‘I’m Confident in My Path Now’: DLSPH’s MPH Black Health program has fine-tuned the life goals for this student
First-year DLSPH student Sylvia Okonofua
Story originally appeared in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health News by Bonnie O’Sullivan
Sylvia Okonofua discovered her purpose years prior to joining DLSPH as a student when, in 2016, she worked as a recruitment volunteer for the Stem Cell Club to encourage Canadians to sign up as stem cell donors. It was during this time when she made a concerning discovery – African, Caribbean and Black patients in need of a stem cell donation were at a stark disadvantage in finding a match. The statistics are staggering: the odds of a successful match for a Black patient is just 3.7 per cent, according to the Canadian Blood Services.
Between this data and the personal stories of patients in need, Okonofua was motivated to act. In 2020, she founded the Black Donors Save Lives campaign and subsequently, in 2023, launched the nonprofit, Black Donors Save Lives.
Okonofua says that a degree in DLSPH’s MPH Black Health program was a logical step to advance her goals of expanding the success of her non-profit and becoming a public health physician. “Before starting the program, I knew I wanted to work in health equity,” she says. “After my first semester, I’m confident in my path now in becoming a physician who focuses on research and advocacy for marginalized populations.”
The MPH Black Health program has fine-tuned Okonofua’s drive to challenge traditional Western approaches to public health, including identifying systemic barriers and dismantling them. Not only that, but Okonofua says it has “sparked an interest in engaging more deeply with policymaking.” She says she now recognizes that her passions for advocacy and research are complements to the policy knowledge she has gained through the program.
“To be a good policy maker, you need a combination of fieldwork…and you need to do your research.” Okonofua, who is also a DLSPH Outreach and Access program mentor, adds, “representation matters if there are policies being made.”
Read the full story on the Dalla Lana School of Public Health website.