Executive Director given Rising Star Alumni Award

Our Executive Director Kevin Gibbons was awarded the Rising Star Alumni Award from the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kevin received his Masters of Science from the Nelson Institute, and his thesis research there was when he had the opportunity to research the links between fisheries management, livelihoods, and food security in Lake Victoria fishing villages. That’s when he first saw the gaps in access to healthcare in remote communities.

Here’s the blurb from the Nelson Institute website:

Kevin Gibbons, M.S. Conservation Biology & Sustainable Development (2010), Nelson Institute for Environment Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

As the co-founder and Executive Director of Health Access Connect in Kampala, Uganda, Kevin Gibbons works to provide residents of remote villages with access to health services, such as anti-retroviral treatment, perinatal services, malaria treatment, child checkups and more.  Launched in 2014, Health Access Connect is the culmination of Gibbons’ education and determination. A member of the Peace Corps, Philippines for three years and a dedicated student at the Nelson Institute, Gibbons has spent much of his life seeking out ways to solve challenges through service, innovation and collaboration. In fact, while working on his master’s degree, Gibbons traveled to rural fishing villages on Lake Victoria in Uganda to learn more about how food insecurity and livelihoods were impacted by fisheries governance. While there, he listened to people in remote areas describe the challenges they faced in terms of health and environment. There were free life-saving health services available at the health facilities, but people could not reach them. Determined to create a solution, Gibbons started Health Access Connect, which helps Ugandan health workers to serve over 13,000 patients per year. Of his work, Gibbons says, “I see my life as one of service to find long-term solutions to connect people with resources. The world is rich, and service helps distribute that wealth.” You can find out more about Health Access Connect at https://www.healthaccessconnect.org

Thank you, Nelson Institute!