Fort Worth Medical Student Receives National Public Health Award
Antonio Igbokidi, MS-3 at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, was awarded the 2023 Excellence in Public Health Award from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee for his mental health initiative called the Barbershop Talk Therapy Project.
FORT WORTH – In just two years, medical student Antonio Igbokidi has attracted nearly 100 participants to his mental health initiative called the Barbershop Talk Therapy Project.
Igbokidi, MS-3 at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, wanted to create a safe space for men of color to discuss mental health. His passion project has now gained national attention.
Igbokidi was awarded the 2023 Excellence in Public Health Award from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee.
The awards program recognizes medical students who have done exceptional work in their local communitypromoting public health and disease prevention.
Ikwo Oboho, M.D., ScM, director of infection prevention and control program at U.S. Veteran Affairs North Texas Health Care System, surprised Igbokidi with the award at the Burnett Schoool of Medicine.
“We were very impressed by the impact of it in the community and felt it was deserving of the public health award,” Dr. Oboho said. “Sometimes, medical learning can be very didactic. This kind of work gives them the vision before they complete residency and medical school. These are the needs of the community; it’s not just something you’re reading in a textbook.”
Igbokidi says the work he does is not to get awards or attention. “I do this work because I love being a part of the community, being immersed in the community, and doing the work with the community.”