February 2019
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Doctor for a Day provides a unique experience bringing together medical students, residents, fellows, and physicians from across the state on a volunteer basis for the sole purpose of increasing exposure to the medical field in high school and college students primarily from minority and or underserved backgrounds.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting our annual Doctor for a Day Conference on Saturday February 15th. It was an amazing experience for many students. We had over 150 attendees in total including high school students, college students, doctors, and medical students representing all the medical schools in Georgia. Attendees heard inspirational speeches from world class doctors including Dr. Idil Kore and Dr Franck Jones. They solved thought provoking medical cases and received hands on experience from CPR instructors from our CHOA Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Robert Campbell and the Emory University Emergency Room residents and faculty. Everyone had the opportunity to experience the field of pathology from expert pathologists including Dr. Steward Neill, his residents and fellow professors. Students were also able to interact with a panel of medical professionals and learn about the details of applying to medical school. The conference was free for all participants to attend and supported by 100% volunteer efforts. 
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Attendance profile
> 130 college & high school students > 85% underrepresented minority > 70% female >90% reported having difficulties in accessing mentorship and networking in the medical field. The conference increased exposure to medical networking and mentorship among 95% of participants. Over 50 medical students and doctors volunteered and represented all GA medical schools. More than 70% of the high school and college students in attendance were women and 85% identify as African-American, Asian, or Latino; a clear stark contrast to the AAMC workforce statistics indicating only 17.1% identified as Asian, 5.0% African American, and 5.8% Hispanic. Across all racial and ethnic groups, the percentage of male physicians is 64.1% to a female 35.8% ratio. However, future trends show the matriculation of female medical students to surpass those of male students. Despite the gains in future female physician growth, gains in diversity were not shared by all groups. In particular, the growth of Black or African American applicants, matriculants, and graduates lagged behind other groups. There is a clear and obvious need to bridge the gap that exists in racial, ethinc, and gender representation in the medical field.
This underscores the value of events such as the Doctor for a Day Conference which produces early and substantive mentorship for young people. By being present for these young men and women and supporting their interest in a career in medicine, we as a community of medical professionals believe, we will increase diversity and inclusion in the workforce. A movement which would in turn improve the quality of care and representation that our patients receive. The success of events such as ours demonstrates a clear and positive impact at not only a community level but the individual level. Each year we gather responses and feedback from all of participants and results are overwhelmingly touching. We shared some of the written feedback we received. |
On behalf of the Doctor for a Day team, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude and thanks to all of the Doctors, Fellows, Residents, Medical Students, and volunteers who spent their precious and limited free time making a difference in our community.
We truly appreciate our incredible sponsors and partners including Ubeyond, GSU Center for Community Engagement, American College of Cardiology GA Chapter, Emory Primary Care Consortium , Emory University Emergency Room & pathology departments and physicians from Kaiser Permanente, Northside hospital, Emory University and Rimidi for providing raffle items.
Without the phenomenal sponsors and altruistic volunteers this event would simply not have been possible.
We truly appreciate our incredible sponsors and partners including Ubeyond, GSU Center for Community Engagement, American College of Cardiology GA Chapter, Emory Primary Care Consortium , Emory University Emergency Room & pathology departments and physicians from Kaiser Permanente, Northside hospital, Emory University and Rimidi for providing raffle items.
Without the phenomenal sponsors and altruistic volunteers this event would simply not have been possible.
“I really enjoyed attending the Doctor for a Day conference. The amount of interaction with med students was incredible, and I now have several mentor contacts. I was not connected to a mentor for medicine before, and I am thankful that I now have contacts that allow me to expand my network... My perspective on medicine has changed dramatically based on this conference, and I feel more empowered to pursue medicine from a financial, academic and personal perspective.”
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“I’m glad that I went to this conference because I was losing hope in my ability to complete undergrad and even get far enough to go graduate school. Because of this I realized that there are going to be obstacles that I’ll face but if this field is what I'm passionate about then I can get through it.”
“This conference created a memory that I will forever look back to. It made my journey seem more real. I always thought of being a doctor but it was more of a dream than an option. However, this conference made me see that if I desire being a doctor, I will make a way to get there with the passion I hold. Being able to speak to medical students and talking to doctors created a support system that I believe I needed.”
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If you are a medical professional and want to participate in our future conferences, please see the Volunteer Physician page.
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Organizing Committee
Seema Mustafa (Chair) Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Julia Xia (Co-chair) Emory School of Medicine Neal S. Shukla (Co-chair) Morehouse School of Medicine Shelby Comeaux (Co-Chair) Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Dylan Krause (Co-Chair) Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Noor Awad Medical College of Georgia Parth Haresh Patel Mercer University School of Medicine Christine Bethencourt Emory School of Medicine Umaymah Mohammad Emory School of Medicine Amy Zeidan, MD Emory University Mary Helen O'Connor, PhD Georgia State University Kazeen Abdullah, MD Kaiser Permanente Omar Lattouf, MD, Phd Emory University Heval Mohamed Kelli, MD Emory University |
Pre-Med Student Committee
Alan Amedi (Co-Chair) Georgia State University Abdullah Al-Obaidi (Co-Chair) Emory University UBM Leadership Fellow Zozan Tahir Anges Scott College Jose Meija Georgia State University Mohammad Alo Georgia State University Habo Alo Georgia State University Jad Elkhalil PCOM |