University of South Florida Judy Genshaft Honors College alumna Sana Baban is making significant strides in the fields of bioethics and global health.
Baban graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders, concentrating on language, speech, and hearing. During her time at USF, Baban laid the foundation for a career at the intersection of clinical ethics, global health, and medicine. Recently, she furthered her expertise by earning a Masters in Bioethics (MBE) from Harvard Medical School.
Driven by a passion for addressing health disparities and advocating for ethical practices in health care, Baban plans to apply her expertise in medicine, ethics, and public health as she begins medical school at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School this fall.
Recently, Baban returned to the Judy Genshaft Honors College to speak with students in Dr. Lindy Davidson's biomedical ethics course. Following her visit, she shared her accomplishments and offered advice to USF students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
Q: What was your time in the Honors College like and what are you doing now?
Being a part of the Honors College at USF was an extremely formative part of my undergrad and post-graduate experience. While at USF, I graduated with my BA in communication sciences and disorders, while pursuing the premed track and working as research staff at Moffitt Cancer Center. After graduating, I pursued a Master of Science in Bioethics from Harvard Medical School.
Following my graduation, I worked as research staff at The Hastings Center, a bioethics
think tank and research institute in New York. I am now preparing to start medical
school at UMass Chan Medical School, where I hope to build a career that allows me
to integrate both medicine and bioethics in what I do.
Q: How did your time in the Judy Genshaft Honors College prepare you for graduate
School?
It was actually Dr. Davidson’s Ethics at the End of Life course that was my first introduction into bioethics. I usually consider myself a “required readings only” type of student, but I found myself so interested in the complex nuances of ethics case studies that I often would read beyond the allotted assignments.
It was through this course and Dr. Davidson that led me to pursue a master's in bioethics.
She connected me with fellow Honors alumni who had pursued a similar degree and these
conversations were immensely helpful to me in carving my path. Throughout my years
at USF, I always deeply resonated with the interdisciplinary nature of the Honors
College. For a student like me, who excelled in sciences, but also wanted to explore
topics in philosophy, ethics, writing and political science, I thrived and was academically
challenged within the setting of the Honors College.
Q: What have you enjoyed about studying at Harvard? What has your research been focused
on during your time there?
There was a lot I enjoyed about studying at Harvard, the beautiful city of Boston,
the historic campus, the incredible professors, but what I enjoyed the most was the
culture that encouraged and engaged intellectual curiosity. Especially in a topic
like bioethics, where there are so many important and unique considerations to explore,
learning in such an interactive and open-minded environment was extremely rewarding.
After graduating from USF, I was really interested in end-of-life bioethics issues
and one of the components I found intriguing within this topic was surrogate decision-makers.
My capstone in graduate school was exploring the limitations and challenges that surrogate
decision-makers face in their roles, and what could be best practices to allow for
surrogate decision-makers to most optimally fulfill their responsibilities. I was
able to conduct interviews with those on the front lines of patient care and identified
challenges and recommendations that were later presented to the CFO of the hospital.
It was an extremely rewarding and eye-opening project and experience!
Q: How has pursuing a master's in bioethics and conducting research allowed you to
explore the fields of bioethics and public health?
The state of health and health care in the U.S. and around the world has changed so
drastically after the pandemic. In order to understand what causes and exacerbates
diseases, we are having to increasingly use more than just a physiological lens to
fully comprehend health. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us in the worst way how public
and community health, resource allocation, and social determinants of health could
directly impact individual morbidity and mortality. Bioethics, public health, and
medicine are intimately and extensively linked in so many different ways, it really
opens up the kinds of research you can explore.
Q: Where do you hope your passion for bioethics takes you in the future?
My hope is that my passion for bioethics is something that I will be able to integrate
with a career in medicine. I would love to work in clinical ethics and teach bioethics
in the future, alongside practicing clinical medicine.
Q: What was it like applying to medical school?
The entire road leading up to medical school is daunting; it seems like there is a
never-ending series of checkpoints and hurdles to overcome.
The best advice I could offer is to be resilient, take it one thing at a time, and
celebrate the little victories. Every step you take towards becoming a physician is
demanding and grueling, but it brings you one step closer to your goal. Stay the course!