Med MentoRx Justin Olivera

In Episode 21, I chat with Dr. Rubayat Qadeer about his experience as a first-generation Bangladeshi-American, how he found his “why” as a Family Medicine Doc, and what it means to actively cultivate a more diverse, anti-racist physician workforce.

In Episode 20, I talk with Urologist and FPMRS expert Dr. Fenwa Milhouse about her upbringing as a Nigerian immigrant in the Midwest, the need for more women in surgery, and how she has been able to excel as one of the less than 1% of urologists that identify as Black women.

In Episode 19, I chat with Dr. Alyson Myers, Endocrinologist and Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Einstein-Montefiore Department of Internal Medicine. We discuss her path to endocrinology, what it means to be a Black women treating metabolic and endocrine disorders in marginalized communities, and the importance of paying it forward.

In Episode 18, I kick off the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month with a dope convo featuring Pediatric Hand Surgeon Dr. Michael Galvez. We discuss how an early exposure to health disparities shaped his desire to practice medicine, how he fell in love with hand surgery, and what it means to be part of a national movement to establish Oct. 1 as National Latino/a/e Physician Day.

We’re backkkkkkkkkkk! To kick off Season 2, I chop it up with Neurosurgery Resident Dr. Aaron Hollis Palmer. We talk about how growing up in Akron, Ohio sparked his commitment to activism, the many obstacles he had to overcome on his road to becoming a neurosurgeon, and how he works to inspire the next generation of URM docs.

To wrap up Season 1, I sit down with several members of my Einstein SNMA E-Board. We reflect on our first year of Med School and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of our experiences as URM students. A very special thank you to everyone that volunteered time that could have been spent studying for finals: Jehron Pura-Bryant (President), Maryam Hashmi (Secretary), Betsiti Araya (Treasurer), Diana Dominguez-Garcia (Community Outreach Chair), and Stacey Franco (MAPS Liaison)