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Alumni open new clinic in northeast Columbus BY JOE ASHLEY
People in a large, diverse community in northeast Columbus have a new option for healthcare, thanks to three recent nurse practitioner graduates of the College of Nursing. Gilead Primary Care North opened in January in a former doctor’s office at 5770 Karl Road. The clinic is operated and staffed by Merit Rutland (’17 MS), AGPCNP-BC, Kawsu Conteh (’11, ’17 MS), AGPCNPBC, and Chiamaka Kalu (’15 MS), FNP-BC. Mark White, MD, assists them as medical director and collaborating physician. Rutland was the driving force behind establishment of the clinic. After a career as a medical transcriptionist, she earned a BS in biology in 2011 at Ohio State, then entered the College of Nursing in 2012 with a desire to focus on women’s health. Rutland later transferred to a specialty in adult/geriatric care. A talk on her first day of class by the college’s new dean, Bern Melnyk,
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convinced her she was on the right path. “Her vision is the vision I have of healthcare,” said Rutland. “I knew I wanted to treat the whole person.” Rutland stayed in touch with classmate Kalu and later met Conteh, who was also specializing in adult care. All three shared an ambition to someday have a clinic of their own. For Conteh, it was an ambition that began when he was growing up in Africa. A native of Gambia, he came to the United States in 1999 and settled in Columbus. “My lifelong dream was to return to Africa and open a clinic where I could give back to the community I came from,” Conteh said. He hasn’t abandoned that dream and believes his experience with Gilead Primary Care North may help him to eventually fulfill his hope. In the meantime, he is committed to serving the patients of the new Columbus clinic. “I think I can make a difference here,” he said.