KIP Student Feature – Karim Barake
Karim Barake (Sargent’26) met Dr. Kimberly Samaha, CEO of Born Global Foundation at the Center on Forced Displacement Conference. Their connection and mutual interest in healthcare justice in Lebanon made for a great partnership and opportunity that introduced Barake to concepts of biomimicry and nature-inspired solutions to these problems.
Q&A With Karim Barake
Could you give us a brief description of the organization you are interning with and what your primary responsibilities are during this internship?
I’ve been working with Born Global Foundation as a Research Fellow for my Kilachand Internship Program. Born Global is a dedicated 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on applying nature-based solutions to challenges humans face today. In line with their mission, I’ve been studying the common grapevine, Vitis vinifera, and its drought-resistant deep root system. I’m developing a biomimicry-inspired policy framework to strengthen Lebanon’s primary healthcare system for efficient distribution and resource allocation.
What area(s) of justice does this organization work in and how did your internship help promote/fulfill these justice goals?
Born Global Foundation’s mission is rooted in environmental justice, educational justice, and broader social justice. The organization applies nature-based solutions to projects in ecological restoration, environmental technology, and social change-making.
My internship promoted these goals by applying their nature-based solution framework to health policy and systems. Previously, the organization has used biomimicry for engineering solutions. There is little literature on applying biomimicry to healthcare systems and policy, so I’ve been fortunate to explore these potential connections under valuable mentorship and guidance.
Has your work this summer changed how you think about justice issues?
I’d never heard of biomimicry or nature-inspired solutions before working with Born Global. To be honest, taking something like the common grapevine and applying its drought-specific mechanisms to a healthcare system sounded abstract and metaphorical at first. Only after months of research did I understand how much nature can teach us about resource-efficient and sustainable systems. After all, nature has survived billions of years of changing climates, urbanization, and seasonal cycles, we have much to learn from it.
For example, Lebanon’s primary healthcare system faces three major challenges: the absence of a unified information system, centralized resource distribution, and weak referral pathways. The common grapevine offers a perfect model for addressing all three. It survives drought through distributed local sensing, flexible root remodeling, rapid signal integration, and lateral roots positioned close to a central axis.
How did you find out about this internship, and what advice would you give to students hoping to apply for this funding opportunity in the future?
I met Dr. Samaha, the CEO of Born Global, at the Center on Forced Displacement Conference here at BU last April. We connected immediately over our shared passion for addressing the chronic challenges facing our home, Lebanon. KIP provided the perfect opportunity to collaborate on this research venture, exploring how my goal of strengthening the Lebanese healthcare system aligned with her mission of applying nature-based solutions to complex problems. Working on this project with Dr. Samaha and her team has been an incredible experience, and we’re pushing hard toward publishing a first-authored manuscript in the near future!
I would advise future KIP students to keep your eyes open, you never know when a great opportunity will come your way. Be curious, and always believe you can be a valuable contributor to any work you’re interested in, as long as you work hard and exude passion.
How has the Kilachand coursework and/or the KIP summer mentoring sessions helped prepare you for the work you are doing during your internship?
The Kilachand coursework and KIP summer mentoring sessions prepared me for this internship by building community. Being surrounded by like-minded peers, all deeply invested in justice, equity, and impact, pushed me to think more ambitiously and critically about my own work. Seeing the range of projects others were leading across public health, education, policy, and community organizing helped me recognize patterns across disciplines. It also sharpened how I articulate purpose, feasibility, and impact. The mentoring sessions created space for honest reflection and feedback, helping me refine my project from an idea into something grounded, collaborative, and responsive to real-world constraints.