Malik Scott

Academic Interests: Sociology Major with Global Health Minor

As an immigrant, my experience in the United States has been one of significant growth and exciting experiences. My mother, a nurse practitioner, immigrated to the United States when I was one year old. When I immigrated, she always surrounded me with conversations about the field of medicine. I spent many evenings with her after school at the Medical Center in Macon, where she showed me much of the technology used in hospitals. As I progressed through middle school and high school, I continued to be fascinated by the health sciences and anatomy. I decided that I was interested in pursuing a career in medicine. The most notable experience that has contributed to my interest in epidemiologic medicine was the outbreak of the Chikungunya virus in Jamaica in 2014. The virus infected over 90% of the country and spread throughout the Caribbean. It was a painful experience hearing that my entire family was afflicted with this virus and bedridden. My family had no idea who would survive this epidemic, but luckily, the virus had a low mortality rate. The outbreak was my first exceptional experience and made me interested in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in society. Being at Duke and a Cardea Fellow has been such a blessing because I have been able to participate in programs and classes that have driven me to think innovatively and to build interpersonal and networking skills. Participating in the Global Health program has compelled me to want to learn even more about the effects of the social determinants of health on everyday life. I am grateful to the Duke Bass Connections program for allowing me to participate in team-based research on that topic. I aim to pursue an M.D-M.P.H program in the future and to work both in the United States and overseas in addressing health inequities and treating and preventing infectious diseases.