The University of Pittsburgh’s Global Studies Center awards H.J. Heinz fellowships to students from developing countries who wish to pursue a master’s degree and demonstrate potential as future leaders in the public, government, non-profit, or private sectors. The fellowship is a one to two year position. Learn more about the H.J. Heinz Fellowship and meet past Fellows.
Abdelrahman ElGendy is an Egyptian writer and translator from Cairo. He is the author of Huna, a memoir exploring the politics of dissent and erasure through the lens of his six-year political incarceration in Egypt, which was published by Hogarth. His work appeared in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Nation, Guernica, Mizna, and elsewhere. His poetry and prose translations from Arabic appeared in Poetry Northwest, LitHub, Words Without Borders, and The Margins. ElGendy was a Samir Kassir Press Freedom Award winner and a 2024–2025 Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University. His essays were nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net.
Yaroslav Petrenko is from Kyiv, Ukraine, and completed an LLM degree at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law, focusing his studies on international law and dispute resolution. He holds a Master's degree from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Yaroslav had seven years of experience in litigation and arbitration, representing private companies, public organizations, NGOs, and members of parliament in high-profile cases. He worked as a senior associate at a private law firm and as a clerk at a Ukrainian court, gaining familiarity with the Ukrainian court system from both sides of the bench.
Seyed Hamid Hashemi earned a Bachelor's degree from Dunya University and an LLM in International Law from Wuhan University. Following his studies at Wuhan, Hamid studied at the Paris International Academy for Arbitration Law and completed a course at The Hague Academy of International Law. He competed in Vis Moot competitions and served as a coach. Hamid previously worked as Head of Legal Affairs, Policy and Dispute Resolution at the International Chamber of Commerce in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Hassany is from Herat, Afghanistan, and pursued a Ph.D. program in Information Science at the School of Computing and Information. He earned an MSc in Software Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ) through the Fulbright Program (2018–2020). Since 2010, he worked as a software engineer for private companies and the Afghanistan government. He also had a few years of experience teaching computer programming at private and public universities in Afghanistan.
Aditi Upadhyaya, born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, graduated in Development Studies from Kathmandu University and earned a Master’s degree in International Development at GSPIA, University of Pittsburgh. She worked in the media and communications sector as a correspondent and coordinator for a few years during and after her undergraduate degree. Aditi represented her country in the 9th Asia Pacific Youth Exchange in the Philippines in January 2020 and participated in other national and international programs and competitions. She gained volunteering and internship experiences with various development organizations in Nepal, fostering a deep aspiration to make a difference, especially among less privileged people and communities.
Nnenna Anozia, a native of Nigeria, graduated from the Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, and received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Benin, Benin City. She earned the Barrister at Law degree from the Nigerian Law School. Subsequent to law school, she worked for several law firms and was involved in the creation of an aptitude test for selecting legal candidates. As one of three Heinz Fellows in residence, she completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.) at the School of Law, focusing on maritime, tax, intellectual property, energy and natural resources, and patent and trademark law. She was a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a volunteer at the NGO Tamar Global Aid Foundation for abused women and children.
Robert Maina, a native of Kenya, graduated from Moi University in Eldoret and the Kenya School of Law in Nairobi. He focused on commercial and international law, serving as Secretary General of the Law Students' Union. After graduation, he became a member of the Kenyan bar and was a consultant, Chartered Certified Accountant, and Certified Public Secretary (CPS) with PricewaterhousCoopers (PwC) Kenya, specializing in tax and corporate law. He completed his LLM degree at Pitt's School of Law as a Heinz Fellow. His research interests include intellectual property, taxation, and oil and gas law.
Zemenu Adane Asres is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He graduated from the University of Gondar School of Medical Sciences with a medical degree in 2004. Asres worked as a primary care physician at St. Peter's TB Specialized Hospital and worked with NGOs like the Clinton Foundation, JHPIEGO, and I-TECH/Ethiopia as a Clinical Team Lead and Physician Mentor. He also worked for USAID/Ethiopia in the capacity of Health Network Programs Advisor, providing technical support to the implementation of Ethiopian government prioritized national health programs. He hoped to acquire public health knowledge and skills to improve health promotion, disease prevention, and monitoring and evaluation in Ethiopia.
