Black/African American, first generation in medicine, woman in medicine

Since I was a child, my family has always instilled in me a foundation of service to others, uplifting the community and opening opportunities to further both through education. My father modeled this through a career in the military, my mother through a career in early education and both through involving my sister and I in the numerous community service opportunities they were involved in. I was always a natural “helper” and grew to appreciate the option of medicine through my own experiences with my pediatricians growing up. As I got older and gained exposure to what medicine had to offer, I truly saw it as something that aligned with my natural skill sets and desires to live a life that had a positive impact on children. I initially was interested in general pediatrics, but once I found out about PM&R, the concept of functional goals and quality of life truly resonated with how I live my own. Naturally, once I realized there were pediatric rehabilitation specialists, it was a full circle moment, and I had no doubts this would be what I pursued wholeheartedly. Also, while not a driving factor initially, as I have gone through my journey, I have realized how important it is to have the representation in medicine and support to pursue a career in medicine that I did not always have readily accessible to me. That is largely what keeps me going.

A challenging moment for me was when I did not get into medical school my senior year of college. I had a plan, I had the grades, I had the activities, but I did not quite have the test scores, and it did not happen. Rather than just appreciating that my timeline did not align with God’s, for the first (of many) times I began to question if I was really “enough” to take on this task. That and the year that followed was also a pivotal moment because it showed me that this was truly my heart’s desire and allowed me develop a resolve I continue to tap in to. My detour landed me in an opportunity I would have otherwise never even known was available to me- a year of doing clinical research in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of the NIH and I matriculated to medical school the next year. As I have gone on through my journey and found myself questioning my purpose or wondering if I was on the right path, I have always come back to this as reminder that I don’t have to understand all of the details, but I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I am called to be doing, and my story is helping others even when it is still unfolding.

The history of African Americans and medicine is a sordid one, and while we are now more represented than years past, there is still quite a disparity. The combination of these two creates a multifaceted problem with equity and medical mistrust that no one person will solve. I, however, do believe that as underrepresented in medicine, I have the responsibility to not only represent to my peers and patients that we are proudly occupying these spaces, but also advocate for and drive the conversations and research behind addressing these issues. For me at this point in my career, that looks like holding national positions to engage with leaders within our field and pulling others up as I climb to do the same. Being a part of an organization like Representation in Rehab is an opportunity to do both.

I am currently completing my Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine fellowship and I plan to remain in academic medicine. I would like to be able to broaden the access and utilization of resources and support to children and families of children with disabilities to underrepresented populations.

A 1961 alumna from my medical school alma mater once told me “You don’t know you have done well until the people you have touched have done well.” That’s my ultimate goal.

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