Melanin & Medicine, with Dr. Omolara Uwemedimo

As the country continues to grapple with the impact of racism in our communities, we wanted to understand how an institution like healthcare - which prides itself on scientific objectivity - was coming to terms with the impact racism has on doctors and patients alike. We reached out to Dr. Omolara Uwemedimo, a leading voice in advocating for black women physicians, to talk about her experiences as a doctor, as a patient and as a community builder seeking to heal with more than just medicine. 

We sat with Dr. Uwemedimo on a canal separating her Long Island town of Baldwin, from neighboring Oceanside, New York. It was one of the first warm days of spring, and it seemed like everyone in the neighborhood was out with a leaf-blower or lawnmower, and every bird had a lot to say, especially the ducks and geese and laughing gulls that Omolara’s kids consider their pets. 

Luckily, Omolara is practiced at staying serene amidst chaos. She was a practicing pediatrician for many years in the United States as well as in several countries across Latin America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, while also teaching at Columbia University Medical Center, and founding the organizations Melanin and Medicine — to support black women doctors — and the Coalition To Advance Antiracism in Medicine.

She holds a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences from the City University of New York, she received her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in pediatrics at the Boston Medical Center / Children’s Hospital Boston. She completed a research fellowship in health services research while completing a master’s degree in population and family health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.