Philadelphia nonprofit helps soon-to-be Black doctors with #blackphillygradwishlist
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Black doctors have always been underrepresented in this country. As a matter of fact, they make up a mere 5% of all physicians in the U.S.
So it's an achievement when a Black student completes medical school and goes into residency. An organization in Philadelphia is making sure those soon-to-be doctors feel celebrated and supported in a generous way.
Demetrius Woodard is soon to cross the finish line at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine. He's come a long way from this being his dream as a 12-year-old to starting med school during a global pandemic.
Woodard matched into UPenn's residency for psychiatry.
"Penn was my number one choice," Woodard said. "One thing I love about Penn is that they offer community psychiatry."
Although it's a dream come true, it's also an incredibly expensive one.
"It's a financially taxing career and when you're going from med school to residency you have to think about moving costs, vaccination costs, fingerprinting," Woodard said.
Dr. Safiyya Shabazz, president of the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania [MSEP], an organization fostering a safety net for black doctors in the greater Philadelphia area, says the financial burden can cause a lot of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety, particularly for young Black doctors.
"Every medical student that I know isn't working a job at the same time that they're doing their training," Shabazz said. "And in Philadelphia, I would love to celebrate them."
That's how the #blackphillygradwishlist came about.
Soon-to-be physicians create Amazon shopping carts filled with things that may help them transition into residency and Black doctors step up and donate.
"I've seen some interesting things on some lists. You just need things," Woodard said. "It's things you don't really think about. A charger after a 24-hour call in the hospital."
"Things that help to support people more on the mental health side," Shabazz said.
This year MSEP raised about $14,000 for 33 local med students but Woodard says the real value is the network.
"I've had a first feel of what it's like to be supported by other Black people and I think it's truly vital what they're doing for the Black medical students and residents in the city," Woodard said.
To learn more about the program, visit Blackdoctorsphiladelphia.com.