#  Samsiya Ona 

MD '15, HMS

 

 

 



   ![Samsiya Ona is wearing a necklace made with colroful west-African prints sown around circular buttons of the same shape.](/sites/g/files/omnuum11411/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2026-05/71.Samsiya-Ona-Questions.jpg?h=16f098c7&itok=uifeBGdl) 

 



 





 

**What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?**  
I am not only fortunate to be from a family that values equal opportunity for education for both girls and boys but also to have mentors and role models who have supported me in getting this far. Hence as the Harvard Medical and Dental Schools Women of Color in Medicine and Dentistry Co-chair, I worked with the second co-chair to make sure that women of color knew that they had the support of the faculty and that the faculty knew their advice and mentoring was valued. As part of the Student National Medical Association executive board, we shared a similar goal in all areas of medicine. Throughout the journey to and at HMS, one thing have learned is that the will to become a physician or any professional is an answer to a call, which comes in the form of a deep desire that requires effort, focus, and perseverance, values I hope to bestow on my mentees and other young women as embark on my obstetric and gynecology training next year.

**Are there activities outside of your job at Harvard that you feel enrich or inform who you are as an individual at Harvard?**  
The strong support I received from all my mentors fueled my own interest in mentorship and education. I have been serving as a mentor to many undergraduates in NYC, and l am particularly still committed to teaching as I learn.

**What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?**  
For the photo shoot I wore a necklace made with different west-African prints sown around circular buttons of the same shape, all together harmoniously making a beautiful and authentic necklace. This reminds me not only of the diversity of my class and the medical school as a whole, but also how similar we are in our common goal, that of becoming great physicians. Further, this necklace reflects exposure to different cultures, my interest in traveling and intellectual curiosity, which were all supported by HMS.



 

 

 



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- ## Person Categories
    
     [Dimensions](/person-categories/dimensions)
- ## Institution
    
     [Harvard Medical School](/institution/harvard-medical-school)