Sopheada Phy is from Cambodia and holds a Masters in International Peace Studies from the UN University for Peace. He had extensive professional experience in research, domestically and internationally, on development and peace issues, working with various institutions including the World Health Organization. He was an experienced Academic Translator, translating academic texts from English into Khmer. He worked as Project Coordinator for the Cambodian Higher Education Project at the Center for Khmer Studies. He was a founding member of Cambodian Youth for Leadership and a member of Action Asia, a peacebuilding network. He won several awards, including the Nippon Foundation-funded MA in International Peace Studies Award.
Yexia Zhang is from Xi'an, China. She earned a Ph.D. in Management from the Xi'an Jiaotong University and also held a BA and MA in Medicine. From 1998–2004, she was a resident and attending physician at the First Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Following her medical career, Yexia transitioned into administrative roles, serving as Assistant Director and then Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange at the Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine.
Moses Katende, from Mpigi, Uganda, earned a Master’s in Public Health Leadership from the Uganda Christian University. He is a champion in the reduction of maternal and child deaths in Uganda, involved in integrating safe motherhood teaching into the curriculum at the Nsamizi Training Institute of Social Development. As a community health advocate, Moses implemented programs for HIV/AIDS awareness, malaria prevention, family planning services, and advocacy to improve access to and the quality of health care facilities in Uganda. He also spoke out for responsible fatherhood as a core foundation for healthy families.
Elviyanti Martini earned a Master of Science in Community Nutrition from the South East Asian Ministers of Education – Tropical Medicine and Public Health (SEAMO-TROPMED) network at the University of Indonesia. For twelve years, she worked with Helen Keller International (HKI), an international non-governmental organization. As HKI’s Director of Health and Nutrition in Indonesia, Elviyanti oversaw health and nutrition programs in Indonesia and coordinated a micronutrient program (Sprinkles) in Maharashtra state, India. She provided technical and managerial leadership to projects, including the Nutrition and Health Surveillance System and a Micronutrient Supplementation Project for tsunami-affected areas. She was also a member of the Ten-Year Strategy for the Reduction of Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies Working Group by the United Nations' Standing Committee on Nutrition.
Zarema Mukusheva holds a Master’s in History from the Chechnya State University. She worked as a researcher with the Chechen National Museums' Department of Ethnography, a reporter for Chechen TV, and, since 2000, as a human rights monitor and filmmaker for the Human Rights Center (HRC) - Memorial, a leading human rights organization in Russia. She uses visual media to bring international attention to human rights abuses in Chechnya, creating documentaries such as "Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya" about the life of refugees. Zarema was also a recipient of the 2005 Reebok Human Rights Award for young human rights activists.
Ying Peng, from Xi’an, China, completed five years of studies in public health and was employed by the Epidemic Department of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Xi’an, where she was promoted to director of epidemic and sanitation system management in local areas. Her greatest achievement was directing the CDC during the SARS epidemic, where she helped implement the SARS epidemic investigation procedure that was adopted as a model. In 2004, Ms. Peng joined Plan International as a member of the health program team, focusing on the right of development for children living in poverty in rural areas. She focused her studies on developing and advocating public policy changes in China to achieve cost-effective delivery of health care services.
Yujie Li, from Beijing, China, completed her Master’s degree in the history of Western legal law at the Peking University Law School and joined the Open Constitution Initiative (OCI). OCI is a group of Chinese citizens promoting human rights and the rule of law in China. Ms. Li believed China’s progress and stability depended on a fair society with transparent legal regimes and the protection of rights. Her proposed program of study included education in law and its application in society, training in NGO capacity building and management, and the establishment of a network of legal scholars and social activists.
Dr. Abdullah Hanif is a medical doctor from Kabul, Afghanistan. After his medical studies, he sought additional training in business administration, leadership, grant management, monitoring, and evaluation through his work with international NGOs in the health sector. Motivated by the severe shortage of leadership and the decimated public health system in his country, his goal was to find and address the preventable causes of the high mortality rate of mothers and children. Hanif completed his year at the University of Pittsburgh as an H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellow to gain preparation for a leadership role in responding to his country's public health needs in an integrated and structured way.
