For more than four decades, Dr. Bette Gebrian has embodied what it means to serve with purpose, humility, and unwavering commitment. As the founding Executive Director of the Grand’Anse Health & Development Association (GAHDA), Bette has shaped not only an organization, but an entire model of community-centered, compassionate breast cancer care and community assistance in rural Haiti.

Bette’s relationship with Haiti began in 1982 and deepened permanently in 1987, when she chose to live and work there. Over the ensuing decades, she became a trusted partner, advocate, and leader in the Grand’Anse region—earning respect through action rather than words. For 27 years, she served as Director of Public Health and the Center of Hope at the Haitian Health Foundation, where her vision and steady leadership helped expand care for women, children, and families facing extraordinary challenges. She developed an internationally recognized community based and data driven primary health care program.

Bette on a mule (in front) coming down from a mountain clinic in the late 1980s

Trained as a nurse, public health administrator, and medical anthropologist, Bette brought both clinical rigor and deep cultural understanding to her work. Her academic contributions—as an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut Department of Public Health Sciences and through numerous published articles and international presentations—reflected her belief that listening to communities is as important as treating disease. Her scholarship and practice consistently centered the lived experiences of Haitian women and families. Her accomplishments were recognized by ten local, national, and global health awards, including the American Public Health Association International Health Section.

Bette also was an educator and helped develop a community research program with Prof. Judy Lewis at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. This program resulted in over 50 research projects by medical, dental, nursing, anthropology, and public health students which improved health care programs in the Grand’Anse.

Bette with members of the GAHDA team at the clinic in Jérémie 2023

One of Bette’s most enduring legacies is the breast cancer program in the Grand’Anse. What began with her commitment to supporting breastfeeding mothers evolved into a pioneering, comprehensive breast cancer initiative—addressing education, screening, diagnosis, surgery, and care in a setting where such services had been virtually nonexistent. Beginning in 2011, she coordinated this work in close collaboration with Haitian and international partners, including St. Antoine Hospital, Dr. Jean Robert Douge, the Avera Health System, the University of Connecticut, Cross Catholic Outreach, Agape, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Grand’Anse Department of Health Department and

many other organizations. The program has become a model for delivering complex, life- saving care in low-resource settings with dignity and compassion.

Bette’s accomplishments are many, but those who know her best speak most often of her integrity, persistence, and determination. She has always focused on building systems that would last beyond her own leadership—mentoring colleagues, empowering Haitian partners, and insisting on care that is accessible, respectful, and grounded in local realities.

As Bette steps into a long-awaited and richly deserved retirement, we celebrate not an ending, but a legacy that will continue to shape lives for years to come. We are profoundly grateful for her vision, her courage, and her tireless service. Most of all, we wish her joy as she turns her attention to time with her husband, Edwin Magloire, her daughters, and her grandchildren—surrounded by the love she has so freely given to others.

With deepest thanks and admiration, we thank you Bette.