Medical School: Yale

Ya Haddy traces her journey towards medicine, and specifically the field of Oncology, back to early clinical experiences growing up in The Gambia. Those experiences for her were an introduction into the interplay between an individual’s social circumstances and their health.  After completing her undergraduate studies at Wittenberg University, she obtained a Masters in Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis before attending Yale School of Medicine. At Yale, she led a clinical team at HAVEN, the student-run free clinic.  She also participated in research focused on a broad range of areas including trends in e-cigarette usage, COVID-19 health outcomes among Veterans, genetic alterations associated with large B-cell lymphoma, and development of a wealth index related to health inequities in the Eastern Caribbean. She also was noted to be an outstanding mentor and teacher for students from elementary school all the way through medical school. At this point, her longterm career goal is to establish a regional cancer center of excellence to provide comprehensive cancer care in West Africa.

Possible mentors: Aparna Parikh, Kerry Reynolds, Beverly Moy, Howard Weinstein, Bimal Dey