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Is There A Black Doctor in the House?
Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree.Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree. Looking back at the history of Blacks in medicine, it's easy to see why the numbers are so low. However, new data suggests that more black doctors are needed now than ever, and for some, it could mean the difference between life and death. On average, when put in a crowd of a diverse population with no identifying connections, a person will gravitate toward those of their own race. It's a natural behavior because people are more at ease with who or what they know. Generally, being of the same race is an easy commonality to draw towards. This same kind of thinking works in medicine as well. According to studies, Black Americans who have black doctors have more trust in them, practice preventative care, and ultimately live longer lives. "I think we as blacks relate more to people who look like us. Often, we have unspoken similar backgrounds that bring us to a common place of understanding when we have difficulties in our quests for higher education," said Dr. Creaque Charles, Pharm. D. at an accredited HBCU school of pharmacy. How to Improve Representation of African Americans in Medicine? The answer to that question lies in the problems that Blacks have with medicine. To understand the concerns, one must go way back in history to when enslaved men and women were forcibly brought over on ships to America. Those men and women were treated less than humans and stacked on top of each other like property. On that journey, they had to exist in deplorable conditions that were filled with human fecal matter, urine, and other forms of human waste. This resulted in them becoming gravely ill, and some died. None received medical care. The feeling continued when slave owners subjected their Black female slaves to forced sterilization to stop reproduction. Women were also exploited for their bodies to produce more strong slave labor. These women did not also receive any medical care. When the truth about an unethical experiment with Tuskegee men and Syphilis (dubbed the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis) came to light in 1972, prejudices grew.vDuring the era of the Civil War, Blacks were "doomed to extinction" by the medical community of the time, which thought the mental, moral, and physical deterioration of Blacks would send them to an early grave. The distrust of the medical community continues to this day as some doctors of other races may have prior biological beliefs about Blacks that can result in doctors thinking Blacks have a high tolerance for pain, so they may undertreat them for pain. Incidents like the above led some Blacks to believe that they receive better treatment than their own because they know the point of view from which they are coming. They understand it. "When people look at me and they can see themselves in me, that commonality serves as the foundation for a bond of trust," said Dr. Robbyn Traylor, chief medical officer of an urgent medical care clinic, who knows that any doctor can be excellent no matter their race. "There is a level of comfort that is understood and that can remain unspoken when brown and Black patients are treated by brown and Black doctors." A CNN article dives further into the issue of why there is not a surge of Black doctors. Those reasons include factors like the race being excluded from medicine, systematic racism, institutional racism, not being exposed to STEM or STEM careers as a child, and a lack of Black doctors as mentors are among the top reasons. History supports this when looking at the first Black person to earn a medical degree. Dr. James McCune Smith had to go all the way to Scotland to receive his degree in 1837 from the University of Glasgow. Dr. Traylor was fortunate as a child to be heavily exposed to the life of a Black doctor as both of her parents worked in the medical field. She was often at their heels as a child while they worked at one of the best trauma centers in the Texas Medical Center. "I was lucky enough to grow up in a community of people who made me believe that I had the intellect and attitude for medicine." Diversity Matters Diversity Matters After Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington enacted bans on affirmative action, the diversity of the medical schools in those states dropped by a third. Before Black students were wholeheartedly welcomed at these schools in the 1800s and 1900s, they had a choice of seven medical schools, according to research by the Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives. Now only two remain: Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Black students are more likely to attend black medical schools to seek out those who look like them and have proven that their dreams are achievable. Future Black doctors want to attend schools where they don’t have to feel as if they don’t belong. They want to go to schools where they are encouraged to do well, and those who are instructors and mentors truly believe that THEY can do well. Dr. Tamiya Sam, who is a registered pharmacist and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, knows that whether it is medical, pharmacy, dental, or nurse practitioner school, having a Black mentor matters. "The face of pharmacy is increasingly non-Black. I believe if there were more hands on and dedicated Black pharmacists who truly mentored Black pharmacy students, it would have a higher impact on their completion because they would serve as someone who has been there and genuinely wants to help them succeed." Rosa Terrance, DNP, APRN, GNP-C, agrees with Dr. Sam. "Mentorship absolutely matters and is influential in producing more providers of color. At all times, I make sure of two things: 1) I have a mentor who looks like me, and 2) I am acting as a mentor to someone else. There is a degree of comfort and trust that is birthed out of just being present with someone of your likeness in an otherwise underrepresented space." The Next Generation of Doctors African Americans have a responsibility to expose our children to all the world can offer them. African Americans have a responsibility as a race to step up and be mentors for brown and black children in all fields, not just the medical field. To improve race relations, Blacks must educate our non-Black counterparts. A change must come, and it must start now with each of us.
Arsenic in drinking water damages hearts of young adults, study says
Young adults free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease developed heart damage after only five years of exposure to low-to-moderate levels of arsenic commonly found in groundwater. This was the finding of a new study published Tuesday in Circulation, a journal published by the American Heart Association.
