Horace Mann - Summer 2016 - 38

Alumni Journal Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow Chidiebere Akusobi '08 Combines Research and Social Action F ACT: Tuberculosis is a curable disease, yet remains the leading infectious killer of adults worldwide. Proper diagnosis and treatment can save lives, however, where HIV or multidrug-resistant TB is involved, the death rate is rising. Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is a health target of the UN's unanimously-adopted Sustainable Development Goals. FACT: Racism profoundly impacts people of color, with the black-white mortality gap accounting for about 80,000 excess U.S. deaths annually. Disparities in housing, education and job opportunities cut short the average Black life by four years, making racism a public health issue. In addition, Black people comprise only four percent of the physician work force, despite making up 13 percent of the national (and patient) population. Latinos and Native Americans are similarly underrepresented. FACT: These different, but not altogether unrelated issues have solutions, achievable through research, awareness, education and advocacy. Horace Mann School alumnus Chidiebere Akusobi '08 is confronting these issues as he engages in each of these actions. His potential to play a transformative role in medicine, scientific research and society, together with his dedication to this cause, have been recognized with one prestigious award after another. Most recently, in April 2016, Akusobi was named a recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, selected as one of 30 Fellows from among 1,443 applicants for this award that provides substantial support to immigrants and the children of immigrants pursuing graduate degrees in the United States. The award will help support Akusobi's MD-PhD studies at Harvard Medical School (HMS), where he is a second-year student, conducting research toward the better treatment and cure of infectious diseases. Despite the long hours his medical school and research demand, Akusobi also devotes his energy to serving on: the governing council of the Student National Medical Association, which supports underrepresented minorities in medicine and underserved communities; the National Committee of the Physician Research Initiative, which aims to increase the number of minority students pursuing careers in academic medicine; and the National Board Member of White Coats for Black Lives, which has a mission of eliminating racial bias in medicine and combatting racism's effects on public health. Throughout his education at Horace Mann School, at Yale University, and at Harvard Medical School Akusobi has been involved in social action, particularly through education, tutoring and mentoring, including founding science outreach programs for minority students and underserved communities. 38 Horace Mann Magazine Summer 2016 Born in Nigeria, "Chidi" Akusobi immigrated to the U.S. with his mother when he was two years old. The two reunited with his father, who had immigrated to the U.S. due to political and economic strife in Nigeria two years earlier, and was attending nursing school. Growing up in the South Bronx, Akusobi dreamed of becoming a physician. He attributes the start of his academic journey to the Prep for Prep program, which prepared him to enter Horace Mann School in seventh grade. In his Upper Division HM years Chidi focused on science and math, together with theater and dance. Remembered as "a terrific dancer" by HM Theatre, Dance and Film Studies Department Chair Alison Kolinski Akusobi co-founded Dance, Dance Horace Mann. A play he wrote in playwriting class was performed in HM's "One Act" program. "Horace Mann provided me with a superb academic foundation and instilled in me the importance of learning for the sake of learning," Akusobi reflected. "I cherished my time at Horace Mann and am especially grateful for the numerous opportunities the school provided its students to engage their passions. At Horace Mann, I was able to take AP science and math courses and also be involved with the rich dance, theater, and playwriting community. I credit Horace Mann with nurturing an environment where I felt encouraged to explore my academic and extra-curricular interests and, most importantly, develop the confidence to push and challenge myself academically." Akusobi's subsequent academic achievements attest to how he put his ability to challenge himself to the task. A magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and Distinction in Biology graduate of Yale University, Akusobi conducted significant "first author" research in Applied and Environmental Biology and Biotechnology while still in college, as the recipient of several science and undergraduate research fellowships. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, but elected to pursue his MPhil in Biochemistry at University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Before medical school Akusobi worked for the TB Alliance in New York, organizing a conference of experts in Spain. Recognized back in his HM days with departmental honors in math, science and theater, Akusobi was also presented, together with Sloane Heller '08, with the New York State Attorney General's Triple "C" Award for Character, Courage and Commitment-a recognition this alum's activities affirm. Akusobi's latest award may speak most powerfully to his ability to contribute to society in a transformative way, for the award, itself, is meant to transform-ideas and prejudices about this country's immigrant population, that is. Founded by Hungarian immigrants and philanthropists Daisy M. Soros and the late Paul Soros in gratitude for the opportunities the United States afforded them, and also to recognize the contributions New Americans have made to American life, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans recipients are selected for their potential to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture, or their academic field. The Fellowship focuses on encouraging and providing opportunities for able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields and partake of the American dream. The Fellows hail from different countries, socio-economic and religious backgrounds, and come to the U.S. in many different ways, explained Craig Harwood, who directs the Fellowship program. "They all bring excellence to the table. They demonstrate that immigrants, regardless of their background, continue to be a critical part of our nation," Harwood said. "We are very proud of Chidi," said Horace Mann Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly. "His dedication to learning and to contributing to society were evident at HM. We wish him the best in all of his pursuits." $ http://www.pdsoros.org/

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