Black Men in Medicine: ElevateMeD Board Members & Scholars Open Discussion

Join The #BlackMenInWhiteCoats Discussion!

Q&A: Be sure to ask questions for the Q&A below in the comments.

About the Panel

Thanks to the generosity of @teambmwc, #ElevateMeD hosted a FREE virtual screening of #BlackMenInWhiteCoats followed by our first panel discussion! 

Our first panel discussion  “Black Men In Medicine” took place on Saturday, November 13 and featured ElevateMeD Scholars and Board Members.

#ElevateMeD presented its first Breaking Barriers Award to diversity trailblazer Dr. Dale Okorodudu (@doctordalemd), founder of Black Men In White Coats and Diverse Medicine, during our third annual fundraiser Explosion of a Dream.

MODERATOR

Gyasi Chisley, PMP, FACHE, ElevateMeD Founding Board Member

PANELISTS

• Dr. Andrew Sanderson II, MD, MPH, FASGE, ElevateMeD Founding Board Member

• Dr. Brian Hardaway, MD, ElevateMeD Advisory Board Member

• Dr. Kalonji Cole, 2020-2021 ElevateMeD Scholar and Internal Medicine Resident at University of Texas Southwestern

• Jordan Edwards, 2021-2022 ElevateMeD Scholar at Charles R. Drew University

The “Black Men in White Coats” Documentary

Fewer black men applied to medical school in 2014 than in 1978 and black men have the lowest life expectancy in the United States. With only 2% of American doctors being black men, this comes as no surprise. This documentary dissects the systemic barriers preventing black men from becoming medical doctors and the consequences on society at large.

Health care accounts for nearly 20% of the United State’s GDP and a significant portion of that is driven by disparities in a system that lacks diverse physicians. What if we had a medical workforce that actually reflected our patient population? What challenges do our black boys face? Who are their role models? Why is it easier to visualize a black man in an orange jumpsuit than it is in a white coat? What’s happening in society that more black women are becoming doctors while black men are stagnant? WHOSE FAULT IS IT? It’s time to end this CRISIS and get more BLACK MEN IN WHITE COATS!