Photo: Hallie Leo
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Mirekuaa Lartey, RN, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student in the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School, is an active volunteer in her Ghanaian community who manages her own fashion line of African-inspired scrubs.
“In Ghana, once you're born, you don't only belong to your parents but to the entire community. When I came to Worcester and noticed the vibrant Ghanaian and African population here, it inspired me,” said Mirekuaa, a medical-surgical nurse at UMass Memorial Medical Center, who launched her business, Heritage Scrubs, in 2023. “As a nurse, I’ve always wanted to stand out and provide culturally relevant patient care. I wondered how to leave a mark on patients’ hearts and got my scrubs custom made with African print designs. I wore them to work and everyone complimented me, so I started making them in large quantities.”
Mirekuaa has been running free health education and screenings through churches and communities in Worcester and Ghana since 2018. For her scholarly project, she hopes to explore isolation within the elderly African community or research hypertension in Worcester’s African community.
“Most of the African patients we admit have a diagnosis of high blood pressure or diabetes, which sparked me to run health screenings and health education on these topics,” said Mirekuaa, one of four students to organize the first Ghanaian Community of Worcester Health Fair, hosted by the Nea Onnim Collaborative and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing in June.
Raised in Mataheko and Dansoman-Accra, Ghana, Mirekuaa immigrated to Worcester in 2012, worked as a phlebotomist, married a medical lab scientist and became a parent before pursuing nursing. She became a licensed practical nurse (LPN) through Bay Path Practical Nursing Academy and worked in a nursing home while juggling the accelerated LPN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Bridge Program at Fitchburg State University. There, she met Akwasi Duah, RN, PhD’17, now assistant professor of nursing and the director of UMass Chan’s Graduate Entry Pathway program, who inspired her to enroll in the BSN to DNP program at UMass Chan.
“I love the culture of diversity, the environment and there's so much inclusiveness here,” said Mirekuaa, a DNP student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track. “I'm meeting classmates from Jamaica, Nigeria Uganda, Nepal and all over the United States, and they bring a lot to the table. I love the fact that our school provides us with clinical preceptors and exposes me to many learning experiences.”
Photo: Hallie Leo
Outside of the classroom, Mirekuaa loves exploring nature by teaching her four children how to swim, ride bikes and garden. She enjoys mentoring nursing students, new nurses and encouraging young adults to pursue nursing if they have the passion to do so.
The Student Spotlight series features UMass Chan Medical School students the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and T.H. Chan School of Medicine. For more information about UMass Chan Medical School and how to apply, visit the Prospective Students page.
