Congratulations to Deniko! Premed of the Week!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.  I am a biology, pre-medical undergraduate at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since I have been enrolled at Jackson State University, I had the privilege to be part of the Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society, Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society where I serve as Mr. Chi Alpha Epsilon for the upcoming school year, and I am also part of Jackson State University Sports Medicine Team or in other words I have the benefit of working and learning from the training staff at school.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you?  My favorite teacher is my Biology Professor, Dr. Anita K. Patlolla. From the beginning you could see how much she love and passion she has for teaching the next generation of science/health professionals. I loved her personality and teaching style so much I took her twice for General Biology I & II. I can honestly say there are not many professors out there that want to see you accomplish your goals in life but she does and that’s why she is hard on me and the rest of her students because she knows that we can do the work, we just have to be willing to put in the work. As for me, she continues to be there for me. For example, I can come to her office at any time to ask her questions or simply have a conversation with her about life in general. I can ask her if she could write me a recommendation letter at anytime. Dr. Anita K. Patlolla is a great professor, mentor, and human being.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? The day I lost my grandfather to cancer was the day I devoted myself to become a doctor, specifically a surgeon because I will have the opportunity to cure or manage diseases. A surgeon save lives and this is what I hope to do for people. As my career progresses, I would like to open my own free medical clinics, which will be named after my grandfather, “John Montgomery Memorial Clinic” in Jackson, Tennessee and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, being a doctor will not only allow me to change my patients lives but impact the lives in my community. Born and raised in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I grew up with gun violence, single parent homes, and children with no ambition or dreams in life. I would like to use my career as a platform to connect with at risk youth and help them to have a healthy positive relationships with successful men. I want to serve as a role model to young African Americans, particularly males, to show them how to advocate for themselves and not be a part of the system.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in?  Since I decided to go down the medical route I knew from the start that I was interested in surgery. Therefore I would like to become either a cardiovascular surgeon, neurosurgeon, or plastic surgeon.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey?  The coolest experience I had so far in my premedical journey is being part of the Summer Health Profession Education Program at Howard University this past summer which I had the opportunity to meet and greet with a wide range of healthcare professionals such as the staff from Howard University School of Medicine and Dentistry. Furthermore, I had the priviledge to meet with people from the The Association of American Medical Colleges and National Institute of Health. In addition, I had the opportunity to conduct research in the W. Montague Cobb Research Lab which allowed me to write a Biohistory by using human remains. However, the best part of being part of this program was being surrounded by likeminded people who shares the same passion and dream as me for wanting to become a doctor and help serve the underserved communities.

6. What is your favorite book?  My favorite book has to be “Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine” by Dr. Damon Tweedy.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know.   I love to write short stories and poetry from time to time. Also, I love to lip sing.