Professional Summary
Personal Statement
I was born to Sierra Leonean parents in Milton Keynes, U.K, and soon afterwards emigrated to the United States and grew up as an American. Yet, frequent trips to Sierra Leone made me aware of the gaps between Western countries and developing ones, which drive individuals to emigrate to reach 'The American Dream.' However, as I reflect on my journey, I realize 'The American Dream' is not a destination, but a process, one where we utilize the vast human and technological resources of the U.S. to advance the causes in our profession of choice. To me, Internal Medicine is the field that best encapsulates the role of a physician as an iterative process instead of a destination: keeping up with the latest advancements to provide the best care, juggling the different socioeconomic realities for every patient, or even daring to escape one's comfort zone.
Why I Chose Cincinnati
When I became an MS2, a mentor linked me to an article entitled “The Devil in the Third Year”, which showed how many medical students lose their empathy for patients at that phase of training, a sobering fact that remained in my mind throughout that entire year, and still guides my interaction with patients. On my interview day at UC, Dr. Warm said the phrase “Medical Education can harm its learners”, a phrase that made a significant impact on me because it validated my whole approach to learning medicine. It was a privilege to find a residency program that was not only cognizant of that, but actively fostered the environment in which its trainees continue to think of patients as people, rather than burdens or obstacles, and that was why I chose the University of Cincinnati to pursue my training.