As the questions posed become more common, this list will be updated.
Where are you originally from?
Generally, my response to this question is “From my mother’s womb” but geographically, I’m originally from a rural town in the Mississippi Delta about 2 hours from the capital city of Jackson.
What does Tribes of Kenya mean?
KENYA is my birth given name. In the country of Kenya, there are over 40 different tribes, all unique in their own right but connected deeply by rich African heritage. I compare those tribes with areas of my life in that the spaces I choose to occupy are all different but individually coalesce to contribute to the formation of my life’s purpose.
Like The Maasai tribe of Kenya, that has retained close kinship with its neighbors, I allow my community to be my motivation. In seeing them, I see myself; therefore I am empowered to use my collective to make us all better through spirituality and health. Like The Kikuyu tribe that focuses on having political and economic influence, I try to ensure that the findings of many of my studies have an affect on public health policy. Like the Turkana tribe, that travels from place to place based on the availability of produce, I am nomadic in the sense that I go where the need is greatest. In all of these capacities, I am a Tribe unto myself. I Am Tribes of Kenya.
Why did you pursue a career as an Epidemiologist?
I undeniably love humanity and believe in the equitable distribution of life for all humans. My earliest memory of a peaked interest in the probing of infectious diseases began after seeing the movie Outbreak (starring Morgan Freeman) while in the 6th grade. The thrill of being faced with an unfamiliar problem and coming up with a solution excites me. Unfortunately, in terms of health my home state of Mississippi ranks last in several indicators on a national scale. So, I entered college with the desire to become a physician who would treat these issues to improve the health status of Mississippians. But the cycle of treating individuals in a clinical setting and releasing them back into the environment that possibly gave rise to their illness disturbed me. I was more concerned with group/population level prevention and addressing both social and clinical needs. Epidemiology was perfect! It allowed me to utilize my background in biological sciences to investigate, analyze, track, and research diseases on all levels (local, national, international).
Connecting the dots: from my beginnings in the Mississippi Delta where I experienced the effects of racial and residential segregation on health; to my transition to Atlanta where I viewed the urban sprawl of a city contributing to varied health problems; to the streets of DC where I witnessed the health effects of gentrification on community; to New York City, a conglomeration of all of these (racial and residential segregation, crowding, gentrification) meshed into one urban center… it has been a journey. Through these experiences, my role as an Epidemiologist has evolved into one that is holistically and globally focused.
How many siblings do you have?
I am 1 of 11 children