Saida Karimova holds an advanced degree in General Medicine from Azerbaijan State Medical University, with an additional two-year specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Stavropol Medical Academy in Russia. She worked as an OB/GYN at a state clinic in Baku, providing medical services and counseling. She served as a Reproductive Health Trainer/Mobilizer for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), providing primary and reproductive healthcare among vulnerable populations. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Karimova broadened her skills in public health, specifically in women’s health issues and epidemiology, with a goal of utilizing the knowledge gained to address pertinent public health needs in Azerbaijan.
Jyoti Vidhani holds an Advanced Diploma in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Gujarat University. She served as the Food Aid Program Officer for Catholic Relief Services in Ahmedabad, India, running aid programs on health, education, and disaster preparedness. Prior to this, she was the Project Team Assistant for the Initiative on Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities and voluntarily served as a Disability Advisor/Advocate for the Blind People’s Association. As a woman with disabilities, she advocated for the rights of the disabled and for a formalized approach to advocacy and development. As a Heinz Fellow, she took courses in GSPIA, Social Work, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Education, focusing on strategies for the emancipation, independence, and equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities in India.
Irina Li holds a graduate degree in Finance and Crediting from Tomsk State University and an undergraduate degree in Teaching English and Kazakh as Foreign Languages from Eurasian University. She worked as Social Issues Senior Advisor for Astana Finance, JSC, where she organized a conference and awareness campaign entitled "Life Free of Violence" under the UNIFEM aegis. This project served as the impetus for her to found the Eurasia Leader Group (ELG), where she served as General Manager, focusing on women, family, and children's social issues, addressing domestic violence and poverty.
Ludmila Ungureanu holds a Law Degree from the State University of Moldova, specializing in International Law. She worked for the American Bar Association (ABA)/Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI) as an Institution Building Advisor, helping Moldovan NGOs achieve programmatic and financial sustainability. She conceived and implemented one of the organization's most successful programs, the Traveling Lawyer, which provided pro-bono lawyers to citizens in impoverished, rural regions. She also founded the regional NGO, the RADA Foundation, a think-and-do-tank supporting and disseminating best development practices, particularly in civil society development and policy participation.
Humaira Rafique completed a unique year as a Heinz Fellow that equally prioritized academic study and professional activities. She took a variety of courses in fields including nonprofit development, capacity, evaluation, planning, and policy analysis, which greatly increased her ability to thrive in the Development Sector in Pakistan. Her professional work and exposure at conferences broadened her vision and enabled her to make connections for knowledge sharing. The internship she completed at Camp Fire USA strengthened her confidence and professional approach for moving in a challenging environment.
Jargalmaa Tsendjav pursued an intensive program as a Heinz Fellow to develop her knowledge and skills in the area of education administration and development. She audited several courses during the fall 2003 and spring 2004 semesters, learning from faculty, students, and practical assignments. She presented a paper entitled, "Reform Initiatives and Changes in Mongolian Higher Education sector" at the annual meeting of the Mongolia Society and American Center for Mongolian Studies in March 2004.
Niyazaly Kaipov worked on development projects funded by the World Bank, US Peace Corps, and UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic since his first experience in 1994 working for Price Waterhouse LLP on a USAID-funded Mass Privatization Program. As a Business Consultant for the Swiss Association for International Cooperation (Helvetas) funded Business Promotion Project (BPP), he worked to provide workshops for community-based tourism groups. He focused his academic studies as a Heinz Fellow on the NGO Sector, taking GSPIA courses on management and marketing, and on Business Consulting, taking courses through the Katz Graduate School of Business on consumer behavior and competing in the global environment.
Rudina Hoxha had eight years of experience working for "Albanian Daily News," the only English-speaking paper in Albania, where she covered the culture column. The Heinz Fellowship gave Hoxha the opportunity to expand her knowledge in her primary fields: journalism and public relations. Her courses included "Introduction to Journalism," "Advanced Reporting," and "Public Relations," which were rich in examples and allowed her to study and apply various journalistic styles and techniques.
Thope Lekau trained as a community development worker and was an activist with the ANC, supporting people's rights to effect change in the community. As a Heinz Fellow, she attended courses in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) and the Katz Graduate School of Business, where she focused on women's small business development. She completed a two-month internship at the Women's Development Center in Chicago, training women to start their own small businesses. In 1998, she returned to South Africa and opened Kapanong Guest House in the formerly black township of Khayelitsha, outside of Cape Town, providing visitors with first-hand views of township life. She was distinguished as a finalist in the MTN Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year competition.