A Duquesne University public health professor and global health worker died last month in the flooding and mudslides that devastated Nepal last month.
Mark Cantrell, 51, died on Aug. 26 while on his way back to Nepal. He was on a spiritual pilgrimage to Mt. Kaliash in Tibet, China.
His loved ones described him as someone who was always in search of “spiritual calmness.”
He was one of thousands lost in the floods and mudslides that devastated northern Nepal.
Cantrell served as Duquesne University’s director of public health in 2021 before stepping down to work as a diplomat with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He continued working as an adjunct professor of public health at Duquesne from 2022 until his death.
“Dr. Cantrell’s work in public health, global health security and health systems took him to all parts of the globe as he strove to improve access to high-quality healthcare for many different populations,” a statement by the university said. “His work in diplomacy, with USAID, with the United Nations, and numerous other agencies not only was admirable but also provided our students context and insights that will continue to inform and inspire how they think about their own work serving others.”
Cantrell partnered with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions apart from Duquesne, according to his bio. His wife, Karina Zelaya Cantrell, said he also served on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and later, with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh, working to provide healthcare.
He worked with Pittsburgh-based non-profit Global Links after getting his doctorate in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019.
Angela Garcia, Global Links’ executive director, worked with Cantrell in Nicaragua, where they moved rural women into housing closer to hospitals so they could have better access to maternity care.
“Mark was one of the most compassionate champions for community health and public health,” Garcia said. “He believed in healthcare for all around the world.”
Ana Emilia Solís Ortega, a representative of the Pan American World Health Organization in Honduras, also worked with Cantrell in Nicaragua.
“He was always the one who always brought peace … brought calm to chaos,” Ortega said. “He had a way of seeing your face and knowing that something wasn’t right.”
Ortega said Cantrell kept in touch with everyone he met, and others said the same.
Dr. Faina Linkov, a professor at Duquesne’s School of Public Health, said she could recall Cantrell keeping in touch with a student who reached out asking for financial aid.
“The student was looking for a full ride, and didn’t have any resources,” Linkov said. Even though the student enrolled in another school, Linkov said, “he was writing him letters of support. Mark stayed in touch with that student.”
When Garcia heard news of his death, she was “speechless.”
“Their family was just on vacation together,” Garcia said of the Cantrells. “We’re the same age.”
Garcia met Cantrell in 2012 through his wife, who had been working at Global Links.
“Some lives cannot be measured merely by milestones or titles, but by the quiet, enduring imprint they leave on the hearts of others,” Karina Cantrell said. “Mark was that rare, luminous soul: a man whose life work was an unwavering testament to selfless service, boundless empathy, and an extraordinary gift for listening with patience and without judgment.”
Cantrell said her husband was dedicated to service. They met at the Migrant Community Center in Pittsburgh, where they were both serving as volunteers.
“He often reminded those around him that many patients did not just need medicine, but someone to genuinely listen to them and show them love,” she said. “Wherever duty called, Mark earned not only the highest professional respect of his colleagues, but their enduring affection and trust.”
Mark is survived by his wife and son.
Duquesne will share details of a memorial service when they become available, the university said in its statement.