The group’s goal is to increase the number of Black men in the medical field through exposure, inspiration, and mentorship.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Black people tend to live longer in counties that have a higher concentration of Black doctors. In connection with this research, the Black Men in White Coats organization held a youth summit for Milwaukee area youth on May 4.
As Fox 6 Milwaukee reports, the group’s event represents its stated goal to increase the number of Black men in the medical field through exposure, inspiration, and mentorship. The event was held at Milwaukee’s Golda Meir School Upper Campus and Mark Ehioghae, a Medical College of Wisconsin student said the event was designed so young Black children could envision themselves in those white coats someday.
“We’re trying to allow these kids to see themselves as they would be in the (operating room),” Ehioghae said. “They’re using their hands. They’re being active, they’re getting the feel of what it is to be a surgeon.” Ehioghae continued, encouraging the kids to keep dreaming. “No dream is too big. I’m a testimony of that, you will be a testimony of that. Find your right mentor and keep pushing forward. I promise you, you’ll get to where I am today.”
An organizer of the youth summit, Dr. Ugwuje Maduekwe, told Fox 6 that the event is closely intertwined with the mission of Black Men in White Coats. “Black men in medicine is a big focus of today because they are the least adequately represented demographic that we have data for,” Dr. Maduekwe said. “Black men in the United States have the worst health outcomes, and we also know that their health outcomes are better when they’re taken care of by physicians who look like them.”
Systemic racism plays a big part in health disparities,” Ugokwe said. “I work in one of the most underserved areas in Brooklyn—almost all of my patients are Black or Brown. Our neighborhood sees a lack of prenatal care and a lot of preterm births and teen pregnancies. If our hospital were not there, people in this area would have a huge issue getting healthcare at all.”
Traci Trice, a family medicine physician, agreed, telling Haverford of the importance of ensuring that Black patients are represented by the physicians that participate in the American healthcare system. “Medical students and physicians both benefit from diverse colleagues who can share their experiences and also introduce them to new ones. Diversity increases physicians’ level of empathy toward each other and toward patients from backgrounds different from their own,” she says. “We need more Black physicians because the health of the population depends on it.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
