This website/medical community has helped me foster not only better relationships with fellow pre-meds but has helped me grow as an applicant to medical school. I am excited to hear the news that Dr. Dale is titling his new book “Diverse Medicine: Building a Stronger and Healthier Nation”. Please support and spread the word! Diverse Medicine has come a long way and I look forward to seeing this community grow with the success of this book and the other initiatives of Black Men in White Coats. Have an amazing day everyone!
Today is Tuesday and I hope to see EVERYONE tonight at the MCAT Study Hall session. Let’s pack it out this time. Remember that the meeting begins at 7pm EST and will end at 7:30 pm if no participants attend.
We will go over some passages as a group and answer questions that you may have but don’t worry, you don’t have to prepare in advance. Just come ready to discuss and ask questions.
Hope to see you there!!
Access using this link: Kimberly McRae is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
A chance to do some good | My Journey as a Family Medicine Resident Physician at CDU
In the battle for health equity and social justice in the realm of medicine, Charles Drew University has served as a pillar in the Watts-Willowbrook community of Los Angeles.
In the groundbreaking documentary “Black men in white coats rise up!” recounting the history of medical education in the US, Dr. Dale Okorodudu highlights HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) contributions in training black medical professionals who often go on to practice medicine in urban underserved communities. In describing why there are so few HBCU’s training medical doctors today, Dr. Dale cites the fallout from the Flexner Report, which led to the closure of five of seven existing Black medical schools by 1923. The justifications for these closures have been the subject of vigorous debate over the years, with people citing quotes surrounding the report like “…African-American physicians should be trained in “hygiene rather than surgery” and should primarily serve as “sanitarians,” whose purpose was “protecting whites” from common diseases like tuberculosis.” as evidence of the explicit racial bias extant at the time the report was written. Even more damning, as Dr. Dale states in the documentary, is the fact that almost nothing was done after the closures of HBCUs to replace the massive gap their absence created. If the gravity of the blow to the black community is not clear, consider this fact; the two oldest HBCU medical schools, Meharry Medical College and Howard University, have combined to produce over 80% of African American doctors and dentists practicing in the United States today. This is the history that has brought us to where we stand.
On July 1st, 2021 the reality of this situation became part of my personal story as I began my Residency training in Family Medicine at Charles Drew University. Drew, an HBGI (historically black graduate institution) represents one of the few historically black institutions in existence today providing graduate medical education. As I’ve begun to absorb the training offered by CDU, and understand the central role this institution serves in the Watts-Willowbrook community of Los Angeles, I’ve become acutely aware of just how important understanding the full history of medicine is as we chart our path into the future. And I’ve become just as aware of the critical role this institution plays in providing an often ignored or obscured perspective on that history.
While many residency programs around the country start new interns training with onboarding and orientation, CDU has gone several steps further in preparing new interns to serve as Physicians that can truly understand and contribute to patient care in the community. Described as the “CDU Advantage” this institution provides training aimed at creating health professionals who a re diverse leaders dedicated to social justice and health equity, and primarily focused on underserved populations. Almost every day for the last month, the curriculum of our first rotation as interns has incorporated elements teaching us about the history of our community, and having frank open conversations about the unique challenges faced by those we will serve. Most importantly we are being taught how we can best administer the resources of our institution in addressing these needs.
Over the years I’ve chronicled my journey in medicine through blog and social media posts and videos. I’ve done this both as part of my efforts to function as a mentor and role model, but also as a personal exercise helping myself to make sense of this journey as I travel through it. In my residency personal statement, titled “branches in time”, I recognized that there are moments in each of our lives which definitively alter our paths, leading inexorably to our present. I called these moments “branch points” which can be seen if we imagine our lives as a great tree traced out from the roots of our past out to the ultimate bearing of fruit represented by our future. As I contemplate what it means to now be a part of CDU, I recognize what bears all the marking of a branch point in my life. During my residency interview with the CDU faculty and residents, I was struck by just how well the mission of the institution fit with what I’ve been trying to do for many years now. I could also see that here were people who were actually serious about their mission statement IRL (which is more rare than many people might realize). From where I stand, it’s clear that by getting deeply involved with this institution I will be able to grow and develop so much in my knowledge and approach.
