University of Virginia third-year student Phillip Bonsu sees his future in medicine. Now he has the help to make it happen with the support of the Sky Alland Scholarship.
The award, which covers the next academic year’s full tuition and fees, recognizes a rising fourth-year student who demonstrates leadership, achievement, enterprising spirit, humility and devotion to UVA.
The scholarship is named for J. Schuyler Alland, a 1979 graduate of UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce and an entrepreneur who built a successful national marketing research company before his death in 1992.
Bonsu, of Ashburn, is studying global public health and data science and plans to pursue a career in medicine.
“I have quite a few family members who work in the health care system, both in Ghana and the U.S.,” Bonsu said. “My mom is a nurse practitioner. Growing up, I saw how much she loved her job, how much she loved the environment and how impactful a lot of physicians were in my life, specifically my pediatrician.”
Bonsu views the late Dr. Geoffrey A. Tetteyfio as a mentor who pushed him academically, took the time to answer his questions and encouraged him. Bonsu plans to emulate him and become a pediatrician.
Bonsu’s parents left their native Ghana around the turn of the 21st century, and although he has gone back for visits, he wanted a study-abroad experience there. UVA does not have an available student immersive experience in Ghana, but Bonsu was able to arrange an internship in the pediatric outpatient unit of a military hospital in Accra, Ghana, while his family visited the country last summer.
“I wanted to see if there was an opportunity for me to understand global health care systems,” he said.
This summer, Bonsu will return to Ghana as part of a group of UVA students participating in a new study abroad program he helped establish. The group will be immersed in a hands-on public health experience blending academic learning, community service and cultural exchange.
“We’re going to be working with the University of Ghana Medical School,” he said. “We’ll begin with workshops in Accra alongside medical and public health students, exploring key conversations around health care systems and delivery. From there, we’ll contribute to a continuity of care project focused on improving patient support throughout their health care journeys.”
The experience will also include visits to rural community clinics, student-led outreach initiatives, meetings with community partners and opportunities to shadow health care professionals in major public hospitals.
Bonsu worked with Rajesh Balkrishnan, who teaches population data analysis to global public health students, to help create the UVA Ghana Study Abroad Program. Balkrishnan describes Bonsu as an exemplary student with strong leadership skills.
“He is extremely gifted and has a wonderful personality that draws others to work with him and learn from him,” Balkrishnan said. “He is focused on developing a better world for all around him and has been instrumental in us developing a program of engagement with UVA’s partners in Ghana. I see great things ahead for him in terms of shaping global health policy.”
