Antigua and Barbuda — Scrub Life Cares, a public health nonprofit organization advancing menstrual equity, reproductive and sexual health education, and community-based public health solutions, has been awarded the 2026 Applied Practice Experience (APE) Site of the Year by the Georgia State University School of Public Health.
The award was formally presented during the School of Public Health’s annual Celebrating Student Excellence ceremony, recognizing organizations that provide exceptional, hands-on, and high-impact learning experiences for public health students.
Scrub Life Cares has emerged as a multifaceted public health organization, uniquely positioned at the intersection of community engagement, education, research, and policy-informed practice.
As an Applied Practice Experience site, the organization provides students with immersive, real-world opportunities across key public health areas, including:
Menstrual equity and period poverty
Comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education
Maternal and child health
Community-based program design and implementation
Public health research, data collection, and knowledge translation
Policy brief development, advocacy support, and public health communications
Student Contributions to Public Health Research and Global Advocacy
Through their Applied Practice Experience placements, students and interns with Scrub Life Cares have contributed to meaningful research and advocacy efforts at both the community and international levels, including work connected to the International Association for Adolescent Health World Congress.
Notably:
Students supported research initiatives examining menstrual health inequities and access to reproductive and sexual health education in Antigua and Barbuda, across the Caribbean region, and the Southern United States.
Students contributed to policy briefs, advocacy materials, and knowledge translation efforts to elevate critical public health issues.
Their contributions informed a motion that was successfully passed at the World Congress, advancing dialogue and action on adolescent and menstrual health.
Interns supported conference preparation and participation, engaging in sessions held virtually due to Hurricane Melissa, ensuring continuity of global knowledge exchange.
These experiences reflect Scrub Life Cares’ commitment to developing not only practitioners but also researchers, advocates, and thought leaders in public health.
A defining component of Scrub Life Cares’ work is its growing research portfolio, which actively informs programs, policy conversations, advocacy efforts, and broader public health discourse. Through their placements, students are not only exposed to the realities of community-based public health work but are also engaged in shaping conversations around equity, access, and systems change.
Student Contributions to Public Health Research and Global Advocacy
Through their Applied Practice Experience placements, students and interns with Scrub Life Cares have contributed to meaningful research and advocacy efforts at both the community and international levels, including work connected to the International Association for Adolescent Health World Congress.
Notably:
Students supported research initiatives examining menstrual health inequities and access to reproductive and sexual health education in Antigua and Barbuda, across the Caribbean and the Southern United States.
Students contributed to policy briefs, advocacy materials, and knowledge translation efforts to elevate critical public health issues.
Their contributions informed a motion that was successfully passed at the World Congress, advancing dialogue and action on adolescent and menstrual health.
Interns supported conference preparation and participation, engaging in sessions held virtually due to Hurricane Melissa, ensuring continuity of global knowledge exchange.
These experiences reflect Scrub Life Cares’ commitment to developing not only practitioners but also researchers, advocates, and thought leaders in public health.
For Founder and CEO Tanya Ambrose, MPH, the recognition carries deep personal and professional significance.
“Entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Georgia State University to become an Applied Practice Experience site was truly a full circle moment,” said Ambrose. “Scrub Life Cares was birthed during my undergraduate years at Georgia State University, following a study abroad experience in Uganda that opened my eyes to global health inequities.”
“To now be recognized by the same institution, through the voices of students we have mentored and supported, is incredibly meaningful. I genuinely find joy in working with students and future public health professionals, giving them opportunities to grow, lead, and contribute in impactful ways.”
“Our students are not only supporting community-based programs, but also contributing to research, policy briefs, advocacy materials, and broader public health conversations. That matters because we are helping shape professionals who understand that public health is not just theory, it is people, systems, evidence, and action.”
Building on this momentum, Scrub Life Cares is actively working to expand its Applied Practice Experience model across the region.
“We are looking forward to extending these opportunities to institutions such as the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus and the Antigua & Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS),” Ambrose shared. “It is critical that we invest in our young people and expose them to careers in public health, especially in areas they may not have previously considered.”
This recognition comes at a pivotal time as Scrub Life Cares celebrates five years of transformative work. Over the past five years, the organization has delivered evidence-informed programs across Antigua & Barbuda, the Caribbean, and the United States; integrated research into program design, advocacy, and policy conversations; contributed to public health research and global health dialogue; reached hundreds of women, girls, and families through education and resource distribution; hosted its flagship Grow With the Flo Women & Girls Health Expo, now entering its fifth year; and built strong partnerships across sectors, including academia, healthcare, and community organizations. Through this work, Scrub Life Cares continues to demonstrate that community-based organizations can lead in both service delivery and research excellence, challenging traditional perceptions of what grassroots public health organizations can achieve.
The APE Site of the Year award further reinforces Scrub Life Cares’ role as a training ground for the next generation of public health leaders, a research-informed and policy-engaged organization contributing to local, regional, and global health conversations, and a trusted community partner driving sustainable, people-centered health outcomes. In a field that requires both innovation and compassion, Scrub Life Cares stands as a testament to what is possible when education, research, policy, and community impact are intentionally aligned.
About Scrub Life Cares
Scrub Life Cares is a nonprofit public health organization dedicated to advancing menstrual equity, comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education, and access to essential health resources for women, girls, and families across Antigua & Barbuda, the Caribbean, and the United States. Through education, advocacy, and research, the organization promotes dignity, informed decision-making, and health equity for all.