Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Where the brothers at? Why aren’t they in medicine?

Dr. Dale
Physician
May 6, 2015
83 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

“It’s good to see you brother!”

I had never met this man, but I knew exactly what he was talking about. With a large smile on his face and a look of pride, he extended his arm to give me a handshake. “There aren’t too many of us doing what you do. I’m glad we got some representation in here.” I am a black man in the medical field. When I look around, I don’t see many people who look like me. So I have one question, “Where the brothers at?”

Interestingly, when I start to answer the question, two very disparate answers come to mind. Let’s start with the entertainment industry. In 2008, 75 percent of NBA players were black, and 65 percent were black in the NFL. Looking at these numbers, it is obvious that our brothers are in sports, right? Men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t … well, maybe they don’t lie, but they can be misleading.

Let’s break it down a bit. There are 30 teams in the NBA, each typically with less than 20 players. In the NFL, there are 32 teams with no more than 58 players. Assuming a liberal estimate of 600 players in the NBA and 1,900 NFL players, that results in just under 1,700 black men in these two major American sports. OK, I’m not being fair you say; what about the other sports? Venus, Serena — we’ve got tennis covered. Tiger — there’s golf. Of course I am exaggerating, but you get the point; the number of black individuals in other professional salaried full season sports (except baseball — but less than 10 percent of the ~900 MLB players identify themselves as black) is relatively negligible. I understand that this does not include actors and musicians who are also in the entertainment industry, but how many black male musicians and actors can you count? Certainly not more than 1,000. So, with a generous 2,700 black men in professional entertainment, considering that there are over 19 million black men in this country, I can tell you with confidence that the majority of us are not there (i.e., no more than 0.14 percent of black men are in these professions).

Prison! A lot of us are certainly there. In 2009, ~850,000 black men were incarcerated. That is ~40 percent of the male prison population. Let’s think this through carefully: 2,700 professional entertainers compared to 850,000 prisoners. Not only does this baffle me, it upsets me. It upsets me for multiple reasons, not the least of which is why we make up such a high percentage of this population. Another reason this number of 850,000 upsets me is that I have fallen victim to a delusion. The delusion is this: Most black men are in prison or entertainment (and within entertainment, predominantly sports). How many times do you hear that fallacy? Reviewing the aforementioned numbers, less than 5 percent of black men are in these areas. Over 95 percent of us are elsewhere.

Black men in medicine is my focus for this article. In 2004, approximately 3.3 percent of the physician workforce was composed of black men and women. In 2011, according to the AAMC, the percentage of medical school applicants who were black males decreased to 2.5 percent. I can write a book on the issues leading to this (literally since are so many contributing factors) but that’s for a different place and time. Rather, let me very briefly focus on one thing that I am passionate about: mentoring.

where-the-bros-at-photo-e1429835271615-300x194

I love the photo above. It captures so many elements pertaining to what young black men need. That being the case, I will briefly detail five aspects of the image that I feel are essential to maximize the mentoring process.

Presence. Perhaps most important in the mentoring relationship is the mentor’s presence. This photo was taken at the Diverse Medicine booth at the 2015 SNMA AMEC conference in New Orleans. I watched in amazement as these premedical students chatted with this mentor for nearly one hour. Their desire to gain wisdom and guidance was inspiring to the point that I had to capture the moment with a photo. It is proof to me that young black men are looking for mentors. But in order to mentor someone, you need to be present and willing.

Seniority. There is no question who is the senior member of this group. By senior I simply mean the one who is further along in his development for the topic at hand. This photo clearly relates the direction in which wisdom is being passed. Mentorship requires an understanding of roles. There should be no question who the senior member in the relationship is.

Similarity. If for no other reason, the young men in the photo can relate to mentor because they are of the same ethnic background. I want to be clear about this; some of the best mentors I have ever had are not black, so this is by no means the most important thing in mentoring. So by similarity, I do not mean solely race. You can have similar interest, similar experiences, similar humor, etc.

Attention. It seems rare nowadays for young men to look older men directly in the eyes. Not these gentlemen. The image exemplifies their attentiveness to the mentor and from that, their desire to grow and be successful is evident. Keeping the attention of a young black man in today’s world is no easy task. There are numerous distractions to overcome.

Respect. Just look at the photo. The posture, the closed lips, the separation in positioning. Need I say more?

Next time someone asks you, “Where the brothers at? Why aren’t they in medicine?” Please do not say because they are all playing sports or in prison. That is not true. There are plenty of young black men who are easily accessible, and who are just waiting for someone to mentor them. It is my firm belief that we will not be able to increase the number of black men in the medical field until we can take the imagery that I have highlighted in this photo, and put it into practice.

What we need is the presence of men with seniority in the field of medicine, who are similar to our young black men, and who can capture their attention and in doing so gain their respect. This is my vision. It might not be the best one, but it is one. And remember, where there is no vision, the people perish.

“Dr. Dale” is a physician who blogs at Diverse Medicine.

Prev

Pathology second opinions can be valuable even with no change in diagnosis

May 6, 2015 Kevin 3
…
Next

I care about structured data. Here's why you should, too.

May 6, 2015 Kevin 14
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Residency

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Pathology second opinions can be valuable even with no change in diagnosis
Next Post >
I care about structured data. Here's why you should, too.

More by Dr. Dale

  • Why your child should have a black, male doctor

    Dr. Dale
  • How to raise a doctor

    Dr. Dale
  • Do medical school rankings really matter?

    Dr. Dale

More in Physician

  • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

    Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH
  • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

    Anonymous
  • The pediatric health care system tested to the limits: an inside look at the “at capacity” period during the tripledemic

    Jacqueline Bolt, MD
  • How chronic illness and disability are portrayed in media and the importance of daily choices for improved quality of life

    Juliet Morgan and Meghan Jobson
  • How biased language and stigmatizing labels affect patient care and treatment

    Joan Naidorf, DO
  • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Unmasking the brutal reality of gun violence in America: a call to action for unity and meaningful change

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Policy
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

      Anonymous | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 8 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • What Drug Did FDA Just Approve for COVID?
  • PET Scan for Alzheimer's Dx; Predicting Colon Cancer Survival
  • What Happens When We Classify Kids' Weight as a 'Disease'?
  • Sotagliflozin Gets FDA's Blessing for Heart Failure
  • Cardiorespiratory Monitoring Can Be Telling of Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants

Meeting Coverage

  • No Access to Routine Healthcare Biggest Barrier to HPV Vaccination
  • Trial Results Spark Talk of Curing More Metastatic Cervical Cancers
  • Cross-Border Collaboration Improves Survival in Pediatric Leukemia Patients
  • Monoclonal Antibody Reduced Need For Transfusions in Low-Risk MDS
  • Less-Invasive Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer Proves Safe, Effective
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Unmasking the brutal reality of gun violence in America: a call to action for unity and meaningful change

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Policy
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

      Anonymous | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Where the brothers at? Why aren’t they in medicine?
8 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...