I am a cisgender, Black, gay man.

I grew up in a working-class family in Kansas City. In my early life, my parents instilled an early understanding of the importance of hard work and education. They ensured that I focused on academic success and remained career-focused as a path to a meaningful life and financial security. My early academic successes in life and biological sciences narrowed my field of focus and as I continued through the education I became interested in choosing a career where my knowledge and skills would provide a meaningful impact on individuals’ lives. As such, I sought out opportunities to shadow and gain experience with physicians within my community and reflected back on the experiences that I had with healthcare and could not only imagine myself in such a position but found myself excited for the opportunities and such experiences. In my medical training, I fell in love with many aspects of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; that there was a focus on the entire person (holistic approach to care), that the was an emphasis on teamwork, and a focus on function to maximize the impact on an individual’s life.

There are innumerable constant and recurring challenges that can occur throughout medical training. In part, this is part of the nature of high achieving, impactful and high knowledge/education fields. For me, a recurring challenge is the feeling of “imposter syndrome” – the feeling of paranoia that I was a fraud who didn’t deserve to be where I was, or didn’t deserve my successes, and could be found out or called out at any moment. This voice in the back of my head has been present throughout most of, if not all of, my life, education, and early career. The severity and impact waxes and wanes over time. Some of this can be traced back to the systemic nature of racism that is ingrained and indoctrinated in me by society and media’s portrayal of black men in the US, and the lack of representation or misrepresentation in these various avenues whether that be, news reporting, historical depictions, education textbooks, media, and entertainment. Moreover, the lack of representation in higher education by professors of color in STEM fields left me isolated and wanting. The otherness only gets exaggerated in medical school and into residency where it combined with fear and anxiety to keep up with a group of peers that are all achievers such that I couldn’t help but compare myself to them, only to exacerbate my own insecurities and uncertainty.

An essential part of advancing equity is being present – representing an underrepresented identity and holding space within a community. In doing so you shine a light on the possible and create new opportunities for what is possible. In my career, I have chosen to remain in academic medicine to continue to develop a pipeline for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. To provide mentorship and assistance in navigating the challenges that come along the way during the pursuit of a career in healthcare. That is why I am excited to offer my support to Representation in Rehabilitation because it understands that representation in medicine matters and shines a light on the need for a focus on diversity and inclusion in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

My aspiration within the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation focuses on first providing the best medical care that I can for children with disabilities that I care for. I have chosen a career in academic medicine because I have a passion for the educational environment and the development of new learners, and being able to impact their education, and provide experience with the field of PM&R.

Twitter - @TaronDavisMD