Over the course of medical school, I developed a fascination for public health and finding new ways to optimize care delivery to patients. This eventually resulted in me deciding to take a gap year between my third and fourth year to complete a Masters…
On June 12, 2016, during LGBTQ+ pride month, a gunman opened fire inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, an LGBTQ+ venue, killing 49 and wounding 53 others. Four years later, on June 12, 2020, the LGBTQ+ community mourned the deaths of Dominique “Rem’mie” F…
Before I walked hospital hallways as a medical student, I walked high school hallways as a science teacher in Houston’s 5th Ward. Each year, the most difficult time for me was graduation. The pride of watching my students, most African American, achie…
Last year Harris poll did a survey asking children ages 8 to 12 years in the U.S., the U.K., and China what they wanted to be when they grew up. In the U.S., “Vlogger” and “YouTube star” ranked number 1 (29%). Other choices were teacher (26%), professi…
Until recently, I didn’t really understand the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement. I was one of those people who felt, “of course black lives matter, all lives matter.” I mean, that’s exactly why I became a doctor in the first place. To …
Over the last few days, physicians and nurses across the country have taken a knee, galvanized by the recent death of George Floyd, as well as the disproportionate effect of the coronavirus pandemic on African-American families. The White Coats for Bla…
The nature of the virus has not changed. Large gatherings of people increase the risk of transmission of a deadly COVID-19 virus that could kill me, my loved ones, and my community. I have emphasized this for the past few months to my patients and scol…
“You have to work twice as hard to get half as far.” As a black woman, this sentiment has haunted me for my entire life. Minority individuals are consistently forced to go above and beyond to prove themselves, regardless of the setting. Unfortunately, …
The tenets of managing an ICU are relatively simple: Air goes in and out, blood goes round and round. There’s this moment in the delivery room where everyone holds their breath. In that silence, we expect a tiny gasp or maybe a big cry. “Why isn’t he c…
My mother has a tattoo. Really. She does. There is a small blue crucifix on the inner aspect of her right wrist. Let me pause here to point out a few things. First of all, my mother is not a “tattoo” person. Secondly, the inner aspect of th…
