ReSEARCHING for the Common Good: Georgina Agyei
August 21, 2024
As an interdisciplinary academic institute, the Institute for Social Concerns leverages research to respond to the complex demands of justice and to serve the common good. This series, ReSEARCHING for the Common Good, highlights some of the scholars in our community.
Georgina Agyei, MBChB, was a physician in her home country of Ghana and worked in hospitals there during the COVID-19 pandemic before coming to Notre Dame in 2022 to pursue a Ph.D. in biology. She works as a researcher in the Santiago-Tirado Lab, where she studies a pathogen called Cryptococcus neoformans that causes infection in the brain and affects people who are immunocompromised. She was a Graduate Justice Fellow at the Institute for Social Concerns during the 2023-24 academic year.
How does your research as a biologist advance the common good?
Public health is for the common good. As scientists, we want to see people live well. Doing this research means I can make an impact in the long term, and that gives me so much joy.
What has it meant for you to be a Graduate Justice Fellow?
The talks we had at the Institute for Social Concerns really opened my eyes. The fellowship made me think about the questions we must ask about the ethical challenges and justice issues surrounding how science is applied in the world. This helped me think about the best way to apply my research and experience to make a difference. That’s the beauty of the Institute for Social Concerns.
How did the interdisciplinary composition of the group factor into your experience?
I had a chance to learn from a lot of people from different disciplines. I also realized that I needed to improve my science communication. The Graduate Justice Fellows come from science, engineering, business, law, the humanities. Having to describe and explain my biology research to Ph.D. students from different fields helped me become a better communicator.
Is there a work of art that inspires you?
The local dialect version of Ghana’s unofficial national anthem, “Yen Ara Asaase Ni,” inspires me. It says, “This is our native land. What a priceless heritage, acquired with the blood our ancestors shed for us. It is now our turn to continue what our ancestors started and make it well.” My long-term goal is to be a physician-scientist applying my experience and knowledge to vaccine research in sub-Saharan Africa. This is my way of helping make well the land given to us by God and the sacrifices of our ancestors.
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