The History of Black Individuals in the Medical Field

The journey to medicine is often described as a marathon and not a sprint. The process consists of constant growth, learning, and obtaining new skills and knowledge to not only make yourself a competitive applicant for certain positions, but to ultimately become the best medical professional you can be for the good of your future patients.

During this time of quarantine, when safety precautions have kept us premedical students from volunteering, researching, or working to add new experiences to our resumes, many of us may have been left feeling limited, unproductive and that the summer is being wasted. While there are opportunities to take summer courses to continue to progress on this journey, a fundamental aspect of this journey that is often neglected is establishing an appropriate mindset.

In the same way that you would ask a resident of a city for directions in a land foreign to you, it is wise for us black premedical students to learn from and be inspired by black doctors who have accomplished great things that we can acknowledge, admire, and learn from as we travel to our destinations. These doctors have specifically experienced similar challenges that we encounter as black people in society, making their stories relatable and applicable to our own lives. We can therefore pick their brains to implement certain principles into our own lives so we too can inspire those around us as we blaze trails of our own.

Over the next few weeks, we will be releasing summaries of black doctors in the history of medicine. We encourage you to go beyond simply learning about these outstanding achievements, and reflect upon aspects that you can apply to your own life, using them as a means of motivation.