Sydney Aquilina

Sydney Aquilina is a second-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and a tribal member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. She is also a member of Alpha Pi Omega, the first and largest Native American Greek letter organization. She graduated with distinction from Duke University in 2021, where she earned her BA in Philosophy with a minor in chemistry and a global health thesis on Adverse childhood experiences and adult diet quality. From there she obtained an MS in Biomedical Sciences from the Duke University School of Medicine, and spent a year working as an EMT.

At Yale School of Medicine, she has resurrected the Indigenous Medical student group and advocated for greater attention to Indigenous matters in medical education. She has also continued conducting research on Adverse Childhood Experiences in hopes of informing interventions to help uplift Native communities out of historical and generational trauma. Outside of medical school, Sydney has been working on securing a land recognition landmark in Leesburg, VA, and received a proclamation last November from the mayor and town council in recognition of her efforts and the land’s original inhabitants.

While she is undecided on a specialty, she is committed to serving Native communities directly upon her completion of residency. In doing so, she aspires to improve Native healthcare and address barriers to care in tribal communities using culturally integrated and trauma-informed pedagogy.