In my opinion, medicine consistently fails to capture the full talent of people of color, especially Black men. We live in a world of increasingly tech-heavy fields, Tik-Tok influencers, professional athletes
and celebrities. These “flashier” careers capture the attention of our youth in ways that medicine simply doesn’t. This is in part due to the fact that BIPOC youth don’t see themselves represented as doctors.
As one of the more tech-driven and overall cooler specialties in medicine, IR is in a unique position to recruit URM youth. As someone who loves tech, I was originally interested in orthopedics because that was one of the more tech heavy fields. In addition, as a former division one athlete, orthopedics culture seemed like it would be a good fit.
However, I found that IR checks off all the same boxes as ortho but appeals more to digital-age youth. We should use that to our advantage when recruiting future IRs of color. In doing this, I believe the URM in IR Section could be the premier URM organization across medicine. When the time comes for the NFL and NBA drafts, people of color will be tuned in to those drafts in large numbers, but many will not be aware of what Match Day is.
Match Day is my NFL draft. I grew up watching the NFL draft and have worked my entire life to have a moment like that with my people—it means the world to me. We have to do better in raising awareness to BIPOC youth that they are an indispensable part of the future medical workforce. I can only imagine how powerful it would be if we had kids looking up to us matching into our chosen specialties the same way they look up to athletes being drafted to their favorite team.”
— JABRE MILLON, M4 KERKORIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNLV
Since joining the URM in IR section as a medical student, I have felt like I have found a family within IR. A place where I can share and comment freely about my experience, whether it be
related to medicine or not, without feeling judged. A place where I can find mentorship, where I feel equal among attendings, residents and other students and can openly contribute ideas to advance the agenda of underrepresented minorities in IR.”
— MARCUS SPADY, MD HOWARD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
The URM section holds multiple meanings to us. It represents a place where I can meet mentors who have similar identities to mine and therefore hold this unspoken understanding of
my journey and challenges. It is also a place where many of us have met and continue to meet future colleagues—medical students and trainees whom we have found represent some of the most thoughtful and kind thinkers in IR. The identities we hold allow us to relate to our diverse patient populations and think deeply about the daily challenges of those who are marginalized in society and medicine.
The URM section is crucial because it is a place to gather, share and learn. The IR community is already quite small and full of connections. Having a URM section allows opportunities for deeper connections and learning. It's essential to be able to visualize yourself along the training pathway of IR. Having the URM section as a place to meet folks who set examples for me is a perfect example of this process.
We see the section growing as the landscape of the IR workforce becomes more diverse and inclusive. We envision participating in future IR conferences throughout the country as attendees and speakers, and I truly hope the URM in IR Section grows in an intentional and impactful way to encourage young learners and to champion diversity and inclusion for the betterment of the specialty.”
—VANESSA LISSEUS-WRIGHT, MD
sirweb.org/irq | 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
