Mohamed grew up in rural Sierra Leone and earned money to complete his high school education by selling candy, roast meat and kerosene by the side of the road. Eventually he became one of the first students to graduate from Sierra Leone’s new national medical school, and upon graduation was offered well-paying jobs with international organizations like WHO and UNICEF. Mohamed declined these opportunities, instead moving to an even more remote part of Sierra Leone to start an organization called the Wellbody Alliance designed to bring high quality medical care to civilian amputee victims of the civil war. The organization grew to become a general healthcare provider for the district, offering community healthcare programs for HIV, TB, maternal and child health. When Ebola struck Sierra Leone, Mohamed built a partnership between Wellbody and Partners in Health to deliver Ebola care. The partnership is now looking at ways to strengthen Sierra Leone’s basic healthcare system. “Over the last four years, it has been an honor to work with Dr. Barrie. He is a skilled clinician, researcher, and advocate, who understands the critical need for strong health systems to achieve health equity,” Dr. Paul Farmer, Mohamed’s nominator, said.
