Rhoda Kesewaa Tano-Menka ’19

Albright Fellow 2018

The summer before her junior year, Rhoda interned at the Cape Town HVTN Immunology lab which currently assesses immune responses to HIV vaccines being tested in Africa according to good clinical laboratory practice standards. During this time, she also volunteered with a local church that served food to impoverished communities. At Wellesley, Rhoda served as an academic peer tutor for the 2016/2017 academic year. She was also a Sophomore Early Research Award recipient. Her research investigated the role of low energy electrons in astrochemistry and she presented her findings at the annual Ruhlman Conference. She is currently studying abroad in Germany where she is doing a clinical practicum at the Ammerland Nephrology Clinic in addition to her regular coursework. Rhoda is very passionate about infectious diseases, mental health, and emergency healthcare, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In the future, she hopes to continue working with organizations that tackle these issues and ultimately start her own non-profit organization that will provide a holistic approach to curb these seemingly different yet greatly interconnected issues. She also intends to pursue an MD degree to become an emergency physician.