‘It Restored My Hope’: How the Margaret Foti Scholarship Helped Tsedey Tsegaye Reclaim Her Future

For Tsedey Tsegaye, the Margaret Foti Scholarship was more than a way to fund her education. It was a lifeline: a path out of war-torn Ethiopia and a chance to reclaim her dreams and the version of herself that the war had stolen. In many ways, she says, the scholarship saved her life.

Sponsored by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), through the Margaret Foti Foundation, the scholarship provides full financial support to selected graduate students at the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication, Foti’s alma mater.  

“I am honored that this scholarship is helping to lay the groundwork for the next generation of science and health communication professionals to disseminate impactful scientific advances in engaging ways,” said Foti. “Tsedey’s determination and passion—even in the face of so many obstacles—is an inspiration, and I look forward to seeing how her already impressive career continues to unfold.”

Tsegaye, the second recipient of the prestigious award, shared her powerful story with Cancer Research Catalyst.

A Lifelong Passion for Innovation Interrupted by War

Growing up in Ethiopia, Tsegaye spent much of her time in a small garage, watching her grandfather, who was a well-known mechanic, and her uncle fixing cars. “That environment shaped my character and my determination,” she recalled. “Their hard work, humility, and resilience became the foundation of my values and the reason I push myself so much in every project I take on. It also inspired my interest in solving problems through technology and innovation, starting at a very early age.”

In high school, Tsegaye invented a cane for blind individuals that would alert them when a car was nearby. She went on to study engineering in college, and during that time, her grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes and ended up losing his leg due to a diabetic ulcer.

“Seeing my grandfather—my role model—lose his leg and his ability to continue his life’s work as a mechanic made me want to use my engineering skills to prevent others from experiencing this health issue.”

Since her university didn’t offer a biomedical engineering program, she started taking nursing classes at night while continuing her engineering courses during the day. In total, she took three years of nursing classes and five years of engineering.

With the skills she learned, Tsegaye developed a special insole to help prevent foot ulcers in patients with diabetes.

“After observing that most of the pressure on the feet comes from footwear, I used an engineering software called SolidWorks to design an insole that better distributes the pressure across the foot to reduce the forces that lead to ulcers. I used bamboo fiber as the material since it has antimicrobial properties that can reduce the risk of infection, and I calculated the appropriate thickness of the material for optimal pressure distribution,” she explained.

As she worked on this project, however, she discovered another problem:

“I saw how, especially in Africa, most of the research and innovations we were developing were just put on a shelf and never made it to the community. That inspired my interest in health communication; I wanted to help deliver these sorts of innovations to the people so they could have an impact.”

She set her sights on a degree in health communication. But before she could realize this dream, her country erupted into civil war—a two-year conflict characterized by violence, widespread famine, and limited access to health care. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of civilians died as a result.

“The conflict in northern Ethiopia deeply affected me and my family and completely disrupted the life and future I had been building,” Tsegaye said. “I became responsible for financially supporting my family. On top of all of this, I had an accident and needed multiple surgeries on my knee, for which I continue to undergo physical therapy.

“Until you’ve lived through a conflict like this, it’s hard to understand the trauma it causes. For me, I lost my personality, my dreams. Everything I had been interested in—engineering, innovation, and education—faded away. There was no way to even think about any of that. All I could focus on was surviving.”

A Scholarship Provides a Second Chance

Once peace came, Tsegaye set out to reclaim herself.

“I knew that the only way to overcome the trauma of the war was to get out of Ethiopia and pursue my dream of going back to school for my Master’s degree,” she said. She learned about the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication from an acquaintance and decided to apply.

“Being accepted into my dream program was an incredible milestone, but I also faced significant financial uncertainty that comes with pursuing my education in the United States. I had lost all my money from years of providing for my family during the war and paying for multiple surgeries.”

She wrote to one of her professors, who told her about the Margaret Foti Scholarship. “She sent me an email and said, ‘Hey, you’ve been working in the health area, and this is for students like you. It’s an external scholarship and it’s only for one person. There is huge competition, but you should apply.’”

She did, and, a few months later, was invited for a virtual interview with the selection committee.

“On the day of my final interview, I traveled more than an hour away just to find stable internet. Someone had promised to bring me their hotspot, but they didn’t answer their phone,” she recalled. “I was almost crying, trying to figure out how to join the interview. A café owner kindly offered me their internet, and another person even lent me their AirPods so I could complete the interview properly. That day reminded me how much I’ve had to overcome—and how much kindness from strangers has helped me keep going.”

The effort paid off because soon after, Tsegaye received the news that she had been selected.

“Being awarded the Margaret Foti Scholarship was truly life-changing for me. It gave me hope, eased a tremendous financial burden, and reassured me that someone believed in my potential before I had even begun my journey,” she said.

“The scholarship became one of the defining moments of my life and one of the main reasons I chose to dedicate my career to cancer prevention and control through health communication. It gave me the opportunity to pursue specialized training that shaped my passion for reducing cancer disparities through education, community engagement, and evidence-based communication.”

Since completing her graduate education, Tsegaye’s work has expanded into cancer research and cancer informatics, where she uses communication, technology, and data to improve cancer education, patient engagement, and equitable access to care. She presented her research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, sharing how a model that bridges different health care apps may facilitate breast cancer screenings and early cancer diagnosis in underserved areas of Ethiopia.

This model, developed by Tsegaye and colleagues, integrates data from iBreastCheck (a mobile app used offline by health extension workers in local communities) with OpenMRS (an app used by clinicians). Health extension workers can input patient demographics, cancer risk assessments, and referrals into iBreastCheck even in settings without reliable internet access. Once a connection becomes available, the data will sync and become accessible to clinicians at health centers and hospitals, who will review referrals and triage patients for further evaluation. “We expect that this type of approach will reduce diagnostic delays and strengthen care continuity,” she said.

A self-proclaimed multitasker, Tsegaye continues to develop innovative ways to improve health outcomes, while also working in cancer community outreach and education at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Some of her recent inventions include a spring-loaded mechanical negative pressure wound therapy device for underserved regions and a bionic leg prototype inspired by her grandfather’s experience with limb loss.

She is also using informatics to develop a framework for precision cervical cancer prevention in conflict-affected northern Ethiopia, and to study regional disparities in cancer burden and in digital health adoption across India.

“Looking back, the scholarship was not only an investment in my education but an investment in the work I continue to do to help reduce the burden of cancer,” she said.

“For me, the Margaret Foti Scholarship was much more than financial assistance. It restored my hope and changed the direction of my life. It gave me the confidence to pursue a career where I can make a meaningful contribution to cancer prevention, research, health communication, and cancer informatics.

“I will always be grateful for the opportunity it gave me, and I hope to one day pay that kindness forward by mentoring future scholars, supporting underserved communities, and helping create a world where everyone has access to life-saving cancer knowledge and care.”