Behind the M.D.

Have you ever spoken to someone and felt like you had been friends forever? That was my feeling when I initially met Dr. Ola Alabi at the wedding of a mutual friend. We discussed our transition to the US and our approach to medical school applications and finances (which 100% affects the decision to pursue medical education). We also discuss our experience with racism as trainees by highlighting an experience shared by Dr. Robert Ray. https://rrayjr.blog/2023/06/15/racism-in-medical-education-an-unfortunate-ending-to-my-time-at-lehigh-valley-health-network/

I had the honor of chatting with Dr. Kimberly Okafor, a Medicine-Pediatrics Infectious Disease Fellow also at Vanderbilt. We discuss our 1st year of fellowship (the positives and not so positives)

Hello Everyone! We have been gone for a while! This is primarily because we all took on new roles after graduating from residency. Adesola is now a Gastroenterology fellow and has been adjusting to that. Katrina and Shobana are both attendings in New Orleans and New York City, respectively. In this episode, we have a wonderful guest, Dr. Janice Clarke, a primary care physician in Georgia. We address her transition from residency to her role caring for patients as the supervisor, without supervision, which i still think is scary and amazing! Here are some of our show notes: “Career transitions in medicine are often challenging and may provoke anxiety” - Jefferey Shen in AHA. "2018 AAMC data shows that 53% of the African American Physician population is female. To be honest, that data also shows that 5% of doctors that year, roughly 45, 534, identify as black. In comparison, there were 516,304 white physicians that year" "As of 2019-2020, Georgia has a population of 10,830,008 with a total of 24,914 active physicians (9.3% are 35 years and under, 11.5% identify as black, 36% are women). Population wise: 5.48M white residents, 3.28 M black and 524k Hispanic residents"

Residency is over! On this episode of the podcast, I sit with my Internal Medicine Program Director, Dr. John McPherson to discuss my progress over the past 3 years.  In all honesty, with fellowship starting in a few days, it might take a while to release new podcast episodes. But, as soon as I am well adjusted and able to, episodes will be released! 

How can we be effective allies? Listen as Dr. Ramasamy (Shobana) and I discuss our unique and shared experiences of "Silence" in the workplace. Our Resources: Allyship definition: https://theantioppressionnetwork.com/allyship/ UCSF study:https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2021/11001/No_One_Size_Fits_All__A_Qualitative_Study_of.15.aspx?casa_token=h_KxuF5B5VkAAAAA:jh7duIu72mfM08ZdUCocg0r7Q9hNr5K9sxYo6NrMmjEl_wC2-omDbl-UbGT1ghzaOWSxxvMpNBJAZD9cq6bJfpY Aboriginal Activist Quote:https://lillanetwork.wordpress.com/about/ Definitions of microaggressions: https://library.cod.edu/antiracism/microaggressions#:~:text=Microaggressions%20take%20three%20forms%3A%20microassaults,and%20the%20use%20of%20epithets) Be a Better Ally: https://hbr.org/2020/11/be-a-better-ally

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! On this episode of Behind The MD, we discuss with 2 amazing women in the field of Ophthalmology: Dr. Fasika Woreta - Director - Ophthalmology Residency Program and Dr. Anu (Eniola) Sopeyin about their journey to the field of Ophthalmology. References: 1. Current and Future Status of Diversity in Ophthalmologist Workforce: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2532380 2. Improving Racial Diversity in the Ophthalmology Workforce: A Call to Action for Leaders in Ophthalmology: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7578664/ 3. Diversity in Ophthalmology and Beyond: https://millennialeye.com/articles/mar-apr-21/diversity-in-ophthalmology-and-beyond/ DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-hosts. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice.

Following a 2 week Health Equity Elective, I chose to go back to my Story Slam roots.  Here are the articles I referenced:  https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2025396 https://tcf.org/content/report/racism-inequality-health-care-african-americans/?agreed=1 DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-hosts. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice.

This season on Behind The M.D., we want to elevate the voices of trailblazers in the Black physician community. We will be doing this in a series we call "Highlighting Excellence". Our inaugural voice in this series is Dr. Naudia Jonassaint, a transplant Hepatologist at The University of Pittsburgh. DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-hosts. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice.

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to check in with you all before our new season. Cannot wait to share our content with you! Adesola

Maya Angelou once said, "In diversity, there is beauty and there is strength". Listen as my friends, Dr. Trevor Stevens, Dr. Katrina White and I talk about why it is so important to have a diverse friend group. DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-hosts. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice.

Though we hold the same degree, Ben (Dr. Palmer), and I understand that we can be and often are viewed and treated differently in the workplace. Listen as we discuss these experiences! 

According to the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), "Black men make up less than 3% of physicians". These are profound numbers! Listen to Dr. Lee Richardson and I talk about what it means to be a Black man in Medicine and our hopes for the future!  DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-host. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice.

In medicine, June/July is the hallmark of new beginnings - new interns, residents, fellows, attendings etc. I think it's very important that we address something that affects most of us, IMPOSTER SYNDROME. Listen to Saumya (Dr. Maru) and I chat about imposter syndrome and how it has manifested at different stages of our training

Black women make up 2% of the physician population in the US. Listen to Dr. Katrina Ebony White and I talk about life as part of that 2%!!!  Disclaimer  The views shared in this episode are 100% mine and that of my co-host. They do not represent the views of my employer. Our comments should not be used for medical advice. 

Ayoda (Dr. Werede) and I will be talking about why we chose to pursue careers in medicine.  Guest: Ayoda Werede, MD  Editor: Shobana Ramasamy, MD PR: Saumya Maru, MD, PhD Graphics: Aniekan Etuk  Music: Keep calm and Podcast