Afrakomah Agyeman: 40 Under 40 2024

Afrakomah Agyeman is working to build a healthcare system that transcends borders and seeks to create positive and lasting change. At UMass Memorial Medical Center, where she is also manager of data evaluation, Agyeman leads a team that utilizes population health data to guide clinical and management teams in enhancing healthcare access for minority communities in central Massachusetts. Drawing from her personal experiences, she also helps implement solutions. Agyeman moved from Ghana to the United States with her family when she was 10. She has lived in Massachusetts for more than 25 years and is working to align Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health with the area's 20,000-person West African immigrant community. Meet the 40 Under 40 class of 2024 See which young healthcare leaders made list CLICK HERE Agyeman has been instrumental in connecting her Ghanaian community with access to healthcare and career opportunities. She has worked with the diversity, equity and inclusion office to better understand African immigrants within the workforce and has staged community events to connect low-income residents with primary care, healthy food and jobs. She also leads the effort to identify a "Sister City" in Ghana, where UMass Memorial Health plans to support healthcare infrastructure. Agyeman's multifaceted approach that combines data analytics with community initiatives exemplifies her vision for healthcare. "Meeting people where they are with the healthcare access they need brings me joy," Agyeman said. "There are people that have been waiting to receive primary care for a year and a half. They can get that care within just a few minutes of entering the health fair or a health clinic." —Kara Hartnett