Rachel Sumo Interview

Description

Rachel Sumo, MSN, AGNP-C, PMHNP-C

Rachel Sumo is a determined, self-motivated, compassionate, and influential health professional born and raised in Liberia, West Africa, and she migrated to the United States in 2001. Growing up in Liberia, a country with poor health infrastructure and limited physicians to serve the population, nurses provided most primary care services with limited resources while hoping for the best patient outcome. The strength, resiliency, and compassion these nurses demonstrated when faced with unimaginable circumstances, motivated her to become a nurse.
Early in her nursing career, she realized she wanted more autonomy in providing patient care and advancing her clinical practice skills. That desire led her to pursue her master’s degree as an Adult and Gerontology and Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) from St. Catherine University in 2017. She later recognized the disproportionate access to mental health services for patients with mental health challenges. Therefore, she earned her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) from Walden University in 2023 to provide both primary care and clinical mental health services for the patients she encounters. Rachel also desires to become a leader and an expert nurse practitioner; therefore, she will start her Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the summer of 2024.
Rachel has over twenty years of healthcare experience. In the last six years, she has worked as a nephrology nurse practitioner at Hennepin Healthcare, managing patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney diseases. In addition to her clinical work, Rachel also serves as a healthcare leader in her community. She is the president of the Liberian Advanced Practice Providers Network, which provides education and resources to minimize health disparities in our local communities and Liberia. This organization provides health education to diasporic Liberians and supports medical missions to West African countries. It has partnered with Stella Marie University in Liberia to create the first nurse practitioner program in Liberia to contribute to the poor health infrastructure in Liberia. As the president of this organization, Rachel is resilient and is currently lobbying to get this program approved by the summer of 2024 to begin classes.
Rachel has been married to her best friend, Harris Sumo, for over 17 years, and they are blessed with two children, Mikayla, 13, and Malachi, 10. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, serving in my local church, and volunteering in my community.

Participants

• Mary Lagaard
  
• Rachel Sumo
  
• St. Kate's StoryCorps Project II
  

Interview By

• St. Kate's StoryCorps Project II