Leading Efforts to Address Health Disparities Yale School of Public Health associate research Sakinah came to Westminster as a Fourth scientist Sakinah Carter Suttiratana ’90 is Former from Jefferson Junior High School leading efforts to overcome health disparities in in Washington, D.C. At Westminster, she Connecticut — where life expectancy for primarily completed the most demanding academic white residents in affluent census tracts is more program of study, and under the mentorship than a decade greater than for residents living of faculty member Mike Jackson ’49, she in the state’s lowest-income neighborhoods. became increasingly interested in applying Her lab focuses primarily on disparities among her math and science studies to real-world members of African American, Hispanic and challenges. lower socioeconomic status communities who She was also strongly influenced by Todd have difficulty accessing prevention services for Eckerson’s modern European history course. noncommunicable diseases such as cancer “The way he taught aligned with my ethics,” and diabetes. recalled Sakinah. “We learned through the “In Connecticut, African American and lens of the history, but also realized that you Hispanic patients are often diagnosed later, when were creating history, so you had to think treatment options are limited,” explained Sakinah. about what you wanted to create in the “People don’t realize that there is a preventable world. It taught me to think about social Sakinah Carter Suttiratana ’90 element to cancer risk. They often have no sciences differently and as essential for guiding clear sense of the tests that are available.” She scientific advancement.” and another researcher supervise a team of Reflecting on her time as a student, multilingual and multicultural community health Sakinah said that working on the team that educators, navigators and students who engage formalized the Westminster chapter of the in direct community education to encourage National Student Campaign Against Hunger timely health screenings and preventive care. was most predictive of the direction of her “We translate scientific knowledge into practical career. “Since then, I have sought to use the literature or activities to support people’s efforts tools I’ve had at my disposal toward things to live healthier or prevent or minimize the risks that are important to me,” she said. “I want of cancers or chronic illnesses,” she said. to help people who are not often seen by Sakinah also helps translate health science others.” to practice by training future clinician leaders as Sakinah served as Westminster chapter a core faculty member for the National Clinician president of Campaign Against Hunger, and Scholars Program, a two-year fellowship that coordinated weekly trips to St. Elizabeth’s prepares doctors and Ph.D.-level nurses to be House, a Hartford shelter for the homeless. “change agents driving policy-relevant research She also participated in Dramat, Chorale, and partnerships to improve health and health Chamber Choir, the Student Activities care.” She teaches classes in qualitative research methods and Committee, Black and Gold, and was a staff writer for The community-based participatory research. This faculty role draws on Westminster News. She played junior varsity soccer and managed Sakinah’s past work in women’s leadership development for healththe girls’ lacrosse team. focused nonprofits and philanthropy. As an undergraduate at Yale, Sakinah was first a chemical Sakinah joined the faculty of the Yale School of Public Health in engineering major, but quickly found herself with a desire to be 2018 after completing a Ph.D. in sociology (health and illness) from more involved with people. While a student, she volunteered with the University of California, San Francisco. women’s organizations in New Haven and Brazil, and earned a B.A. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, her team in Latin American studies in 1994. Between 1994 and 2018, when relied on in-person health fairs and screening events that were held she joined Yale as a faculty member, Sakinah worked for various throughout the state to connect with residents. “We were forced private, public and nonprofit entities in public health or health to convert to online workshops, podcasts and radio interviews,” research, including positions with the World Health Organization, said Sakinah. “We have been producing videos on how to use Gallup, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the technology they possess to access telehealth services, but it’s The California Endowment and several colleges and universities. challenging from a communication perspective. The people we work Internationally, she has partnered with groups in the Dominican with are already on the other side of the digital divide and are more Republic, Guatemala, Brazil, Cape Verde, Iraqi Kurdistan, China, impacted by COVID.” (continued)
“We translate scientific knowledge into practical literature or activities to support people’s efforts to live healthier or prevent or minimize the risks of cancers or chronic illnesses.”
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