Student Spotlight: Esther Nnali pursuing dual degrees with support from Baptist Health Foundation Scholarship

Esther Nnali, an MD/MPH student in San Antonio, is bringing her compassion and multicultural perspective to the ambitious challenge of a dual-degree program, thanks to a scholarship from the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio.

Originally from Nigeria, Nnali and her family moved to the United States when she was young, settling in Houston, where her dad was a pastor.

Nnali said her deep desire to serve others led her to initially begin her undergraduate degree at UT Austin with the goal of becoming a marriage and family therapist.

"I knew I wanted to go into a field where I could help people and serve, which was influenced by my parents, especially seeing my dad as a pastor," Nnali said.

But during the first year of her undergraduate degree, the world-shifting changes that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to everyone’s lives also changed Nnali’s trajectory in the middle of her college career and set her on a path toward medicine and public health.

Looking for ways to help out during the early days of the pandemic, she signed up to be a social contact volunteer for Meals on Wheels, which primarily involved calling elderly clients to talk with them, listen to their concerns and keep them connected to resources and social workers during a time of isolation.

"I would talk to them about their pets or plants, but some were going through a lot like housing and health issues that I didn’t really understand at the time, but I knew it was hurting them,” Nnali said.

That experience opened her eyes to the broader impact of public health and inspired her to pursue a certificate in Social Inequality, Health, and Policy during the next year of her undergraduate degree at UT, which further ignited her passion for public health.

“Throughout college, I got to work with a lot of different nonprofit organizations and learn more about what public health was, so I knew that even if I didn't go to medical school, I'd still want to do something in public health,” Nnali said.

Now in her second year of medical school, Nnali is on a mission to integrate her public health knowledge with clinical practice. At first, she said she was hesitant to tackle two degrees at the same time, and so she held off on signing up for the MPH program.

"The biggest thing that scared me away from applying to the MPH program was having to pay for two degrees," she said. "But then I found out about all the scholarship opportunities."

At the encouragement of UTHealth Houston School of Public Health admissions counselors, Nnali applied for and was awarded a scholarship from the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio. The foundation has worked closely with the school’s San Antonio location, providing support to students living in the area who are pursuing public health degrees.

"The scholarship has been a big deal for me," she said. "It’s helped me cover essentials like rent, utilities, and food, and allowed me to really concentrate on my studies and take all the classes I need without that extra financial stress."

Nnali has not yet decided on her medical specialty, but is leaning toward working as a primary care doctor, where she can not only treat patients but also address the social determinants of health that impact their well-being. She said her goal is to build lasting relationships with patients and provide holistic care that extends beyond the clinic walls.

The Baptist Health Foundation scholarship will leave a lasting legacy in her life, she said, by making it possible for her to achieve her goals of improving healthcare in her community.

"It has given me the opportunity to pursue both degrees and to be a part of a program that aligns with my goals of serving communities," she said. "This scholarship is not just helping me, it's allowing me to be in a position to help others."