Fatoumata Barry is a Boston Congress of Public Health Practicum Scholar.

Fatou is a second year Master’s in public health student in the school of global public health at New York University. Her interest in global health began as a young girl traveling back and forth to Senegal, West Africa to visit family.

“I’ve always been aware of health disparities and their impact in underdeveloped nations, but understood it’s gravity when I went to Senegal to visit my grandparents in 2021 and saw how the severe shortage of health resources along with the struggles of COVID-19 were effecting people’s lives.” Inspired by this experience Fatou is interning with the Boston Congress of Public Health conducting research and facilitating conversations about health disparities and cultural competency.

In the future, Fatou aspires to work within global health organizations to help improve health services and resources in Senegal and other low-income countries. You can find Fatou spending her spare time cheering for Bayern Munich and cooking for friends and family.