Tony Buzbee Comments On Latest Prop B Ruling
This morning, during the weekly City Council meeting, Mayor Turner announced that a state district judge ruled Proposition B unconstitutional.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Launches New Center With Support Of $26 Million Gift From Charles Koch Foundation And Koch Industries
Center for Advancing Opportunity will support HBCU researchers and work with Gallup to understand, and inform pressing issues in fragile communities
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) today launched a new center committed to expanding educational, social, and economic opportunities in fragile communities through original research and direct engagement with residents
Black History & The Education Of Hidden Figures
At schools across the country, the vibrancy of February is all the same. There are the morning announcements, with school wide events announced; birthdays lauded, teachers and school teams having imaginary flowers thrown on their name. Then comes the obligatory read out of a Black History Month figure. Some students roll their eyes of boredom, others, too disinterested to care. Yet there is one student, his or her ears perked up, waiting to feed into someone new. They’re anticipating a new fact, a new lesson, a new hero to look upon.
The Rose Hosts 4th Annual Ensemble Theatre Fundraiser to Decrease High Breast Cancer Death Rate of African American Women
On Sunday, October 8, 2017, The Rose bought “out the house” at the Ensemble Theater in Midtown Houston for an afternoon of entertainment, refreshments and great door prizes, plus a chance to impact the lives of African American women. The Reception started at 1:30 p.m., followed by an exclusive showing of Sassy Mamas, a romantic comedy about three women who confidently pursue their heart’s desires. This year, The Rose @ The Ensemble raised over $30,000 to fund 200 mammograms for patients of The Rose.
DIY brings high throughput to continuous cell culturing
Open-source eVOLVER can support 96-chamber automated growth experiments
Rice University's Caleb Bashor never planned to be an inventor or do-it-yourselfer, but there was no other way to do the microbiology experiments he envisioned.
'Whitney' Exposes Rifts in Houston's Tragic Life
The oddly punctuated title has multiple meanings in "Whitney. Can I Be Me," a documentary about the late singing star Whitney Houston, a woman torn among various factions and constituencies in a charmed, tormented and too-brief life.
A Big Splash: The Texans Come Up Huge in Free Agency
The Houston Texans did not dive right into the deep end of the pool when the NFL free agency market opened. They took their time. Texans general manager Brian Gaine, who replaced former general manager Rick Smith, let the city of Houston know exactly who he was by making some key moves to improve the team.
HISD, Houston Food Bank distribute over 280,000 pounds of food Saturday at NRG
When HISD Nutrition Services Senior Operations Manager Keith Lewis drove up to NRG Stadium Saturday for the massive food distribution effort, he wasn’t nervous. He was excited.
A Houston Day of the Dead Tradition: Calavera Con Calavera
Grupo de Teatro Indigo (Indigo Theater Group) will present the 9th season of their Day of the Dead play, “Calavera con calavera” (Skulls) on October 28th at 7:30pm at Miller Outdoor Theater. They will make history once again being the first local theater group with Latino immigrant members to present for third consecutive year an all-Spanish play (With English subtitles) at one of Houston’s iconic and historic stage. Last year they had an audience of 4,000 attendees to this spectacle. This will happen thanks to a grant awarded by the Miller Advisory Board.
Jose,Espada Ascends As Houston Astros' New Helmsman: The Dawn of a Dream-Filled Era
In a move that sends waves of excitement across the Space City, the Houston Astros have turned to a familiar face, Joe Espada, elevating him from the role of bench coach to the esteemed position of manager. This strategic decision champions continuity and heralds a new chapter for a team already steeped in glory.
AFT Leaders Respond to Shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas
“This year has brought some of the worst mass shootings in our recent memory, and gun violence is now young people’s greatest fear. That is shameful. No child, no parent and no educator should fear walking into their school.
Joy Williams Wins Texture Style Awards- New Talent Stylist of the Year
Joy Williams Wins Texture Style Awards- New Talent Stylist of the Year
Joy Williams Wins Texture Style Awards- New Talent Stylist of the Year
I'll Be Single Before I Settle Stage Play
I’ll Be Single Before I Settle, starring local author and spoken word artist Inertia Justice, is a stage play using art to end the silence about domestic violence at Houston’s MATCH theater August 17, 2019.
Black and brown communities had highest increases in drug overdose death rates during pandemic, study says
Drug overdose death rates in the United States soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a new study suggests that Black and brown communities were hit hardest.
State Delivers Insurance Check to TSU for Hurricane Repairs
Texas Southern University accepted $500,000 payment from the State Office of Risk Management (SORM) September 12 to begin repairs to campus buildings following Hurricane Harvey in early September. The funds are proceeds from SORM’s Statewide Insurance Program.
Shooter at Houston megachurch had lengthy criminal history including weapons charges, police say
The shooting at Houston’s Lakewood Church over the weekend was a “completely preventable horror” as the woman who opened fire had a notable mental illness but was still allowed to own a gun, her mother-in-law said.
City Council Member Edward Pollard Free Masks Giveaway
City Council Member Edward Pollard and his staff, along with more than a dozen volunteers, gave away 12,000 disposable face masks on Tuesday, April 28, to Houston residents is support of the Harris County order requiring residents to wear masks or face coverings when outside the home. Hundreds of cars began lining up at 6:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the PlazAmericas Mall, located at 7500 Bellaire Blvd. to receive the masks. Council Member Pollard also used this opportunity to encourage residents to complete their Census forms.
HMAAC Announces Pamela Council's Red Drink Temporary Fountain at Miller Outdoor Theater
Continuing Pamela Council’s series began in 2016 to celebrate Juneteenth and honor the ancestors, The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is pleased to present Council’s RED DRINK 4:00 - 7:00 pm., Miller Outdoor Theater, 6000 Herman Park Drive. Come and join us as we support her outdoor fountain filled with a celebratory drink at Miller. Pour out a little Big Red and toast to freedom.
