Introducing Katherine Tufuoh….

Can you give us a brief synopsis of your career history?
After returning to Ghana from the then Soviet Union, where I studied medicine, I worked at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for almost six years, three of which were at the National Cardio Thoracic Center, before leaving for the U.S. I studied for a master’s in public health here in the U.S. and currently work for the State of California’s Department of Public Health on injury surveillance and prevention where my main focus is on the severity of traumatic injuries and their medical outcomes.

You spent some time in Russia during your tertiary education. How was the experience and were there any difficulties in learning the language and adapting to the culture?
Yes, I lived in Russia for eight years, the first year was for learning the language and medical terminology in Russian, six years in medical school itself and then I did an internship for a year. The experience was indeed something else! Now, where do I start? It was indeed different, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. I think it made me a better person being exposed to so many different cultures and learning to live and interact with different people.

My university had students from as many as one hundred and eight different countries at the time so you can imagine how that impacted my life! I met people from so many different countries, learnt a lot about their different cultures, and tried all kinds of cuisines and also learned bits and pieces of so many different languages.

The Russian language came naturally to me and I didn’t have much difficulty learning it and still speak Russian up to this day. I went the extra mile and got myself a translator’s diploma and a teacher’s certificate in Russian. I still keep in touch with my Russian roommate and have a few Russian friends out here. I believe in fully immersing one’s self in the culture of the people where you live. I had roommates from Russia and the Ukraine among others and classmates from some of the other Soviet Union Republics and learned their different ways and learned to love their different palettes. There were some dishes I kept far away from, especially the raw stuff, but all in all, it was an awesome experience!

You kindly hosted the first official Social get together for a fledgling GC at your residence in Nov 1996. After twenty-three years, would you say GC has achieved its original aim?
Wow! It feels just like yesterday! Twenty-three years already! Our aim was to keep in touch and support each other as best as we could. And yes, I think we have actually exceeded our original aim, especially through the help of WhatsApp. Look how successful the 2015 GC reunion was?

We built on that by having mini reunions here in the U.S. Barbara Mensah, Smart (Clarence Sarkodee-Adoo) and Kwame Agyare hosted us in Arizona three years ago, Angie Owusu hosted us in Florida earlier on this year and we plan our next stop to be in good old California and I am really looking forward to that.

Is there anything else you’ll like GC to accomplish over the next five years?
Most of you know that I lost my brother almost twenty-one years ago. He was only thirty-nin years old – I think life is too short and we mustn’t waste time hoping for things to change tomorrow – tomorrow never comes. I think we should live each day as if it were our last, be more tolerant of each other, keep the conversation going and have fun with ourselves. I tell you when we met for our reunions in Arizona and Florida, it was like we were kids all over again – the teasing and laughter was unbelievable, reminiscing the good, the bad and the not so good.

We are one big family and it will be great to deepen our friendship, visit each other as often as we can and keep having reunions whenever we can. Believe it or not! Sixty is on the horizon, then seventy – I didn’t think we’d get here so soon, we were kids just the other day! I hope to be able to make the twenty-three hour journey to Ghana for our reunion next year, I am really looking forward to it.

 Are you involved in any charitable/mentoring activities?
Yes, I am, I believe in giving back to society because one cannot do it all alone, we are all helped along the way and one must give back too. I have been a member of Toastmasters International for the past twelve years and I mentor new members in my club on the art of public speaking, speaking off the cuff and giving speeches without the use of notes. As part of this mentoring program, I frequently evaluate speeches and give members feedback to help them improve their speaking skills and art of giving speeches and accepting critique positively.

You’ve lived in the U.S. for the past twenty years, what would you say is your favourite city over there and why?
Yes, I have, and it’s been almost twenty-one years now! By far, I love the islands of Hawaii and the city of Honolulu’s Waikiki beach in particular. Why? Because it reminds me of Ghana – the weather, fruits, vegetables, etc. and the atmosphere out there on a whole.

Outside of work, what do you do for relaxation?
Relaxation, that’s relative, but I still love to watch movies, travel when I can and keep up with news on the waves of WhatsApp on the good old GC platforms. I also love hanging out with my boys (my two sons and the hubby), especially over the weekends, and catching up with all their escapades.

Finally, Mr. Papin had a big influence on most of your GC colleagues during their time in Motown. How did it feel meeting him recently?
Mr. Papin, Mr. Papin! He really did have a big influence on me even though I remember giving him such a hard time during class. What a pleasure it was for me to talk to him a couple of times on the phone after so many years and meet him in person for lunch with Angie Sagoe and Kwame Agyare. I reminded him of the lessons he taught us on simultaneous linear equations and he laughed so heartily. We even talked about the rumour that went around back in the day that he worked for the CIA. He said he remembered that too and just played along with that notion.

Katherine Tufuoh
1C, 2B, 3D, 4S2, 5S2
Kingsley House