50. Humble Beginnings to White House Medical Officer with Bernard Toney

In this episode, Brock speaks with Bernard Toney. Bernard is a former Army physician's assistant, and now a professor at the University of Lynchburg while pursuing his Master's of Public Health. In this conversation, Bernard recounts some of his humble beginnings growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. Although a bright individual, he talks about his own self sabotage, both in school and even in the army as an enlisted man. He shares that one of the more radical changes that occurred for him during his time in the army as he found people who believed in him. After his time in the army, he went on to be a medical officer at the White House. He talks through his observations from caring for some of the most powerful people in the world amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. We go deep on some of the larger issues about why access to opportunity isn't always the answer. He talks about being presented with the opportunity at a young age to attend to a better funded school with more resources, but at the time, he wasn't ready to receive and take advantage of that. The question of access to opportunity comes up again, in his observations of how the world accesses medicine, and share some of his thoughts on ways our healthcare system can be improved.

Resources:

Bernard on LinkedIn

Show Notes:

(01:50) - What are you most proud of that you never get to talk about?
(04:01) - Humble beginnings growing up in Atlanta, Georgia
(13:17) - Enlisting in the Army and how it didn't change his course
(22:00) - Long term career considerations and revisiting the past
(31:51) - ROTC as the stepping stone and finding strong mentors
(43:18) - Pursuing medicine and finding fulfillment
(50:29) - Becoming a medical officer at the White House
(58:32) - Observations on a global health crisis
(01:04:15) - Changing long term goals and influencing the future of healthcare
(01:10:47) - State of healthcare in the US and globally
(01:18:53) - What can we learn and implement today?

The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

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