Back-to-roots doctor makes headway
By Rawle Titus
An emerging doctor who
struggled through her college
years has credited a scholarship,
little known to New York
residents of Caribbean heritage,
for putting her firmly
on course to becoming a fullfledged
practitioner.
Shonnell McBain, just six
months away from her graduation,
says New York City Doctor’s
Scholarship Programme
to her mother’s birth country
Grenada, has been the turning
point.
McBain, a United States
citizen whose parents were
born in Grenada, attended the
US offshore medical school,
St.George’s University, (SGU)
located in the Grenadian capital
.“
It was one of the best decisions
of my life. I got to connect
with my roots. I got to
tour the island. I got to meet
family members I did not even
know I had,” said McBain, in an
exclusive interview with Caribbean
Life.
“I don’t think many Caribbean
students with Caribbean
heritage know about this
scholarship …to apply for it. So
that may be a barrier… Lack of
knowledge about it.”
The City Doctors scholarship
programe is a collaboration
between the SGU and
NYC Health + Hospitals targeting
students who are residents
of the city.
Since its inception in 2012,
the program has awarded about
100 students with scholarships
worth a total of $10.3 million.
McBain’s scholarship allowed
her to achieve two degrees
at SGU, a master’s in Public
Health and her medical doctor’s
degree, in ten semesters
over a two-year period starting
fall of 2015 and ending December
2017.
“SGU is like a stepping
stone,”said McBain, whose
third year in medicine took her
from St.George’s to New York
in clinical rotations at leading
hospitals including Coney
Island, Kingsbrooke and Kings
County.
“If you go to SGU you have
an opportunity to get right
into the US market as a doctor
in training or right into
the UK market as a doctor in
training”.
McBain was starting a fresh
Caribbean L 22 ife, November 8-14, 2019 BQ
round of clinical rotations with
a stint at Southside Hospital
early November covering
electives ranging from family
medicine and urgent care to
pediatric neurology and endocrinology.
McBain’s mother, Sharon
McBain, a doctor who runs
Avenue D Pediatric service in
Brooklyn, was a major inspiration
by allowing her to perform
the role of office manager
prior to being awarded the
scholarship in 2015.
In fact, the 35-year-old doctor
in training actually began
her career at 16 working in her
mother’s office.
“I did not go to medicine.
Medicine came towards me.
Very early I pretty much knew
all the inner workings of a
medical office. Checking in
the patients, filing, making
appointments,” recalled McBain
who confessed to struggling
during her earlier education
at Science Skills Center High
School and Hunter College.
“Then I moved up to taking
vitals and doing blood work
and eventually I was like …
Why don’t I just become a doctor….
maybe this is my calling.”
During her two-year stint
in Grenada, McBain was
also involved in conducting
research on Human papillomavirus
infection and plans to
return to the island to resume
her work.
“I was doing some research
in HPV and I am hoping to
continue that research in the
future,” she said.
“And being of Grenadian
heritage, it is one of my dreams
to be able to do some medical
research within Grenada.”
Grenadian-American Shonnell McBain attends the St.
George’s University in Grenada. Shonnell McBain
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