,” she says. “I don’t care about the letters after my name. I want to be in the trenches with clinical care.”

Connelly, who has been a licensed EMT since her junior year in high school and an assistant to the athletic trainer at UMF, says her interest in medicine stems from growing up around her parents’ former business, a Greenville-based whitewater rafting company: “Working on the river means always being around the need for first aid. I guess I always had a strong stomach."

Connelly’s connection with Dr. Jessie Stone, director of the Soft Power clinic in Uganda, began with a chance encounter on the Penobscot River in August 2006. Stone, a professional whitewater kayaker, met Connelly, an avid whitewater rafter, while on a break from paddling. After hearing about Connelly’s interest in medicine, Stone invited her to aid the clinic’s efforts. When she applied for and received a Wilson Scholarship from UMF, the opportunity to educate Ugandans about mosquito net use became a reality.

The symposium day presentation was part of Connelly’s larger campaign to educate people about not only the low-cost, high-impact disease prevention strategies, but also proximate ways to affect change at home.

“People’s first reaction to hearing about the catastrophic numbers of people who die from malaria is to be overwhelmed, to say ‘the problem is so tremendous, what possible difference could I make?’ The reality is that individuals can make a tremendous difference with small amounts of money and time,” she says. “There’s a strong interest among my classmates to want to help. They’re just not sure what to do. I encourage people to look at volunteer organizations, donate, make an impact. I want people to be empowered by my experience. There’s a lot they can do.”

Connelly recommends www.nothingbutnets.net for more information on efforts to curb malaria.