At the forefront of advancing public health and education, Frank Barnes III, MPH, CHES, embodies the essence of resilience and dedication. A public health practitioner and Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®️), Barnes has cultivated a profound professional trajectory, beginning as a graduate research associate and rising to program manager at the Public Health Sciences Institute at Morehouse College, where he facilitates the John R. Lewis Scholars Imhotep Project, a program that has transformed the landscape of public health internships. A proud Morehouse School of Medicine graduate with a master’s in public health and a bachelor’s in health sciences from Stony Brook University, Barnes hails from Montclair, NJ. Notably, he has navigated his career with hearing loss, using a cochlear implant, a testament to his perseverance and commitment to making a difference. In this insightful conversation with Health IQ, Barnes shares his inspiring journey, the importance of representation in health care, and his vision for the future of public health.
Munson Steed: Why is it important for us to take up space in the health care industry and in providing care for our community?
Frank Barnes III: I’m proud to share that my parents are optometrists and Black eye doctors who have a private practice together in Montclair, NJ. In [the surrounding area] and the South End business community, which predominantly consists of Black businesses, they were accompanied by their peers, many of whom were also Black professionals, particularly in the health care space. Regarding my own hearing loss, there were members of their friend circle and professional circle who shared access and the capacity to provide support… Being able to be a recipient of a cochlear implant was tremendous due to their swiftness and understanding of care… In terms of the health of the community and seeing ourselves in that space and representation, that was what I grew up in..
MS: What do you hope your program recruits go on to do after graduation?
FB: The goal is to train and educate students through various levels of enrichment, engagement, and exposure. We determine how much they’ve been introduced to public health sciences, whether they come from a non-public health major, are in the middle of biology, or have declared a public health minor. We also cater to those pursuing medical careers who understand the interprofessional experience of public health training.
We provide exceptional placements and a rigorous curriculum, partly funded by a grant from the CDC. Being based in Atlanta, we are close to federal agencies, universities, institutions, community organizations, and nonprofits, all of which are avenues for students’ summer internships. However, our engagement with students extends beyond the summer. We actively participate in their recruitment and outreach, visiting campuses like Xavier University of Louisiana and Prairie View A&M in Texas. Our program benefits not only Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta University students, but also other HBCUs.
Our process is robust and has a lot of history. The program, previously known as Project Imhotep, has been refreshed and rebranded as the John R. Lewis Scholars Imhotep Project in honor of Civil Rights icon and health equity champion John R. Lewis. This program, in collaboration with the CDC and health equity champions, focuses on advancing health equity. The longevity and impact of the program are phenomenal, with many scholars becoming mentors and instructors.
Being in my position allows me to use the training I gained to help other students shoot for the stars and earn their place through merit and rigor.
MS: If you were giving a commencement speech at Xavier, what would be the two to three challenges you would make for them to serve the community and make a difference?
FB: The first challenge is to know yourself. While it is necessary to adapt and to assume certain roles, both in our personality and our demeanor, and how we take action, it is critical to your long-term happiness and the truthfulness to the work you do and the impact you want to make by prioritizing [yourself]. It’s not selfish but useful to prioritize where you blossom…
The second challenge is to not resist change. As I mentioned, I was pursuing a clinical medical route and going through the practitioner path to now becoming a public health professional. It was unnerving at times, but thankfully, I was never under the pressure of needing to conform or assume a certain life path based on how I was raised, who I was raised by, or just those assumptions of what I should be doing. As I went through the MPH program at Morehouse School of Medicine, there was a required and encouraged interprofessional learning experience. MD students, PA students, biomedical science students, and MPA students all had to work together in scenarios, understanding the strengths and areas of improvement… That showed how many of those peers went on to combine public health with medicine, or medicine and biomedical science with public health. Sometimes, it changes through your internships, through your fellowships, and that makes you better, stronger, and wiser. Being able to say it is alright to add to your path or to take a different path, you would be really surprised what you find in yourself on that journey.
The third challenge, and this one is heartfelt, is that your differences are your superpowers. I’m really grateful [for] the Hearing Loss Association of America and the New Jersey State Association. Serving on that board when I was younger gave me…much more experience than people around me. They saw me as someone with great potential. They also knew that not only was I young and Black, but having hearing loss can also lead to things like social isolation, listening fatigue, and challenges with entering a room, always being mindful of body language…like “How am I in this room versus another room?” because a lot of things are very audio-normative. What I say about differences is that they led me to be more unique but not by myself because you get to know others, learn who they are, and what they come with, and it brings a smile to everyone… We don’t always see people’s differences. For years, I always felt self-conscious that they could see my hearing aid, and half the time, no one notices… We live in a modern society where it’s more common to embrace one another for those differences. My difference is a superpower for me because I had the utility of novel health technology solutions. I give a shout-out to InnoCaption and Advanced Bionics–with Advanced Bionics being the manufacturer and provider of the implant–and working through their network audiologists and speech-language pathologists, and their amazing customer care team. InnoCaption provided live meeting transcriptions and the ability to have phone conversations. That technology also spun off into services and resources that you do not always need to have the disability to benefit from in your own abilities. It’s like being in a wheelchair and having the dip in the sidewalk, but it also helps pedestrians not always have to step off the curb. Being able to lean into your power can really make a change in a classroom or a work setting by speaking up on what you need in terms of accommodations and accessibility. It really benefits everybody, even when they don’t think it applies to them.
MS: In 20 years, what impact do you hope to have made through your work?
FB: In 20 years, I’ll be checking to see [which students] ended up where [and] who they took under their wing. Mentorship is one of the biggest in terms of social currency and representation…
The students who came through the graduate training [and] those in the undergraduate programs will emerge as those who have made radical transformations. For me to be in that mix, pursuing my own impact dreams and providing resources to make someone else’s journey easier, is what the program does and what I enjoy doing. Seeing how people blossom, knowing they are closer to the dreams they wish to actualize, is fulfilling.