I’ve counted my blessings many times over the years, with the knowledge that I have truly been lucky. It would seem that God is just getting started with me though. As I look forward and contemplate what the next three years hold for me, I am excited about the future. This residency program is most certainly a blessing, and for me it is a chance to roll up these white coat sleeves, and do some good. I’ll be sharing this journey both here and on social media, and I invite you to join.
To check out my day-to-day and reach out with questions, follow me and shoot a DM on Instagram or Facebook @doctordynamo
Best wishes everyone,
Yomi Adeyemi, MD, MS
PGY1, Family Medicine
Charles Drew University
(Please note: this article is posted in full with links to sources at www.africandynamo.com)
Are you interested in matching into Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery but don’t even know where to begin? Join us at the Arthur L. Garnes Society today! Our website is officially open for membership! https://garnessociety.org/membership/
Hi everyone! Thank you for bearing with us as we took a brief break to re-configure how we are doing the MCAT Study Hall going forward.
Our next meeting is today, June 1, 2021, at 7pm EST with Sammi! Please take note of the time change. We will be reviewing the following Jack Westin passage: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat- practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/knowledge-and-belief, however, feel free to come prepared with any questions you might come across while studying.
To access today’s meeting, click the following link:
Elsie here. I would like to invite you to this week’s online MCAT study hall. If this is your first time hearing about this study hall, hello and welcome! This group is made up of premed students who would like to give back to students, like ourselves, who might be having a bit of a hard time studying for the MCAT. Research has shown that group studying is of great help since discussing and teaching material to others deepens one’s understanding.
No matter how far along you are on the MCAT journey, or even if you’ve already taken it and would just like to keep your skills sharpened, we would love to have you join us tonight and every Tuesday at 8 pm ET.
We have a wonderful team of leaders with different strengths and perspectives on various topics covered in the exam.
Outline for tonight’s session:
1) One person at a time will take a paragraph and paraphrase each sentence
2) Individuals will read questions and say what they think the question stem means, then share why they believe an answer choice to be correct/incorrect.
3) Any general questions or advice can be asked during or at the end (preferred).
Sessions are typically 1 hour long but could go over just a little bit if there are many questions. Please come ready to share: hearing everyone’s unique thought process helps us all.
None of us are MCAT tutors, just peers who want to give back. Hope to see you there!
Also, if you’re able to, kindly take a look at the passages beforehand. If not, that’s fine. We’ll go through them together with fresh eyes. Hope to see you there and have a great day!
What a year it’s been! I think most of us can agree that this year has been forever chiseled in the timeline of man. We’ve cried many tears and hopefully come to appreciate the little things in life. I’d like to share a little on what I’ve taken from 2020 in hopes some of you will also reflect and build upon.
January 26, 2020 came with a shock of 9/11 magnitude. We all know where we were when we got the news. On that day, I woke up to a phone call from my dad informing me that Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. We all didn’t believe it. We all pinched ourselves. And just when we were beginning to dry our tears… we got confirmation GiGi was gone too. 🙁
May those 9 precious souls in that helicopter rest in peace.
A moment of silence for all others we’ve lost in 2020:
Kobe, GIGI and the other passengers
Kirk Douglas
Irrfan Khan
Jerry Stiller
Naya Rivera
Regis Philbin
Chadwick Boseman
Sean Connery
John Lewis
Alex Trebek
Tiny Lister
Many many others
And then, there was the pandemic. Not a soul on the planet has been left unaffected. We’ve learned so much about mankind in such a short time. I’ve never been so proud of my fellow healthcare workers. Despite being at times forced to work under substandard conditions without adequate protective equipment; despite constant attacks at times from politicians and some patients; despite losing family, colleagues and friends also on the front line; despite coming home every day and placing loved ones at risk; so many have stepped up and kept pushing. All front line workers have stepped up and showed the best humanity has to offer.
Despite the desolation 2020 has attempted to drown us in, this year has been one of the most productive years I personally have had. Here are my 5 top lessons I’ve learned in 2020.
1. Cherish Life
Two weeks into the lockdown, I lost a close buddy to the virus. He was only 44, a father of 6, children’s bible school teacher and former college basketball athlete. It really caught us all off guard as he was the first person in the entire city to die of COVID-19 and not at all the type we were told would die. This certainly changed my perspective on a lot of things in life. I have since spent a lot more time with my son and wife, and checked on friends I haven’t heard from in a long time. This has been the year to forgive and let go, lend a helping hand to does in need, and working to understand those who are different than you are.
