As the world becomes more interconnected, I have been afforded the opportunity to actively engage in global health, helping to mend broken healthcare systems across the globe, while spreading valuable information that reduces the likelihood of preventable diseases. With the same conviction, I envision myself to be an advocate for low-income pediatric populations. I am eager to help children and their families navigate healthcare to ensure that each child in my care has the necessary knowledge to maintain their health. Throughout my undergraduate and medical school experiences, working with children through mentorship, clinical care, and research discovery has energized my passion to serve children and create a space for them to access safe, affordable, and quality care. I also hope to initiate the use of public health measures that can lessen the incidence of disease, and enhance the quality and access to medical care for citizens of Ghana and across the continent. I desire to mold the Ghanaian healthcare system by enhancing the infrastructure of hospitals, increasing access to care for patients in rural and urban areas, and determining ways that healthcare professionals can be incentivized to stay in the country to practice. To the generations of medical students to come, I hope to be a teacher and mentor for them to promote the pursuit of medicine for minorities. I have the desire to change the face of medicine to resemble underserved patient populations and hope to be seated on admissions committees as an advocate for students of diverse backgrounds and experiences with a desire to advocate for underserved populations. I hope to enhance the experiences that medical students obtain as they practice and undergo research in global settings.

Growing up, I would wake up to the sound of highlife, a musical genre originating in Ghana, fall asleep to the culturally and morally rich stories of Anansi the trickster god, and sing at church in our native language, Twi. I cherish these moments in my mold of Ghana in America. As a first-generation immigrant integrating two cultures, I made it my responsibility to help my parents and myself navigate American culture and understand our place in it. Immigration does not come with a handbook for navigating American culture, much less the American healthcare system. This was a catalyst in my determination to take part in the crafting of a nation where medicine is diversified, and culture is no longer a communication barrier: a system where mothers like mine will be confident in advocating for their children’s care. To better understand how I could play a role in advancing global healthcare systems, I took hold of a myriad of experiential learning and research opportunities at Northeastern. Through research with the African Studies Department, I analyzed the modern healthcare system in Ghana. I reported on the multifaceted issue facing Ghanaian healthcare such as the lack of access to medical technology and the negative impacts of the medical brain drain. Furthermore, I expanded on this research to understand the status of pediatric health in Ghana. From assessing data from sources such as the Demographic Health Surveys, I found that the percentage of children receiving basic vaccinations had steadily increased from 1993 to 2014, and that infant mortality rates had declined within this time span. This progress correlates to Ghana’s strengthening of community-based services with the help of organizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Understanding the different facets of healthcare in Ghana and the improvements made have strengthened my inclination to be a part of this trajectory through medicine and research. Equipped with insight from my research at Northeastern and a desire to be a global health advocate through medicine, my understanding of healthcare disparities in America was further nurtured when I provided patient care in a local pediatrics department in Boston. Here I met “Adom”, as I first watched him reluctantly following the turtle footprints on the ground of the hallway leading to our department with his mother. At four years old, he transformed from fearful and distrustful to playful and interactive when I cared for him, as we shared a common denominator - our Ghanaian blood. I listened as his mother would tell me the stories of what she sacrificed to ensure that he was cared for properly in response to his special needs and autism. Recounting the challenges encountered by my mother during our pediatric visits, I now understood how language and cultural barriers made it difficult for her to advocate for his care. This is a dynamic that I want to play a role in shifting as a physician. I want to tear down the boundaries that impede low and middle-income countries like Ghana from attaining the highest standard of care and to shift the cultural understanding of healthcare in America. For my parents, moving away from our family in Ghana to New Jersey was the price to pay for comprehensive education, quality healthcare, and accessible treatment. I want to be a physician advocate who champions healthcare equity and creates a space for the immigrant or minority patient who knows this story all too well to feel at home in my care.

Growing up, I would wake up to the sound of highlife, a musical genre originating in Ghana, fall asleep to the culturally and morally rich stories of Anansi the trickster god, and sing at church in our native language, Twi. I cherish these moments in my mold of Ghana while growing up and integrating into the culture here in America. As a first-generation immigrant embracing two cultures, I made it my responsibility to help my parents and myself navigate American culture and understand our place in it. Mobilized by my upbringing, understanding the healthcare system in the United States and its care for minority and immigrant populations, coupled with an understanding of global health systems lie at the heart of my pursuit of intellectual discovery. As the world becomes more interconnected, I have been afforded the opportunity to actively engage in global health, helping to mend broken healthcare systems across the globe, while spreading valuable information that reduces the likelihood of preventable diseases. With the same conviction, I envision myself to be an advocate for low-income pediatric populations in the United States, as I want to create spaces where children have the opportunity to pursue their dreams in a space where good health is not a privilege, but a right. I want to engage in all aspects of the research process, from data collection to data analysis, synthesis, presentation of knowledge, and implementation of sustainable interventions for the community, whether it be locally or across the globe. In my emerging career, I envision myself to be an advocate for low-income pediatric populations. I am eager to help children and their families navigate healthcare to ensure that each child in my care has the necessary knowledge to maintain their health. Throughout my undergraduate and medical school experiences, working with children through mentorship, clinical care, and research discovery has energized my passion to serve children and create a space for them to access safe, affordable, and quality care. I also hope to initiate the use of public health measures that can lessen the incidence of disease, and enhance the quality and access to medical care for citizens of Ghana and across the continent. I desire to mold the Ghanaian healthcare system by enhancing the infrastructure of hospitals, increasing access to care for patients in rural and urban areas, and determining ways that healthcare professionals can be incentivized to stay in the country to practice. To the generations of medical students to come, I hope to be a teacher and mentor for them to promote the pursuit of medicine for minorities. I have the desire to change the face of medicine to resemble underserved patient populations and hope to be seated on admissions committees as an advocate for students of diverse backgrounds and experiences with a desire to advocate for underserved populations. I hope to enhance the experiences that medical students obtain as they practice and undergo research in global settings. The opportunity to apply for a scholarship designed to uplift Black women in medicine is a true honor in itself. I appreciate the opportunity to continue carrying out my dreams in community engagement, global health, health equity, and research discovery without the barrier of finances that has so often trumped these passions. This scholarship would allow me to continue to pursue my dreams in medicine with the confidence that your initiative has instilled in me. Thank you for your continued support of women of color, and for this incredible opportunity.