Name:Sira Hart Nakwaasah Hometown:Port-Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria Year in medical school:MS1 Graduation class year:2026
What inspired you to become a doctor?
My interest in pursuing medicine resulted from growing up in a community in rural Nigeria, with little to no access to hospitals or healthcare providers. The closest well-equipped clinic was 4 hours away, and when my family faced a medical emergency, I understood the immense need for healthcare that faced my community. Unfortunately, our price was too steep as I lost my father to that emergency. As an 11-year-old, the resolve I came to was to pursue medicine with the hopes of one day opening a clinic in my village in memory of my father and members of my community who we lost to the most preventable and treatable illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever.
Why did you choose the UTRGV School of Medicine?
I chose UTRGV School of Medicine because of its mission to promote health and health education to the population in the Valley – such a noble and exigent mission aligns with my purpose for choosing this field. Here, I knew I could foster my passion for community and population health, especially in the service of underserved communities. The AHEC program was a significant determinant in my decision to get my education at this institution.
The UTRGV School of Medicine is a practicing academic medical institution. What aspect of Academic Medicine impacts you the most? (Educational, clinical, research, etc.)
The Educational aspect most impacts me at this stage in my training. The faculty does an excellent job answering my numerous questions, especially in the anatomy lab. I learn best by thinking out loud, and they do a fantastic job walking me through my thought process so that I leave the lab with the best understanding of the material.
What specialties of medicine or research interest you the most? Why?
Currently, I am interested In psychiatry, focusing on child/adolescent psychiatry, emergency, and community psychiatry. My interest in psychiatry is influenced mainly by my home community's culture surrounding mental health. There is little to no support for people dealing with mental illness, especially in the face of tragedy and trauma. Poverty and political strife leave troubling adverse effects on the mental health of people impacted. Support must be provided as people continue to weather through life within systems that do not consider their humanity when passing or failing to pass the legislature. I am interested in PTSD research in communities that have experienced and survived collective trauma.
What is one interesting fact others might not know about you?
I have a sewing machine and love to make clothes from African fabric called Ankara. I come from a line of seamstresses, so the craft was passed down from the women in my family!
