Five students from Orange County were selected to speak last summer at the Global Health Leaders Conference led by Johns Hopkins University, an annual program designed to inspire the next generation of leaders in global health, public health and medicine.
The conference, established in 2019 under the Johns Hopkins University Center for Global Health, is an international education program open to all high school students. Participants gain insights into pressing issues in public health, medicine and related fields through lectures delivered by world leaders.
The event also includes a student speaker series, where more than 130 students in grades nine through 12 present their own research or explore topics of personal interest tied to health and medicine.
Speakers from around the world presented virtually, including senior Hanim Seok, a student from Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District; junior Rohen Vargo from St. Margaret’s Episcopal High School in San Juan Capistrano; sophomore Serena Ali from Arnold O. Beckman High School; and seniors Liane Mathew and Snigdha Arun from Northwood High School in the Irvine Unified School District.
Presentation topics for the 2024 student speaker series ranged from rising healthcare expenses to the fight against tuberculosis, the cultural implications of eating disorders, and genetic susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Here are the students who represented Orange County and their presentations.
The 2025 Global Health Leaders Conference is now accepting student applications for next summer. For details on how to apply, visit the program’s webpage.