The former women’s basketball captain and art history major always felt a profound connection to the animal kingdom. After graduation, Frech joined the Peace Corps in West Africa, which she calls “the seminal event that cemented my interest in public health as well as veterinary medicine.” She worked in fields ranging from rural practice to global biotech vaccine development.
As an adjunct professor at Washington State University (WSU), Frech focuses on international public health, leading efforts with Rabies Free Africa in Tanzania. The lethal disease infects mammals across the globe and hits hardest in Africa and Asia, particularly women and children. Rabies Free Africa vaccinates domestic dogs, which protects humans and other mammals—domestic and wild. “All we have to do is vaccinate the domestic dogs, and it stops the whole transmission cycle,” Frech says.
“Rabies Free Africa started as a dream that could have a huge impact on human and animal life in East Africa,” says Dori Borjesson, dean of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, where Frech earned her veterinary medicine degree.
The program uses locally made ceramic Zeepots for temperature-stable vaccine storage and facial recognition technology to verify dog vaccinations. These low-cost innovations enhance the safe bond between humans and pets and can save the lives of dogs initially—and incorrectly—thought to be infected. Frech also works with Eco Tanzania, an elephant conservation group. “The reason I love these projects is the confluence of science, public health, and international development,” Frech says. “It’s everybody working together.”
