Week 4: Healthcare Excellence

Cannon Community

This week’s Cannon interviewee is Dara Tokumboh; she is a Cannon alumni of the class of 2015. She graduated from Cornell University in 2019 and plans to attend medical school in the fall. We talked to her about her time at Cannon and her healthcare journey.

1. Tell us when you graduated from Cannon and what you decided to major in?
• Graduated from Cannon in 2015
• Majored in Biology and Society at Cornell and graduated in 2019
• Post-bacc at Temple University
• Plans to attend Medical school this fall
2. What inspired you to pursue medicine?
• Medical Winterm at Cannon
• Her dad’s lung condition made her see the relationship between the doctor and the patient
• NSLC Camp; Met Dr. Fauci at this camp
3. Reflecting on your experiences at Cannon, could you talk about some of the controversial events that occurred regarding the race relations?
• Controversy during the Black History Month tribute; the student body was uncomfortable and did not want to be there
• Negative attitude towards diversity
4. As a black woman, what are some of the struggles you’ve faced in a predominantly white male career field?
• “If you’re a black doctor, you’re always need to wear your white coat”
• Dealing with racist patients
• Has seen discrimination against patients of color

Healthcare Spotlight

Click the videos below to learn more about the health disparties in the black community