ElevateMeD Scholar: Camara Sharperson
Meet Camara Sharperson
ElevateMeD Scholar 2021-2022
Camara Sharperson shares her journey to medicine, overcoming imposter syndrome, and her reaction to becoming an ElevateMeD Scholar.
Interview conducted by: Keiona Eady, @TheAuthenticMessenger
Video editing by: Deanna Reid, @TheSocialPhotog
Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina
Medical Education: Emory University
Undergraduate Education: Harvard University in Human Evolutionary Biology
Current Career Plan: pursue a procedural specialty and continue my research endeavors on disparities of healthcare with goals of quality improvement
Specialty Interest: Undecided
I am most proud of my willingness to try things that are out of my comfort zone. I have worked to quiet the noise of self-doubt or “I can’t” that can creep up in each of us and have realized that I can accomplish great things when I put my mind to it.
You might be surprised to know that I never learned to ride a bike, but I have climbed the Great Wall of China; entered the Point of no Return in Ghana, Africa; danced my way to become a captain of the Harvard Crimson Dance Team; navigated the subway in Japan though I couldn’t speak the language; learned to cook Tom Kha Kai in Thailand; lost my favorite sunglasses in the most beautiful waterfall in Costa Rica; and even know where to get the best slice of pizza in Italy.
ElevateMeD is… a torchlight for the present and the future of underrepresented minorities in the field of medicine. ElevateMeD’s commitment to easing the financial burden paired with its mentorship and advocacy efforts is leveling the playing the field and will increase diversity in the physician workforce resulting in a significant impact on increasing cultural competency of physicians. I believe that will only have a positive impact on the health outcomes for patients which was the driving force that led me to medical school in the first place.
