Ghanaian dentist dies in NY

Ghanaian Community in New York is in a state of shock after the sudden death of Barbara B Andoh, DDS, MPH. Barbara Boamah Andoh 34, was an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine,. She died on May 23, 2006, at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, NY. The cause of her death was complications from Lupus.

Barbara was born in Accra, Ghana, on September 6, 1971. Following the completion of her Primary Education at Forces Primary School in 1983, she attended Holy Child Secondary School in Cape Coast, Ghana from 1983 to 1990, where she studied Science.

Barbara attended Barnard College in Manhattan, NY, from 1992 to 1996, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She enrolled in the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in the fall of 1996 and graduated in June 2001. She completed her residency in Pediatric Dentistry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in June 2003.

During her residency, Barbara not only worked part-time as a Pediatric Dentist at the Open Door Family Medical Group in Ossining, NY, but she also earned her Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management in May 2003 from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. After completing her residency program, Barbara took a full time appointment both as an Assistant Professor and as an Assistant Attending, in the Pediatric Division at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Barbara also received a Minority Supplement Award to conduct a quality of life research survey among adults living in Central Harlem. As a research fellow on the project, which was called “Symptom Interpretation and Oral Health among Harlem Adults”, Barbara was involved in both the recruitment and interviewing efforts, and in December 2004, she presented the preliminary data of this research at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) annual meeting in Philadelphia.

In September 2005, Barbara was also selected by the New York State Academic Dental Centers to be a fellow in their Minority Dental Faculty Development Program. As a part of this program, Barbara was pursuing a doctorate in Health Education at the Teachers College in Columbia University, where she planned to concentrate in Policy Design.

Barbara was diagnosed with systemic lupus in 2003. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, including internal organs. It is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system loses its ability to differentiate between foreign objects in the body versus the body’s own cells and organs. More information on Lupus can be found on the Lupus Foundation of America website at www.lupus.org.

Barbara was a member of the American Public Health Association, New York County Dental Society, American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Dental Education Association. She also volunteered each year at the Greater New York Dental meeting.

Barbara is survived by her parents, Elizabeth (Naa) and Kwaku Andoh; son, Stephen; sisters, Carol, Regina and Shirley; brother, Nana Yaw, two nieces and three nephews.

She will be missed dearly by her loved ones. Damirifa Due !! Damirifa Due!!