From UWCSEA to the World: Waruiru breaks down barriers to quality healthcare
Dr Waruiru Mburu ‘09 and the UWCSEA Foundation Team
8 October 2025
In our Gift of Stories series, we share more about our community’s spirit of giving, one story at a time. Join us as we discover how #UWCSEAGiving makes a difference.
UWCSEA changed my life and career trajectory by opening up possibilities that I could have never imagined. Because of UWCSEA, I ended up in a career path that I did not even know existed – as an epidemiologist.
– Dr Waruiru Mburu, Kenyan scholar from the Class of 2009
Discovering my passion at UWCSEA
Before UWCSEA, I wanted to become a medical doctor mostly because it seemed to be the only career path open for someone like me who was interested in human health and performed well academically. But my true passion was in population health, not individual health. However, at the time in Kenya, the only way to study population and public health was to first have a degree in medicine, nursing, or dentistry. So at the end of my high school, I decided to study medicine even though the sight of blood and smell of hospitals made me dizzy. Thankfully, this path changed when I became a UWCSEA scholar.
It was through volunteer activities for CAS and Project Week at UWCSEA that I had my first exposure to public health, and these experiences helped me form a clearer vision for my future.
Volunteering at a hospital in Singapore, teaching English to immigrant domestic helpers, and volunteering at an orphanage in Vietnam gave me a taste of what is possible and pointed me to the direction where my passion and ambition lie.
A Global Leader in Epidemiology
Today, Waruiru is an accomplished epidemiologist with a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. She is a Global Principal Health Economics and Outcomes Specialist at Medtronic, a healthcare technology company that develops and manufactures medical devices, therapies, and services to treat challenging health problems all over the world.
Driven by a passion for population health, social justice, and service for others, Waruiru has contributed to global projects that offered solutions to address some of the disparities in healthcare access, with a focus on women of African descent. She has a notable record of publications, presentations, and awards in the field of population health.
Her story embodies the ripple effect of a UWCSEA Scholarship with its far-reaching impact that transcends families and communities.
A Heart for Service Makes Her a Force for Good
My career decisions are guided by my service to others, and this is my core value.
My focus has been on diseases that disproportionately affect individuals of African descent and coming up with ways to ensure underrepresented individuals have access to the best quality care.
During my graduate studies, I worked on breast cancer research in Ghana, looking at ways to improve access to care and limit the time it takes women to get a diagnosis and treatment.
I then moved to the National Institutes of Health, where I focused on understanding breast cancer aetiology with a focus on triple negative breast cancer, which disproportionately affects women of African descent. My current job as an epidemiologist and health economist at Medtronic focuses on identifying barriers to accessing cardiovascular medical devices and coming up with ways to reduce those barriers.
Teachers as guiding lights
UWCSEA made a huge difference in my life and the guidance of teachers empowered me to explore a path that was aligned with my genuine interests.
Multiple teachers opened their arms to help me navigate life in a new country. They reached out when I was homesick and offered home-cooked meals. They were my family away from Kenya, making me feel valued and that I belonged in the community.
Linda De Flavis was my university counsellor and English teacher and she literally changed my life for the better. She enhanced my creative side and pushed me to think outside the box when applying to universities and thinking about careers. She encouraged me to take risks when choosing a career path and pushed me to follow my gut when it came to my career instead of choosing the conventional option (aka medicine).
It was also through Linda that I met my husband, Ng’ang’a Wahu-Muchiri, who is also a UWCSEA alum. We were both immensely lucky to have a UWCSEA education and experience, and us meeting each other was an unexpected bonus!
A Family Built on Service
Our love for service and giving back is what attracted us to each other – and what still holds us together today.
We first met in Kenya, where he was leading a volunteer project to provide computers to a rural school. Today, he’s an Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and we open our home to university students, carrying forward the same spirit of care and connection that my teachers showed me at UWCSEA.
Our two-year-old daughter has already met people from all over the world – having her own little UWCSEA experience at a young age.
"If you educate a woman you educate a nation." – Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir Aggrey
My UWCSEA education opened doors not just for me but for my family and multiple individuals whom I have mentored. Because of the opportunities I received, I was able to support my siblings as they pursued higher education in the health field, both in Kenya and abroad. I continue to mentor young women — connecting them to my UWCSEA network and exposing them to diverse career paths.
A network rooted in UWC values
I’ve stayed in touch with the alumni community — it is impossible not to. My closest friends are from UWCSEA and UWC in general. We have navigated multiple phases of our lives; the similar values are our glue.
Waruiru's advice to current students underscores the enduring value of the UWCSEA experience
Make the most of your UWCSEA experience. Be open to learning from all the diverse individuals that you meet at UWCSEA. Most likely, they will be your friends for life. Give back to the community – both within and outside UWCSEA.
My hope for the future is that more students would get to have a similar experience to what I had at UWCSEA as it ingrains in us the value of diversity and a reminder that everyone matters and has something to contribute.
The UWCSEA Scholarship Programme transcends individual student financial support, serving as a vital investment in a brighter, more equitable future for all. It cultivates leaders who are not only academically brilliant but also deeply committed to making a positive difference in the world.
As members of the UWCSEA community, we can take pride in knowing that UWCSEA, through its Scholarship initiatives, is actively shaping a generation of changemakers whose influence and impact will resonate for years to come.
#UWCSEAGiving invests in a future with possibilities and potential, empowering more young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Help us go above and beyond for our students.