My grandmother taught me to always call people by their title because she understands the power of words and how refusing to call Black people by their titles was just another tactic of White supremacy to demean and belittle Black people. /1 That same disrespect is peppered across mainstream media when people refused to call Barack Obama Mr President or now when they refuse to call Kamala Harris Vice President. It trickles all the way down to every day life when I watched the President and Dean of /2

So I'm just now coming across all the people going after those with mental health issues that take meds.

Look. Meds are an individual's decision that each person makes during their own journey. Some people feel better with their meds, some don't. /1 Some people have minimal to no side effects, some people have life-altering side effects. I used to be someone who was adamant about not wanting to be on meds but for me, they have been a game-changer. /2

While I was waiting for my experiments to run today I had a chance to sit down with one of our interns and ask them how they were doing. Not just the in the small talk way but in the “no really, let’s talk” and she was gracious enough to open up. /1 We talked about everything. From the transition to a new place without any friends and family, to the humdrum of intern life, to the transitioning seasons. I remembered going through a lot of those same feelings as an intern and wishing someone had stopped to talk to me. /2

Please support and spread the word!!

Project Santa Claus is all about the community and that is at the core of what @cdrewu represents.

Links to the registries below! Amazon Registry

amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls…

Y'all please to promote my favorite event of the year@@

The @cdrewu/@SNMA Project Santa Claus!

This is an event near and dear to my heart and please consider donating to the cause! Every year members of the CDU/UCLA SNMA and extended community come together to raise funds to buy holiday gifts for children of our CDU community.

This is one of the longest-running fundraisers put on by the institution so please amplify/contribute/RT/QT!

*LINKS BELOW*

My advice for #Match2022: trust your gut.

You have received an invite to a program so it means they are prepared to invest their time and energy into getting you to the next level of your career, so embrace this opportunity to evaluate the program as a fit for yourself. /1 Just as much as we are evaluating you, evaluate us. Be thorough, if you see red flags, honor those! If you feel warm and fuzzies, honor those! You (in theory) only train once, so this decision is very important - take that leap of faith. /2

Oh man...here we go #MedTwilight Breaking Dawn Pt 1. Let's do this @ClinicalPearl @gretchemaben Charlie is legit the most normal character in this damn movie...

Alright Everyone, Black people collectively have had enough, especially those of us in academia. And honestly, we're TIRED of the "apologies" and the promises to "do better." It has been TOO DAMN LONG for us to still be placated by these lies. So I'm going to spell it out: /1 Disclaimer: this is Twitter, so there will be a certain amount of depth and nuance that I can't reach in 280 characters, and I honestly probably won't try to because more importantly like I said - Black people are tired of explaining this for the umteenth time /2

When I was in middle school, one of the white girls in my class decided we had beef. One week she decided she wanted to fight me so she told half the class who then told me. That day at lunch I watched as she shadowboxed with at one end of the yard. /1 As I finished my lunch and walked to the basketball hoops, one of my classmates told me she wanted to fight me after school. I said “bet, tell me the time and place” to which they said sh told everyone she was going to “beat my ass” /2

Insomnia is strong tonight so let’s play a game. 1. Baby Ducky or Ducky
2. 5’4” (ok more like 5’3 3/4” but my doc lets me round up!)
3. Dark Brown
4. Brown

I am 31yo Black woman who holds a doctorate in medicine and a masters in public health.

I have a loving family filled with siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a mother that are my support.

I also have PTSD, depression, and anxiety that left me in the ED this week.

/1 Most days my symptoms are well controlled and I am high functioning.

I have survived the first three years of a rigorous surgical training program, completed an MPH in one year, and lived through a generational pandemic that completely disrupted our way of life.

/2

If you think purposefully adding psychological stress to already rigorous medical training your privilege is showing your whole ass and just how out of touch you are. People are carrying so much in their personal lives and to add additional stress to “make them tougher” is not only asinine but deadly. We’re doctors, not robots. The fact we are juggling our personal lives and still caring for others is enough stress.

Can I wade into some hot water here?

Sending your Black/Brown child to predominantly white private schools does not come without costs.

I would know. I was that Black child. My mom’s purest intentions of getting me a better education also left massive scars on my psyche.

1/ While these schools do truly offer the experience of a lifetime in many ways:

World class education (still fraught with historical inaccuracies but still top notch)
Once in a lifetime trips around the world
Small classrooms with attentive teachers

2/