View source for Roselyn Nugba-Ballah

{{Short description|Liberian nurse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Roselyn Nugba-Ballah
| citizenship        = Liberia
| occupation         = Nurse
| employer           = Liberian Red Cross
| awards             = [[Florence Nightingale Medal]]
}}
'''Roselyn Nugba-Ballah''' is a [[Nursing|nurse]] from [[Liberia]], who was a recipient of the [[Florence Nightingale Medal]] in 2017.
== Biography ==
Nugba-Ballah studied for a BSc in Nursing from Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in [[Monrovia]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Liberian Nurse receives international Florence Nightingale award|url=https://newspublictrust.com/liberian-nurse-receives-international-florence-nightingale-award/|date=2017-11-29|website=News Public Trust|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> She also has a MA in Health Care Policy and Management from the [[Cuttington University]], as well a Diploma in Project Management awarded by Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA).<ref name=":1" /> She began work for the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Liberian Red Cross]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-03-08|title=International Women's Day: Your views|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/31787069|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> She was motivated to get involved in work against [[Western African Ebola virus epidemic|Ebola]], because of its effect on women in terms of their roles as care givers, but also because of the economic impact on women's lives due to their jobs as market traders, for example.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Liberian women lead Red Cross Ebola response - IFRC|url=https://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/africa/liberia/liberian-women-lead-red-cross-ebola-response--68170/|website=www.ifrc.org|access-date=2020-05-23}}</ref>
== Role in Liberia's Ebola Virus Epidemic ==
Nugba-Ballah was Supervisor of the Liberian Red Cross’ Safe and Dignified Burial Team during the [[Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia|Ebola outbreak]].<ref name=":0" /> She ensured that all bodies were collected, often from the streets, and buried.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Liberian Red Cross Volunteer Staff Receives Highest International Award|url=https://frontpageafricaonline.com/health/liberian-red-cross-volunteer-staff-receives-highest-international-award/|date=2017-05-23|website=FrontPageAfrica|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-19}}</ref> She was known for wearing medical scrubs with [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] on them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Raecho International Limited-新闻中心|url=http://www.raecho-hk.com/en/news_show.asp?pageid=2814&menuid=58|website=www.raecho-hk.com|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> The team worked particularly in Monrovia and its surroundings.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title="A True Patriot," Nurse Roselyn Ballah, Gets Nightingale Award Presented|url=https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/a-true-patriot-nurse-roselyn-ballah-gets-nightingale-award-presented/|last=Harmon|first=William Q.|date=2017-12-01|website=Liberian Observer|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-22|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414232122/https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/a-true-patriot-nurse-roselyn-ballah-gets-nightingale-award-presented/|url-status=dead}}</ref> One section of the 140-strong burial team, had the nickname during the crisis was ''Body Team 12.''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Liberia's Burial Workers Struggle to Forget Horrors of Ebola {{!}} Voice of America - English|url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/liberias-burial-workers-struggle-forget-horrors-ebola|website=www.voanews.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Ebola's Body Collectors|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/ebolas-body-collectors/407965/|last=Chhabra|first=Essa|date=2015|website=[[The Atlantic]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> During their work, Nugba-Bullah and her team faced social discrimination at they worked closely with victims of the disease.<ref name=":2" /> Well aware of the physical and psychological risks, Nugba-Ballah arranged for mental health support for the team.<ref name=":3" /> Nugba-Ballah and her team's work contributed research to international understanding of the crisis, especially rates of morbidity.<ref>Nyenswah, Tolbert G., et al. “Evidence for Declining Numbers of Ebola Cases — Montserrado County, Liberia, June–October 2014.” ''Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'', vol. 63, no. 46, 2014, pp. 1072–1076. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/24856194. Accessed 22 May 2020.</ref> She contributed to research on the estimation of the risk of infection as a result of unsafe burial practices.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tiffany|first1=Amanda|last2=Dalziel|first2=Benjamin D.|last3=Kagume Njenge|first3=Hilary|last4=Johnson|first4=Ginger|last5=Nugba Ballah|first5=Roselyn|last6=James|first6=Daniel|last7=Wone|first7=Abdoulaye|last8=Bedford|first8=Juliet|last9=McClelland|first9=Amanda|date=2017-06-22|editor-last=Akogun|editor-first=Oladele B.|title=Estimating the number of secondary Ebola cases resulting from an unsafe burial and risk factors for transmission during the West Africa Ebola epidemic|journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases|language=en|volume=11|issue=6|pages=e0005491|doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0005491|issn=1935-2735|pmc=5480832|pmid=28640823 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Florence Nightingale Medal ==
Nugba-Ballah was awarded the [[Florence Nightingale Medal]] in 2017 for her work with the Liberian Red Cross, particularly in disaster situations.<ref name="l982">{{cite web | title=Florence Nightingale Medal: Honouring exceptional nurses and nursing aides | website=International Committee of the Red Cross | date=2017-05-12 |url=https://www.icrc.org/en/document/florence-nightingale-medal-2017-recipients | access-date=2024-08-09}}</ref> In her acceptance speech, she said that: “This medal is for all of us. We all worked for it, and we deserve it together”.<ref name=":2" /> She has received 45 other distinct international awards for her services to healthcare.<ref name=":0" /> She is an advocate for women's education in Liberia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Red Cross Empowers 184 Women In Various Skills|url=http://abovewhispers.com/2019/04/04/red-cross-empowers-184-women-various-skills/|date=2019-04-04|website=AboveWhispers|access-date=2020-05-23}}</ref>
== References ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugba-Ballah, Roselyn}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Liberian women]]
[[Category:21st-century Liberian people]]
[[Category:Liberian nurses]]
[[Category:Ebola researchers]]
[[Category:Florence Nightingale Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Red Cross personnel]]