Black Girl White Coat: Mentoring Black Women in Medicine

By Laura Onyeneho

The underrepresentation of Black girls in drugs is a systemic problem, however for a brand new technology of healers, Black Lady White Coat (BGWC) is offering a crucial answer. 

Based in 2016 by Dr. Sandra Coker, a Houston native and 2020 graduate of McGovern Medical College, the group was born from a easy but profound realization that she had not met a doctor who seemed like her till school.

“I created Black Lady White Coat in 2016 as a first-year medical scholar for one cause that also rings true immediately: to be the girl and mentor I wanted once I was youthful,” she says. “Mentoring Black girls on their distinctive street to a profession in healthcare means visibility for the ladies who by no means noticed somebody who seemed like them within the roles they dreamed of. It additionally means exemplifying excellence in areas which have traditionally excluded them.”

What started as a private YouTube vlog sharing Coker’s journey has since grown right into a nationally acknowledged nonprofit with a robust on-line presence and a sturdy mentorship program. Its mission is to function an important useful resource for aspiring Black feminine physicians, offering the assist and clear steerage that was so usually lacking for its founder.

Solely 2.8 p.c of U.S. physicians are Black girls, regardless of Black girls making up about 7 p.c of the inhabitants. 

“That hole is not only a statistic; it means fewer mentors, fewer position fashions and fewer voices within the rooms the place life-changing choices are made,” Coker explains. “Mentorship is a core pillar of BGWC as a result of I consider the steerage and advocacy a mentor supplies can change the trajectory of a scholar’s profession and finally, the well being of the communities they may sooner or later serve.”

Dr. Joyce Idehen is the BGWC’s director of communications. Her path to turning into a household drugs doctor was something however easy. She first labored as a nurse after which confronted important hurdles, together with the monetary and tutorial calls for of the Medical Faculty Admission Take a look at (MCAT). The excessive value of MCAT tutors and take a look at preparation sources can create an unfair benefit for these with higher monetary assist.

“The MCAT is a beast of its personal. The battle with the examination led me to attend a medical faculty within the Caribbean,” Idehen says. “This can be a much less conventional route many college students take to avoid the extremely aggressive technique of American medical faculties.”

Sources and accomplishments

The group has awarded over $60,000 in scholarships to assist college students with utility charges, MCAT prices and tuition. 

Idehen notes that social media has been a useful software for BGWC, permitting them to showcase the range of Black girls in drugs. This highly effective illustration is a continuing reminder that success is achievable, even in a discipline the place Black girls make up solely a small share of the doctor workforce.

Whereas progress is being made, Idehen expresses concern that current political shifts, such because the lack of affirmative motion, may threaten these positive aspects. She stresses that organizations like BGWC, which aren’t government-funded, are extra essential than ever for deliberately recruiting and supporting underrepresented minorities.

“BGWC’s purpose is not only to get girls into medical faculty however to make sure they’ve the sources and assist to remain in,” stated Idehen. “It’s about reworking private struggles right into a collective power, creating an important pipeline for a brand new technology of Black feminine physicians and galvanizing a way forward for healers who mirror their communities.”

This text was reprinted with permission from the Defender.