Maxwell Akuamoah-Boateng '09 (Winneba, Ghana/Syracuse, N.Y.) says that his work this summer is about "applying classroom skills to real-life situations." Akuamoah-Boateng is working in Portland, Maine, in the Minority Health Program (MHP), a division of the city's Health and Human Services Department. The Minority Health Program works to decrease disparities in the healthcare system by providing the city's minority ethnic groups with health services and information such as interpreting services, house visits to follow-up with patients, information services for patients, and any other needed aid.
Akuamoah-Boateng's work for the program has so far included organizing an event that provided health screenings and information for the minority community in Southern Maine, working to implement a community health assessment to inform the MHP about issues that it needs to address further, and facilitating community health groups, which also help the program to identify and evaluate specific health concerns in the area. He is also working on MHP's 5th Annual Latino Soccer Tournament, which is intended to encourage exercise and other healthy habits. This event has been very successful getting the word out about the program, Akuamoah-Boateng says, and his role involves everything from planning the tournament rules to keeping track of the resources and services provided at the tournament and contacting sponsors for aid. Finally, his internship allows him to attend lectures at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute on health research and to receive training about blood-borne pathogens.
In past summers, Akuamoah-Boateng has done research at Hamilton and worked as a summer intern for ProLiteracy worldwide. This summer, however, he wanted to pursue an internship that focused on his long-standing interest in health care and combating the disparities in who can attain health care. He says that the internship at he can use skills acquired in the classroom to be independent and take on large responsibilities, increasing his abilities in management and public planning. He has been able to forge connections with people in different situations, jobs, and ethnic groups.
Working with cultural disparities can sometimes be difficult. The most challenging aspect of his work, Akuamoah-Boateng says, is staying motivated to help people, in spite of cultural barriers that make them refuse or neglect the health care they need. Dealing with such differences "has nothing to do with how much you learned in a classroom or from a book," he says. "It has to do with your character as a person and being able to establish a trust-worthy relationship with the people you are serving." In such an environment, however, the work is always challenging and interesting.
Akuamoah-Boateng's internship this summer is supported by the Jeffrey Fund, which provides funding to support full-time, summer, off-campus internships in the sciences at any organization that offers unpaid experiential opportunities. A biology major with a minor in art, Akuamoah-Boateng captains the Men's Soccer Team and also plays on the Men's Lacrosse Team. He serves as vice-president for Students For International Public Health Awareness, is the African Co-chair for The West Indian and African Association, and an Ambassador for the Brothers organization. He is a resident advisor and will serve this year as a board member for the Senior Gift Committee. After he graduates, he plans to obtain a masters degree in public health and to work for an international public health organization.
-- by Laura Bramley
Akuamoah-Boateng's work for the program has so far included organizing an event that provided health screenings and information for the minority community in Southern Maine, working to implement a community health assessment to inform the MHP about issues that it needs to address further, and facilitating community health groups, which also help the program to identify and evaluate specific health concerns in the area. He is also working on MHP's 5th Annual Latino Soccer Tournament, which is intended to encourage exercise and other healthy habits. This event has been very successful getting the word out about the program, Akuamoah-Boateng says, and his role involves everything from planning the tournament rules to keeping track of the resources and services provided at the tournament and contacting sponsors for aid. Finally, his internship allows him to attend lectures at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute on health research and to receive training about blood-borne pathogens.
In past summers, Akuamoah-Boateng has done research at Hamilton and worked as a summer intern for ProLiteracy worldwide. This summer, however, he wanted to pursue an internship that focused on his long-standing interest in health care and combating the disparities in who can attain health care. He says that the internship at he can use skills acquired in the classroom to be independent and take on large responsibilities, increasing his abilities in management and public planning. He has been able to forge connections with people in different situations, jobs, and ethnic groups.
Working with cultural disparities can sometimes be difficult. The most challenging aspect of his work, Akuamoah-Boateng says, is staying motivated to help people, in spite of cultural barriers that make them refuse or neglect the health care they need. Dealing with such differences "has nothing to do with how much you learned in a classroom or from a book," he says. "It has to do with your character as a person and being able to establish a trust-worthy relationship with the people you are serving." In such an environment, however, the work is always challenging and interesting.
Akuamoah-Boateng's internship this summer is supported by the Jeffrey Fund, which provides funding to support full-time, summer, off-campus internships in the sciences at any organization that offers unpaid experiential opportunities. A biology major with a minor in art, Akuamoah-Boateng captains the Men's Soccer Team and also plays on the Men's Lacrosse Team. He serves as vice-president for Students For International Public Health Awareness, is the African Co-chair for The West Indian and African Association, and an Ambassador for the Brothers organization. He is a resident advisor and will serve this year as a board member for the Senior Gift Committee. After he graduates, he plans to obtain a masters degree in public health and to work for an international public health organization.
-- by Laura Bramley
