What are your career goals?
I intend to work in an underserved area in full spectrum primary care and also finding ways of incorporating global health work in my future practice through a combination of mission work and research.
What attracted you to the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program?
I had the opportunity to attend the AAFP resident and medical student annual conference in Kansas City where I attended a talk on health equity and Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, then-program director was one of the panelist. I later visited the Duke Family Medicine exhibit table and spoke to some of the residents and it became clear that Duke is a place I can get the kind of training to prepare me well for my future career goals.
In your opinion, what makes Duke Family Medicine special?
Its emphasis on population health and community medicine. It is my strong belief that in order to provide quality care to a group of patients, one must have a strong understanding of the issues facing that community. During my interview, it was clear that Duke Family Medicine goes above and beyond to provide residents the opportunity to work within the community through activities like the PHIT project, which allows residents to gain a better understanding and work on solutions to problems patients face outside the clinic.
What strengths or skills do you have that could be of benefit to the community?
I have experience with population health research and intervention during medical school that I hope to build on during residency. I am also very adaptable to different environments and in a way this helps me stay calm in rapidly changing situations. This allows me to provide an optimistic outlook in overcoming challenging situations when part of a team.
What are you passionate about?
Health equity and social justice are two issues that I am very passionate about. I believe health care is a right and hope to treat it as such in all my dealings with patients.
What is your hometown?
Freetown, Sierra Leone
What are your hobbies outside of work?
I really enjoy spending time in the great outdoors by biking, hiking, running or anything that gets me outside.
What is something interesting that not many people know about you?
As someone who grew up in Sierra Leone, I picked up ice skating in college and it has been one of the activities that got me through the brutal New England Winters.
So far, what has surprised you most about Duke?
Its strong sense of community. Duke as a whole goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is welcomed. This was how I felt during interviews and that has remained true to this day from before match day and beyond.
Education and Training
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, MD
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, BS Biochemistry