If there is any question about why Gbambele Kone wants to be a doctor, look no further than his legs.
Growing up, the Bronx native suffered from painful hip and back problems from his uneven, bowed legs that made it hard for him to walk. Then he had a handful of surgeries between eighth and 10th grade, and all that changed. By his senior year in high school Kone was not just walking pain-free — he was running.
Now 21, Kone never forgot the impact his doctor had on his life and became committed to helping others through the practice of medicine.
"I was really blessed by that experience," he said. "I was always thankful to my doctor and my orthopedic surgeon, so I think that was a huge impetus for me entering the field."
A graduate of Cornell University, Kone is now on his way in his medical training as a first-year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College, making him one of 17 students in the Class of 2017 who's a double red.
For Kone, a first-generation American and son of immigrants from the Republic of Benin and Cote D'Ivoire in West Africa, his passion for medicine came as much from his personal experience as a patient as it did from the pages of mystery novels.
As a child, Kone was intrigued by mysteries — from Nate the Great and Cam Jansen to the Encyclopedia Brown series — and dreamed of working as a detective and opening his own agency. An avid reader, Kone was more interested in keeping his nose in his books than he was in playing outside — much to his mother's chagrin. As he got older, though, he began delving not into the mysteries of crime, but of science.
"There's a personal thrill in solving mysteries, but the primary reason why I was interested in becoming a detective was being able to help people," Kone said. "Medicine is a confluence of these two passions."
After attending public school in New York City, Kone transferred in seventh grade to the private Horace Mann School in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The move was made possible by Prep for Prep, an organization that places promising students of color in the city's best prep schools and offers support and opportunities to ensure their academic success.
"Everyone always asks me, 'What was it like going to Horace Mann,' since they've heard things about the school," he said. "And it was incredible. I know I was given a unique opportunity and I doubt I would be at Weill Cornell if it wasn't for that."
Thankful for the educational opportunities he had, Kone was compelled to give back. During his sophomore year at Cornell, Kone became a tutor for the national college-readiness program Advancement Via Individual Determination. Embedded in a 10th grade class at Ithaca High School, Kone tutored students in science and math, following them until their graduation.
"I gained some great relationships with the students and it was amazing to see them grow over those three years," he said. "It gave me an appreciation for my teachers and has actually inspired me to teach at some point."
As a native New Yorker, Kone knew he wanted to return home for his medical studies. He was already acquainted with the Upper East Side research corridor having spent two summers while he was a college student at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He learned basic laboratory skills in his first summer and in the next year studied the cell metabolism of acute mild leukemia. Between that and being a Cornellian, Kone had his heart set on Weill Cornell.
"I came here for my interview — it was my first — and I was really nervous," he said. "And then I got here and everyone was really nice. I got really comfortable. And that's not always the case when you go somewhere."
He got his first eye-opening clinical experience even before starting medical school. This past summer he went back to Benin to visit family, and spent two weeks working in a local clinic during the height of the malaria season. With few diagnostic tools available in the clinic, the doctors there had to take an in-depth history and ask the right questions.
He left Africa with the same commitment he's had his whole life:
"I'd love to go back and give back," he said.
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