A Granville High School graduate and public health educator died during deadly flooding and mudslides in Nepal in late August.
Mark Allen Cantrell, 51, was a member of Granville High School’s class of 1993, according to an email to The Dispatch by his friend Nicholas Jackson of Newark. Duquesne University, where Cantrell was an adjunct professor, confirmed his death in an email to the university community.
Cantrell died Aug. 26 while returning to Nepal after completing a Yatra, a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, according to Duquesne’s student newspaper, The Duquesne Duke. He had initially been listed as missing by Nepal Police.
Jackson contacted The Dispatch to share news of Cantrell’s death and described him as a great friend with
a deep commitment to public health.
"I just thought it would be good to do a write-up on Mark and his many accomplishments and love for public health," Jackson said.
Born Feb. 25, 1975, Cantrell joined Duquesne in 2021 as the university’s director of public health. He left the position after about a year to work as a U.S. diplomat with the U.S. Agency for International Development, commonly known as USAID, but continued teaching at Duquesne as an adjunct professor.
Cantrell’s colleagues and former students remembered him as an approachable mentor, passionate educator and avid traveler who incorporated lessons from communities around the world into his teaching.
Cantrell traveled internationally through organizations including USAID and the World Health Organization, bringing what he learned about local health care systems into the classroom. His colleagues said he was particularly interested in creating educational experiences that allowed students to learn directly from different communities.
The Dispatch is working to learn more about Cantrell’s life and his connections to central Ohio. Anyone who knew Cantrell and would like to share memories may contact reporter Amani Bayo at abayo@dispatch.com.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Granville High graduate, public health educator dies in Nepal floods
