Carmel Kandhe Turns Personal Experience Into a Passion for Public Health
When Carmel Kandhe began his journey in public health, he already had experience working in healthcare. After earning a degree in pharmaceutical sciences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he grew up, he worked as a pharmacist for two years. However, participating in a public health project and training with the Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN) during an outbreak spanning Kenya and Uganda changed the way he thought about his career.
Through that experience, Kandhe realized he wanted to extend his impact beyond helping individual patients. He wanted to understand how health challenges affect entire communities and how research could help prevent disease before people became sick.
“I realized I can do more,” he said. “I prefer to be at the front line and doing things that can contribute to improving people's health at the population level rather than individually.”
That realization ultimately led him to pursue further education in public health at the University of South Carolina, where he has continued to build his research experience, professional network and understanding of how public health knowledge can be applied beyond the classroom. For Kandhe, however, his interest in prevention is also deeply personal.
Growing up in a rural area, he witnessed the challenges people faced in accessing healthcare. One experience that shaped his perspective was losing a close family member at just three years old to congenital heart defects that had not been detected early. Despite his family's efforts to obtain care, she passed away. The experience stayed with him and influenced the impact he wanted to make through his career.
“If we can't access a strong health system, we can at least prevent what makes us sick,” he said.
That loss motivated Kandhe to learn more about birth defects and the factors that can affect a child's health before and during pregnancy. He became interested in understanding how medications, environmental exposures, and other factors can influence birth outcomes and childhood health, as well as how research could support prevention and earlier intervention. With his background in pharmacy, Kandhe understood the importance of treatment. He also recognized that medications can be expensive and inaccessible, particularly for people in underserved communities. He wanted to contribute to efforts that could reduce the need for treatment by addressing health risks earlier.
“I want to do things that can help people to prevent getting sick, then waiting for them to come to take medication,” he said.
As he began studying public health, he looked for ways to connect classroom learning with the challenges people face in their everyday lives. Gaining hands-on experience became an important step toward that goal.
“I can be good in the classroom, but that is not enough for me,” he said. “I should do more than that.”
When Kandhe arrived at USC as an international student, adjusting to a new country and educational system presented its own challenges. Coming from a French-speaking country, he had to adapt to an English-speaking academic environment while navigating a large university. Visa challenges also delayed his arrival until two weeks after classes had started. Having missed orientation, he struggled to find his way around campus.
“I was so lost,” he said, recalling his first days at USC.
Rather than allowing those challenges to keep him from getting involved, Kandhe began actively searching for resources and opportunities. He attended internship fairs, connected with other students and explored university services. He knew that earning good grades was important, but he wanted his education to extend beyond the classroom.
As he learned more about USC, Kandhe began building relationships with faculty members and seeking research experience. He reached out to more than 20 faculty members before one offered him a position. That connection eventually led to additional opportunities, reinforcing the importance of persistence and communication in his professional development. His outreach also helped him pursue an opportunity at the South Carolina Department of Public Health.
During the spring semester, Kandhe contacted a faculty member to discuss his interest in gaining internship experience with the department. Because the faculty member had previously worked there, he was able to introduce Kandhe to someone in his professional network.
Kandhe then contacted the department's birth defects office directly to ask about completing an internship over the summer. Although no position had been advertised, he took the initiative to ask whether he could get involved. The department offered him an opportunity to gain the experience he had been seeking.
As he explored university resources, Kandhe also discovered the South Carolina Internship Program (SCIP) through the Career Center. The program provides funding support for eligible students completing internships. After confirming that he met the requirements, he applied and was awarded the stipend. The funding helped make his participation possible.
“I learned how to transfer my knowledge in the classroom to real life,” he said.
For Kandhe, the experience with the Birth Defects program at SCDPH became an opportunity to apply his academic knowledge to real-world challenges. Working in the birth defects program, he helped manage and analyze population-based survey data to better understand patterns in birth defects. The experience allowed him to see how data could identify health concerns affecting communities and inform further research and prvention efforts.
“I learned how to transfer my knowledge in the classroom to real life,” he said.
The internship also deepened his understanding of research. He recognized that collecting and analyzing data was only part of the process. Findings needed to provide evidence that could help address public health challenges, inform policy and support decisions.
The lessons extend beyond research. Kandhe learned the importance of professional communication, collaboration, and being willing to acknowledge what he did not know. He rcame to see an internship as an opportunity to apply his knowledge while also recognizing gaps, asking questions and developing new skills.
“You should recognize that an internship is not only something that you are going to prove what you're learning in the classroom, but you should be flexible to learn things that you don't know,” he said.
Through the experience, he established a professional relationship with his supervisor and expanded the network he had been building since arriving at USC. Those connections have become an important part of his preparation for the next stage of his career.
His growing involvement at USC has also created opportunities to support other students. Kandhe was nominated to join the National Society of Leadership and Success and became vice president of the Dean's Student Advisory Council in his school. In his council role, he hopes to help students understand the resources available to them and make the transition to university life easier, particularly for international students who may not know where to find support.
Having experienced the difficulties of adjusting to a new environment, Kandhe understands how challenging it can be to navigate a university without knowing which questions to ask or where to turn for help. He believes students benefit from actively seeking information, connecting with faculty, and exploring opportunities they might otherwise miss.
“If you are not proactive, you will feel like there is no opportunity and that there is not something for you,” he said.
His advice to other USC students is simple: Be proactive.
“If you are not proactive, you will feel like there is no opportunity and that there is not something for you,” he said.
He encourages students to seek out opportunities even when no position is advertised position, seek clarification when requirements are unclear and continue reaching out after facing rejection. For Kandhe, persistence has been essential to his growth. From contacting faculty members to pursuing an internship, he has learned that a willingness to start a conversation can open doors.
“The worst they can say is no,” he said.
Looking ahead, Kandhe hopes to become an independent public health researcher. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in epidemiology and plans to continue his education through a doctoral program, developing the research skills needed to make a broader impact. Ultimately, he wants to connect scientific research with community needs, helping translate findings into practical solutions that prevent disease and improve health.
He also hopes to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo and use the knowledge and experience he gains in the United States to strengthen public health efforts in his home country. He continues to work with his institution back home as a research assistant in the pharmacy department, helping train students in research. For Kandhe, success means more than advancing his own career. He wants to help future generations of public health professionals gain the knowledge, mentorship and opportunities they need to make a difference.
Looking back, his journey to USC and his experiences since arriving have reinforced his belief that challenges can become opportunities for growth. Through persistence, professional connections, and a willingness to learn, he has continued moving toward a career centered on prevention and community impact. His journey demonstrates that career development does not always follow a predetermined path. Sometimes, it begins with a personal experience, a conversation with a faculty member, or the decision to ask for an opportunity.
For Kandhe, each of those steps has brought him closer to his goal of making public health research meaningful beyond the classroom and helping communities build healthier futures.