13 years ago I was accepted to this summer research program at Harvard for underrepresented students. I was in a lab with a very kind PI. He had published tremendously as a physician & researcher. He always seemed to be writing and submitting. 1/ There were ~7 students of various levels in the lab. I was the only Black woman & I believe I was the only Black woman student in the building. I remember thinking that the level of success I saw around would require hard work.

At the end of the summer the PI wished me well. 2/

I met Russell Ledet @thguywithyes a few months ago on Twitter. When he shared his #humblebeginings I was blown away. Thank you @TeenVogue for allowing me to write about his journey.

This is a great story of how one can "Climb the Ramp of Medicine."

teenvogue.com/story/racial-d…

1/ Exposure

He hadn't planned to attend college growing up. I recognized his perspective; it wasn't a common part of our upbringing (in families/at school) to be pushed to attend college. That lack of exposure to Black success stifles talent in our Black communities.

2/

I’ll tell you a story. When I was in residency a 200+ pound man was brought into the emergency department for agitation. He was uncuffed by NYPD and released into a room with sliding glass doors. He was sweating, shouting, punching walls, and punching himself. 1/ He picked up the stretcher and slid it hard against the glass door. BANG! He was intoxicated and enraged. At one point he looked at me and said, “I’m going to kill you.” He punched the walls and his own chest. He paced his room. When security entered his room he punched one. 2/

We are excited to share our article about microaggressions published in Annals of Emergency Medicine. It was written by us, 4 women of color physicians who practice in academics. We would love to comment on this article, a prized accomplishment in our professional lives. 1/ The power of the article is that we are able to write truthfully from our lens, WOC who identify as LatinX, African American, & Indian American. The challenge was our search for language that shares our truth while simultaneously welcoming a positive discussion with others. 2/