Med MentoRx

In Episode 21, I chat with Dr. Rubayat Qadeer about his experience as a first-generation Bangladeshi-American, how he found his “why” as a Family Medicine Doc, and what it means to actively cultivate a more diverse, anti-racist physician workforce.

In Episode 20, I talk with Urologist and FPMRS expert Dr. Fenwa Milhouse about her upbringing as a Nigerian immigrant in the Midwest, the need for more women in surgery, and how she has been able to excel as one of the less than 1% of urologists that identify as Black women.

In Episode 19, I chat with Dr. Alyson Myers, Endocrinologist and Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Einstein-Montefiore Department of Internal Medicine. We discuss her path to endocrinology, what it means to be a Black women treating metabolic and endocrine disorders in marginalized communities, and the importance of paying it forward.

In Episode 18, I kick off the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month with a dope convo featuring Pediatric Hand Surgeon Dr. Michael Galvez. We discuss how an early exposure to health disparities shaped his desire to practice medicine, how he fell in love with hand surgery, and what it means to be part of a national movement to establish Oct. 1 as National Latino/a/e Physician Day.

We're backkkkkkkkkkk! To kick off Season 2, I chop it up with Neurosurgery Resident Dr. Aaron Hollis Palmer. We talk about how growing up in Akron, Ohio sparked his commitment to activism, the many obstacles he had to overcome on his road to becoming a neurosurgeon, and how he works to inspire the next generation of URM docs.

To wrap up Season 1, I sit down with several members of my Einstein SNMA E-Board. We reflect on our first year of Med School and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of our experiences as URM students. A very special thank you to everyone that volunteered time that could have been spent studying for finals: Jehron Pura-Bryant (President), Maryam Hashmi (Secretary), Betsiti Araya (Treasurer), Diana Dominguez-Garcia (Community Outreach Chair), and Stacey Franco (MAPS Liaison)

For Episode 15 I host my first inspiration to pursue medicine and my earliest mentor, FPR surgeon Dr. Cedric Olivera. We talk about how the right mentor changed his entire life, how he is able to impact his community as an OB/GYN subspecialist, and the hurdles he overcame along the way.

In Episode 14, I spend the second half of my convo with Dr. Z discussing colorectal cancer disparities among African Americans, what drew him to his subspecialty, and the critical role of mentorship in medicine.

In Episode 13, I chop it up with Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Zuri Murrell about growing up in the Golden State, how attending Morehouse College changed his life, and his journey to becoming one of the nation's leading colorectal surgeons.

In Episode 12, I chat with General Internist and Internal Medicine Residency Associate Director Dr. Shani Scott about the strong foundation her Howard education provided for the rest of her medical career, the unique challenges and rewards she experiences as a Black woman in medicine, and the necessity of incorporating anti-racism into medical education.

In Episode 11, I talk with Surgeon and Physician-Scientist Dr. Gezzer Ortega about working at the unique intersection of surgery and public health, how we can create a more diverse and equitable health system, and the crucial role mentorship plays in getting to “the next level.”

In Episode 10, I speak with Family Medicine Physician, media consultant, and fellow podcast host Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen about growing up in New York after immigrating from Jamaica, how her HBCU medical education prepared her to be a confident and competent physician, and how she finds balance between a demanding career and other aspects of her personal life.

In Episode 9, I talk with Critical Care Surgeon Dr. Vance Smith about how growing up in Bermuda shaped his early racial and cultural identities, how he became sure a career in medicine was for him, and his experience as one of a very small number of Black men in surgery.

In Episode 8, I chat with Family Med physician and Mentor Extraordinaire Dr. Juan Robles. We talk about his experience immigrating to the South Bronx from Honduras, how his identity and upbringing shaped his decision to go into Family Medicine, and why increasing physician diversity is vital to the health of underserved communities.

In Episode 7, I chat with Pediatric Anesthesiologist and entrepreneur Dr. Dominique Aimée Jean. We talk about her passion for the field, how her endeavors outside medicine feed her as a “whole person,” and how she has able to combine the two to positively impact the lives of children.

In Episode 6, I sit down with Dr. Pierre Johnson, aka The Fibroid Slayer, aka Doc 4 Da Streetz. We talk about some of the significant setbacks he's overcome throughout his medical journey, health disparities facing women of color, and why he remains committed to mentoring the next generation of underrepresented docs.

In Episode Five, I get a chance to talk with the Bronx's very own Dr. Jorge Aguilar. We talk about how growing up in the South Bronx shaped his desire to go into medicine, what it meant for him to be the first Bronx resident to be accepted to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's MD/PhD program, and how he found his passion and purpose within childhood psychiatry.

CONTENT WARNING: Gun violence, police brutality, mention of suicide | In Episode Four, I talk with Emergency Medicine Physician and community advocate Dr. Abdullah Pratt. In a very raw convo, we discuss how growing up in Chicago's South Side shaped the man and doctor he is today, how the history of our country formed the systems that produce the health disparities we see around us, and how we as physicians of color can work to address them.

In Episode 3, I interview Einstein's Associate Dean of Diversity Enhancement and practicing rheumatologist Dr. Irene Blanco. We get a chance to discuss her experiences as the only person of color in educational spaces, some of the challenges she faces being a Latina in medicine, and what drew her to the subspecialty of rheumatology (a field that treats predominantly women of color).

In Episode 2, I speak with cardiac anesthesiologist Dr. Max Madhere about being raised by Haitian immigrants, attending HBCUs for undergrad and med school, and some of the trials he overcame on the way to becoming a leading specialist in his field.

For the show's first physician interview, I spoke with thoracic surgeon Dr. Raja Flores. We discuss his upbringing as a low-income Latino, his journey to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and how he went on to become a trailblazer in the field of surgical oncology.

In the first ever Med MentoRx podcast episode, I introduce myself and my vision for the podcast through a conversation with special guest Chris Holiman (my undergrad advisor!). We talk about how the podcast came to be, the people that helped get it to this point, and why it's necessary to address the lack of diversity in the US physician workforce.