2. Work Harder at Your Why
This year has made us answer tough questions. Some were forced out of a job while others have completely changed career paths recognizing they weren’t getting fulfillment from their job. Many of us have roadblocks keeping us from being great and capitalizing on our why. As for me, I had to take the bold step of leaving my job of 5 years and moving with my family to a whole new city. It was a very scary decision moving from a life a comfort during a pandemic but it was time. It was import I set the table to capitalize on my why/purpose.
3. Health is Wealth
This virus has thought us how fragile life is. No one can cheat death and we certainly can hasten it with our actions or inactions. You can’t buy time or health. Many of those who died from the virus suffered from underlying health conditions some of which could have been prevented. I have had to rethink my priorities and now see health as a commodity. Just as I can leave a financial inheritance to my children I can leave a health inheritance. Teaching healthy eating and exercise habits to my loved ones is one of the most valuable things I may pass on to them.
4. Do it Yourself
This has been the biggest take home for me this year. 2020 was a year full of sacrifices. Many times we just have to make-do. One observation I have made is some people used this time to learn and better themselves while others became even more dependent during this time. I have had some patients lose weight now they have began cooking and eating out less while others have succumbed to the “Quarantine 15 (lbs).” Personally, I dabbled into gardening to grow my own oranges and hope to do more in the future. The cool thing about doing it yourself is you can do it your way. Many of you are aware that my brother, Dr. Dale and I took on the extremely challenging project of creating a movie (www.BMWCmovie.com) which will be played across the country in February. It was extremely difficult especially during the pandemic but it was worth it. We saw the need for this type of movie so we did it ourselves. Recently, I was looking for an animator for an upcoming project but the prices were ridiculous. My brother then reminded me, “Why not do it yourself?” Guess what folks, I’m about to be an animator! Sometimes running into roadblocks or hearing “no” can be the best thing that ever happened to you.
Fresh oranges! Gardening is fun.
5. Spend Time in the Word
This is always number one in my book although I don’t do as good of a job as I feel I should. I find it essential to have an anchor in life. It is good to find that source of meaning and positive guidance that transcends all. See at the end of the day, people can fail you and flashy things will eventually fade and get boring. Ultimate joy cannot come from material things or people. There is another source worth learning and spending time with.
I don’t know about y’all but I am super pumped for 2021. I’m in a new city, I have a new baby on the way, and I’m working on holistically bettering myself every day. All the work I put in during 2020 hopefully will make me a better physician, husband, father, friend, Christ follower and overall man in 2021. I want to congratulate so many of you who have made huge and bold moves in 2020. I’ve chatted with some who locked down this year and took the MCAT, applied for grad school or medical school. Congrats to those who have and some who got accepted. I am super proud of you all! Special shout-out to all our PreMed Monday crew out there! It’s been an honor getting to sharpen one another over the past year and grow together.
Let’s get it!
“Breathe” Self-portrait drawing I did this year. It captured so much of the struggles many of us felt this year battling COVID-19, health disparities, and racial injustice. Keep up the good fight and keep getting into good trouble.
MS1s! Goal is “to immerse students in the specialty field
Through an 8-week clinical and research internship with a practicing researcher, which also includes a full-day orientation and culminates in the student presenting his/her research poster at the annual National Medical Association assembly.
Following successful completion of the summer internship program, students receive scholarships to participate in a designated Step I board review course, which is conducted throughout their second year in medical school.”
I hope that everyone is having a lovely Tuesday so far! Today, we are hosting, once again, an MCAT Study Hall at 8 pm via Zoom. If you haven’t attended one so far, please don’t miss out on this week’s session!
This group was initially created because we want to give back to other students who may be facing challenges with the MCAT just as we did. The research shows that studying in an environment conducive to discussions and teaching is the best way to learn. We have a strong group of leaders with different strengths that can give you a variety of perspectives. Collaboration is key!
In today’s session we will review concepts from the Chem/Phys and Bio/Biochem sections. These were my favorite sections! See the link below to the passage and discrete problem set that we will be reviewing. Also, you will find the link to our Zoom meeting.
Please complete the questions beforehand if your schedule permits. Usually the sessions last one hour and you are free to come and go as you please. Come ready to share! I look forward to seeing you there!
