Heading Back to School to Build a Career in Community Health

Growing up in a large Gambian family in the Bronx, Bintou Sawaneh learned early that health is shaped by much more than what happens inside a hospital or doctor’s office.

She saw it in her family’s use of traditional medicine and medicinal plants. She saw it when her father developed Type II diabetes and the family needed to learn about lifestyle changes and meal planning. She also saw how language barriers could prevent people from asking for help or receiving the care and resources they needed.

Those experiences helped shape Ms. Sawaneh’s interest in public health and medicine. This August, the 24-year-old resident of Butler Houses will begin the Physician Assistant Program at the CUNY School of Medicine, taking the next major step toward a career devoted to improving access to healthcare.

“I chose public health because I felt that it was an area that needed more attention,” she said. “I also realized that I could combine my love for public health with medicine.”

Ms. Sawaneh and her family hail from Gambia – which she proudly calls “the Smiling Coast” of West Africa – though she has lived in New York City for almost her entire life. The fourth of seven children and the older of a pair of twin sisters, she remains deeply connected to her family, her Muslim faith, and her Soninke heritage.

“Some of the things I am passionate about are family, and access to healthcare and education — particularly for people for whom English is a second language,” she said.

Ms. Sawaneh has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for people to navigate healthcare systems when they are not fully comfortable speaking English. Her father, she recalled, sometimes felt afraid to ask for help because he did not speak English well.

That understanding now informs her work through NYCHA Health Corps as a Community Health Advocate at Lincoln Hospital. In the role, she helps address food insecurity and other social conditions that can affect a person’s health.

“A lot of things can interfere with someone’s health,” she said. “The work we do gives people an opportunity to say what they need. When they say yes to receiving help, we connect them with organizations, make referrals, or give them information and resources.”

Ms. Sawaneh also earned a promotion to Health Advocate Program Coordinator. In that role, which she handles simultaneously with her Community Health Advocate duties, she helps train volunteers, participates in interviews with prospective Health Advocates, and contributes to improving the program’s workflows. The expanded responsibilities have helped her grow not only as a healthcare professional serving patients but also as a leader.

Ms. Sawaneh first worked at Lincoln Hospital through the Summer Youth Employment Program. The experience quickly became more than a temporary placement.

“I fell in love with the work, truly!” she said. “I felt as though I needed to be there.”

In addition to her work at Lincoln Hospital, Ms. Sawaneh is also on staff at an urgent-care facility and holds a Patient Care Assistant certification. Before beginning her formal coursework next month, she has started reviewing anatomy and medical terminology in preparation.

The Physician Assistant Program will require a significant change in Ms. Sawaneh’s daily routine. For the next 28 months, she plans to step away from paid employment to attend school full time, although she hopes to continue volunteering when possible. She will also continue to live with her family at their home in the Bronx, where their shared support continues to guide her.

“I am very family-oriented, and I do believe that it takes a village,” she said. “We help one another grow as individuals and as a family.”

Ms. Sawaneh also intends to remain in New York City after completing her education. She hopes to serve communities that need more healthcare professionals, including the city’s Soninke population.

“Soninke is not just the name of our people — it is also the language we speak,” she explained. “We make up a large portion of the West African community, but you do not see many Soninke people in the medical field…As I begin PA school this fall, I’ll carry with me the understanding that treating patients means addressing both their medical conditions and the social factors affecting their health.”