Congratulations to Derrick! Premed of the Week!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Derrick Lane II and throughout my life, I would describe it as complexed with many blessed experiences. I grew up majority of my life in the inner-city of Memphis, Tennessee, where crime and poverty is high. I tried my best to avoid the violence by focusing academically, playing sports, listening to my parents, and having a strong faith in my heavenly father at an early age. With this mindset, I was able to matriculate to college with earning an academic and baseball scholarship to LeMoyne-Owen College majoring in Chemistry, where I received accolades as a student-athlete. However, after my freshman year, I transferred to Mississippi Valley State University and majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry as a student-athlete. I recently graduated magna cum laude and will attend graduate school before medical school. Ultimately, I believe that I have exemplified the time management skills which allowed me to successfully balance my coursework and athletic obligations.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you?
My favorite teacher in school has also become one of my prominent mentors. Dr. Mark Dugo has primarily guided me and became a significant asset for my success throughout my matriculation in college. More specifically, he has encouraged and advised me with research on the epidemiological analysis of prostate cancer from a national and state perspective. This research has further influenced my decision to pursue medicine as well. I was able to present my work at conferences throughout the state of Mississippi promoting cancer prevention and awareness. Mississippi is prevalent in the health disparities of cancer, especially in the Mississippi Delta region where my university is located. In retrospect, Dr. Dugo has been and will continue to be a blessing in my life.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why?
My interest to become a doctor initiated early in life. My parents implemented the foundation by exposing me to books on prominent African American physicians such as Dr. Charles Drew, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Sampson Davis, Dr. George Jenkins, and Dr. Rameck Hunt. Therefore, I knew I had to continue working diligently through my studies and take initiative to do research on becoming a physician. In addition, there were many instances in my life that sparked my interest in medicine, but two examples are the death of my grandfather from diabetes and assisting my father with his chronic cases of gout. However, one experience gave me the ultimate push in wanting to become a physician. I decided on my own to take a tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital after reading about the annual St. Jude’s Marathon raising $10 million for pediatric oncology in the local newspaper. As I toured the hospital, I instantly gravitated to the state of the art research environment and visualized myself having the daily passion to save lives. Seeing kids not having the same opportunity to enjoy life like mine due to cancer, broke my heart and changed my outlook on life. After this experience, I knew that I wanted to sincerely continue to strive to help others and ultimately make a difference through saving lives one day as a physician. Therefore, I believe with my passion, dedication, and perseverance, I can accomplish my goal of becoming a physician.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in?
All areas of medicine intrigue me; however, due to my experiences, the main fields of medicine that I am interested is oncology and orthopedic surgery specializing in sports medicine. Oncology derives from my current research experience on the racial disparities of prostate cancer, and my experience at the St. Jude Research Hospital talking to children suffering from different cancers in general. Therefore, the importance of cancer prevention and awareness through educational interventions is imperative. Orthopedic surgery fascinates me due to my involvement playing sports throughout my life. Experiencing teammates suffering from severe sport injuries such as a torn ACL or a clavicle fracture further influenced my curiosity in this field of medicine as well.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey?
The most captivating experience for me is the clinical shadowing and the in-depth MCAT preparatory that I can obtain while at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. The benefit of taking advantage of opportunities to get into medical school is always a blessing, which only drives me closer to achieving my goal of ultimately becoming a physician.

6. What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is “The Pact” which also inspired me to become a physician due to some of the similar circumstances. This autobiographical book was about three young men overcoming obstacles while growing up in the inner city of Newark, New Jersey. They eventually became doctors from creating a bond matriculating through high school, college, and medical school. The overall perspective of this book has encouraged me primarily to trust the process and persevere despite the many obstacles I may face through my premedical and medical journey.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know.
One thing interesting about me is that I am a 3rd generation college student. Even though I grew up in the inner-city, my parents were educators and provided guidance for me. They instilled the positive values and morals that I continue to live by today, which implements a perspective of humility of never forgetting where I come from.

8. If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you want to do?
My aspirations included being a medical doctor and a professional baseball player. Obviously, one aspiration did not turn out the way that I portrayed it to be; however, due to my reasoning that I sincerely believe that being a physician is destined for me, I would never say that can’t achieve anything. My passion has always been to make a difference and strive to help others through emphasizing productive matters. Therefore, I would enhance my abilities to become a motivational speaker/author while also being a doctor.

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it?
My biggest obstacle as a premed has been overlooked by many people throughout my matriculation in college. Being a student-athlete was not an easy process for me under any circumstances due to the constant traveling, early morning workouts, study hall hours, practices, and games. In perspective, I overcame my obstacle by ultimately understanding my purpose through perseverance, diligent time management, and sacrifice to become a successful student first. There were many instances where I wanted to just enjoy the leisure of college life as a regular student; however, I would not change my process for anything because it only prepared and molded me for life as a future physician.

10. What do you like most about PreMed STAR?
PreMed STAR allows me to have an opportunity to promote and network my platform with medical schools and other premedical students with the inclusion of advisors. The service tools provided are the essential gateway to gain helpful access towards medical school and beyond. I would recommend this online recruiting opportunity to anybody seriously interested in pursuing medical school.