Nina Mananu

I'm Nina Mananu, a Health Sciences student at Ithaca College, designing my own major in Health Data Analytics with a pre-Physician Assistant track, because I believe the future of healthcare lies at the intersection of data, compassion, and equity. As a Certified Nursing Assistant in the Telemetry Unit at Cayuga Medical Center, I witness the direct impact of health disparities on patients. In the Kari Bossard-Stoos Lab, I analyze antibiotic resistance data that reveals larger patterns of environmental and healthcare inequity. These experiences taught me that understanding health data is only half the battle, communicating it accessibly is what creates real change.

That's why my work extends beyond the hospital and lab. As Director of Community Outreach for Voices of Equity at Ithaca College, Physician Assistant Chair for IC Pre-Health Society, Vice President of the African Student Association, Senior Editor for HerCampus, and a volunteer with New York Cares, I've learned that representation matters. In healthcare leadership, in the media, and in who gets to tell their own story. Growing up in NYC, I saw how information gaps become barriers to care, and now every role I hold is part of dismantling those barriers. When I'm not working, writing, or leading, you'll find me cheering for Ithaca College, running, reading, crocheting, or chasing warm weather wherever I can find it.