Author: Chandler O'Connell

Chandler O’Connell grew up in Sitka, a fishing town on an island in Southeast Alaska. In 2009, she graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Biology and a minor in Health Policy. Chandler developed her interest in health equity through her research on the helpseeking behaviors of victims of domestic violence in Alaska and on obstetric fistulas and other maternal health issues in Mali, West Africa. As an undergraduate, Chandler also pursued her passion for building healthy and sustainable communities by volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, conducting a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for her hometown government and the Sitka Conservation Society, and by working with the Housing Opportunities Program, a microfinance group dedicated to preventing homelessness in the Boston area. Since graduating, Chandler has worked as the Career Fellow for Net Impact and as a Research Analyst at Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services. After completing her fellowship, she plans to study for a Master’s of Public Health and a Law Degree and hopes to work to improve healthcare in rural Alaska. In her spare time, Chandler enjoys traveling, camping and annoying her younger sister Margot.