Sonia-Frida Ndifon
Sonia-Frida Ndifon from Yaoundé, Cameroon, will graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering.
She has served as the vice president of the Minorities Association of Pre-Healthcare Students, a member of the DEI Committee for the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and a resident assistant for Bennett Tower.
Named a 2022 Mountaineer of Distinction in recognition of her academic achievements and campus involvement, she has also immersed herself in undergraduate research and rural medicine learning experiences.
Ndifon worked alongside faculty in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering as part of the Research Apprenticeship Program to study the visual memory differences between neurotypical individuals and individuals on the autism spectrum.
She also worked with faculty as a member of the Honors Excel Program to conduct research on osseointegration surgeries, a procedure that reduces skin irritation and pain by using a titanium rod to attach prosthetic limbs. Ndifon presented her research at the 2022 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
As a member of the Student National Medical Association, she conducted a literature review to compare black maternal mortality rates in the United States and Sub-Saharan African countries. She presented her findings at the 2023 Annual Medical Education Conference in Hartford, Connecticut.
A fellowship in the Pipeline Rural Education Program sparked her desire to pursue a career in rural medicine. As a two-time fellow, she worked with health care professionals to distribute hygiene kits in Preston County and had an opportunity to lend support to patients in recovery during a virtual program titled “Substance Use Disorders: Diagnosis, Connection to Care and Treatment in Rural Environments.”
She reported that spearheading a networking trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, while serving as the president of the African Student Association, as one of her most gratifying experiences at WVU. She invited alumni and members of the Black Student Union and National Society of Black Engineers to travel to Washington, D.C.
Ndifon will attend the WVU School of Medicine in the fall.