Feyisayo Eweje
Credit: Rose Lincoln Harvard Staff Photographer
Students, including at HST, describe the challenges and treasures of navigating classes and the pandemic
In a series of interviews and photos in the Harvard Gazette, Harvard Medical School students talked about their learning experiences during the time of Covid-19. One of these students was Feyisayo Eweje, who is an HST MD student. The full piece is here.
Rose Lincoln | Harvard Gazette
Students entering Harvard Medical School expect a rigorous learning experience. For upperclassmen working rotations in area hospitals, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken this rigor to a new level, and the experience has only emboldened their commitment to medicine. Seeing the unequal effects of the pandemic firsthand propelled some to work toward change. Many said they are grateful and feeling reflective. Below are the stories of a handful of students who have weathered a year like no other.
Feyisayo Eweje
Being Nigerian American, I felt called to action as I saw the pandemic further expose challenges that exist in the Nigerian healthcare system and in many African countries. A couple of months after the shutdown, I came together with a few friends who felt similarly to participate in a hackathon focused on aiding the COVID-19 response in Africa. The idea we had that weekend has since grown into a nonprofit seeking to empower community health workers in remote areas with improved information access to facilitate their care delivery, during the pandemic and beyond. As I move forward in my training, this experience motivates me to keep thinking about ways I can contribute toward diminishing the negative impact of health inequities, both here and abroad.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be vaccinated, and I feel responsible to continue doing my part to eradicate the virus. The first patient I ever saw in clinic while wearing my white coat was a Black woman who asked my team why she should get vaccinated, with concerns about potential risks. That conversation brought together multiple aspects of my identity — as a Black man, as a medical trainee, and as a scientist. There’s never been a time in my life in which science and medicine have been more in the forefront or in which science communication has felt more important. As someone who also has research interests in drug delivery and nanoparticles, watching the vaccine saga unfold has been amazing on multiple levels. I’m hopeful that vaccinations will be our ticket back to normal.
* Originally published here.