Global Ambition to Follow the Great Commission

Karysse Trandem ’01 has always been ready to follow God’s call for her life. She just had no idea where that call would take her, especially in her 20s and 30s.    

Fueled by ambition and the Holy Spirit, Trandem graduated with a pre-med biology degree at 19 years old by participating in Bethel’s Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) program and taking summer classes. Trandem cherished Bethel’s uplifting environment as she gained academic experience fit for a medical school application. She’d spend hours every week in the prayer chapel near Benson Great Hall between Vespers and Chapel services. “I really needed all my Christian friends, friends who loved the Lord and had their own personalities, but really were there for God,” Trandem says. “Bethel was critical in fostering a Christian worldview and foundation of worship in my heart with examples of Christian thought leaders around me in my professors.”

Throughout her time at Bethel, she prayerfully listened for God’s plan for her life and felt Him calling her to be a medical missionary. And while she knew that was ultimately the long-term goal, she was still a 19-year-old with a variety of interests and skills. Before committing her ambition solely to the medical field, she understood that there was room to explore some of her other passions. She moved to New York and landed a few acting roles on stage and screen, proving that she could have a career on Broadway if she wanted. 

Continuing to seek the Lord, Trandem knew what she had to do. She went on a medical mission trip with Mercy Ships in association with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and watched a surgeon save lives on board. “The surgeon was so humble. He saved this people’s lives and then got to tell them about the love of Jesus,” Trandem says. “It just grabbed my heart and soul even more than performing—which I still love to do—and I just knew that God's calling is actually my truest heart's desire as well.”

Trandem returned to Minnesota after the mission trip and prepared for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) while working as a legislative assistant for a Minnesota state senator. She learned about the complexities of working in government and how important ethical leaders and legislation can be. Her perspective broadened from serving individual patients to shaping national healthcare services. 

During her time in medical school, Trandem’s interests continued to develop, especially as she helped deliver her first baby. “It was such a miracle,” Trandem says. “This little life just popped into my hands, and he took his first breath. It's the breath of God that allows these little infants to breathe. It's one of the top five most miraculous moments of my life still.” She then understood that her calling to medical missions was to shape her career around advocating for the unborn, victims of human sex trafficking, and survivors of intimate partner abuse.

In order to be a vocal doctor of faith in this field, Trandem knew she needed the credentials and experience to be make a difference at the national and international policy levels. She pursued a special appointment at the National Institute of Health to research how to prevent violence against women. She then completed a specialized residency in OB-GYN surgery at the University of Minnesota, where she encountered many viewpoints different from her own. Despite the challenges, she continued to invest in her specialty research and develop her expertise. A research fellowship brought her to Switzerland, where she lived at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva for three months, researching how to prevent intimate partner violence in the developing world.

The desires of her heart continued to take shape as she dreamed of starting her own non-profit along the same lines of her work in Switzerland—with a more gospel-centered approach. She spent seven years in private practice building her experience specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. When she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Healthy Start in 2019, she decided it was time to officially resign from private practice, focusing her energy on her nonprofit: Canopy Global Foundation.

The goal of Canopy Global Foundation is to bring the Gospel to global leaders through teaching strategies to protect the unborn, the trafficked, and the abused. Trandem now finds herself working with her local government in Naples, Florida, as well as with the United States national government and overseas international government leaders. Her credentials as a physician give her the authority to speak on how to serve pregnant women, stop human trafficking, and prevent intimate partner violence on the state, national, and international levels. 

For her commitment to Christ and her extensive efforts to save lives around the world, Bethel has awarded Trandem with a 2021 4 under 40 Achievement Award. Her robust experience has opened doors to share the gospel and care for individuals during some of the most vulnerable times of their lives. She connects with patients because she knows firsthand what it’s like to have experienced trauma, and she reassures them that in the midst of shame, grief, and pain, there is a miraculous healing and eternal hope offered through Jesus Christ. 

Trandem is also the first to acknowledge that her accolades and achievements are not the substance of her life. “Although it is an honor to receive awards, it is not achievements that bring meaning to life,” Trandem says. “What matters in life is where our heart is in our individual relationship with God. Life is about receiving the great love of God through Jesus Christ, a love that we cannot earn and that we are able to give feely back to Him and to others.”

Nominate someone for a 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award.

Bethel University’s National Alumni Board annually seeks and accepts nominations for the 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award. The selection is made from Bethel University graduates 40 years of age or younger who have had outstanding achievements in their career, public service, or volunteer activities.

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