The Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award for Improving Health in Limpopo

In 2023, "Designing an Innovative Ceramic Water Filter to Incorporate a Fine-Copper-Mesh Viral Pathogen Disinfectant Component" was conducted by Maya Reese, Chemical Engineering, SEAS, 2025, in collaboration with other SEAS scholars and with the mentorship of Professor James A. Smith.

Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award scholars in 2022 included Julia Davis, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2022, Major: Civil Engineering, Minor: Engineering Business, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, Masters in Public Policy, 2023; Maya Reese, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2025, Major: Chemical Engineering; Jamie Harris, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Doctoral candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2023. Their Project: Evaluating the Water Quality Benefits of Adding a MadiDrop+ to Household Water Filters in Limpopo, South Africa.

The scholars of 2020 face an unprecedented challenge as well as novel opportunities. As the 2020 CGH University Scholar cohort was prevented from traveling due to the pandemic, the Center for Global Health partnered with Schools across Grounds as well as organizations at UVA like the Global Infectious Disease Institute (GIDI) to create faculty-mentored student research opportunities within the context of COVID-19 research and other innovative remote research opportunities. 

The 2020 Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award for Improving Health in Limpopo / Center for Global Health Scholar Award scholars working in Virtual Environments include Joshua McCray and Rachel Guevera, UVA Wise; mentored by Professor Elizabeth McQuade, Public Health Sciences.

The 2018 Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award designees include scholars associated worked on two distinct projects.

Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award Scholars Merly Konathapally (College of Arts & Sciences), and Olivia Jones (School of Engineering and Applied Science) worked with UVA Professor of Public Health Sciences, Liz McQuade. Their project, “PureMadi Human Health Study” leverages extensive prior research conducted under the auspices of the Water and Health in Limpopo (WHIL) research project, which represents best practices in longitudinal, community-based research, and is specifically focused on the effects of water filtration on the linear growth of children in the Limpopo region.

As stated in their proposal, “Current research indicates that nearly 162 million children under 5 years old are affected by stunted growth, which can lead to diminished cognitive and physical growth… Interventions such as point–of-use (POU) water treatment can serve as a potential solution to improve drinking water and reduce pathogen exposure in children which using minimal resources in a household setting.” This study provides critical data on environmental water quality, existing household water storage practices, and bacteria markers for pathogen exposure.

Kelly Scholar, Lauren Greenwood (College of Arts & Sciences), conducted an ethnographic study exploring young people’s management of uncertainty in the Khayelitsha township of Capetown, South Africa, where young adults face high burdens of disease and mortality and HIV incidence is high, particularly among young women. Young adults lives are complicated by structural challenges including lack of access to employment, quality education and health services which perpetuate the cycle of inequality in South Africa. This study, in addition to adding new knowledge about the lives and aspirations of young people, aims to value all forms of knowledge, empower all those who participated in the conversation, and treat all participants as equals.

In 2017, Kelly Scholars, Chung Do Kim (CLAS) and Evan Lesmez (SEAS), advanced field testing of the effectiveness of the Madi Drop, a ceramic tablet used for water purification, and other point-of-use water purification strategies. With additional support for scholars and faculty, CGH invests in the continued advancement of research critical to PureMadi and MadiDrop.

2016 designees include interdisciplinary teams including undergraduate and graduate students as well as graduate nursing students focused on sensitive research. Kelly McCain and Amanda Gaylord (College of Arts and Sciences), Evelyn Stinger (School of Nursing), Catherine Reynolds (School of Engineering and Applied Science) and Courtney Hill (Doctoral candidate in Engineering) advanced an additional research component of the PureMadi research. "Baseline Testing of the Health Effects of the MadiDrop in the Limpopo Region of South Africa” assesses health metrics related to use of the MapiDrop in the Limpopo Province.  

Former CGH Scholar, Sasheenie Moodley, building upon her prior Center for Global Health research, and in partnership with Vijay Edupuganti (School of Engineering and Applied Science) and Ella Shoup (College of Arts and Sciences) conducted, "Creating a Virtual Support Network (VSN) for Men Living with HIV in South Africa” which implemented technology resources as a means of increasing access to and utilization of existing resources by men living with HIV. The 2016 team of scholars built community specific resources, sensitive to the needs of users in the region.

Callie Johnson and Megan Harper, students in the College of Arts and Sciences, were the 2015 Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Award for Improving Health in Limpopo CGH Scholars. Building on the extensive work on the Community Health in Limpopo (CHIL) research, they worked in partnership with the Limpopo Health Department and the University of Venda to implement Motivational Interviewing training as part of the community health worker training in Limpopo. Motivational Interviewing is a counseling style focus on evoking patients’ own reasons for, concerns about, and plans for health behavior change. This project will also then explore whether MI training enhances patient care and health. Prior CHIL scholars, UVa medical students in their final year, returned to guide and support this project.

In 2014, support was directed to continue the further development of water filters, specifically, the long-term testing of ceramic water treatment technologies. Chloe Rento, Veronica Son and Sydney Turner, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students are the designees.

In 2013, Margaret Wightman and Christina Luckett, School of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader Masters candidates, were designated as the Pamela B. and Peter C. Kelly Center for Global Health Scholars. They worked in concert with an interprofessional team of faculty and students from the University of Virginia Schools of Medicine and Nursing and with local leadership in Limpopo to create community health worker curricula.

In 2012, Carly Krause, in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, continued the feasibility studies for point of use water filters but focused on chemical disinfectants which would make them sustainable, safe sources of improved quality water.

In 2011, CLAS student, Molly Tyeryar was awarded support for her project to assess the market for point of use water filters made from indigenous clay. Her work was conducted in tandem with University of Venda student partners. All work was conducted in the Limpopo Province in South Africa.