Cure the Culture

Do you know that only 3.6% of the currently practicing Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs as they’re commonly called) are black? In this episode, our hosts Nia Phillips PA-C talks about a wide range of medical topics covering pediatrics and the role of pediatricians and black PA's caring for children. 

Exploring the journey of how Nia got into the specialty of pediatrics, this episode gradually dives deep and answers questions about the PA profession, the differences between being a pediatrician and a PA, what does the work of these professionals look like day in and day out. The conversation further continues and touches upon the topics of educating a parents or caretakers on what are the things that can and should be done to safeguard the health of their children and why this is more of a collaborative effort between the clinicians and parents/caretakers. Nia also answers some of the pressing medical questions that parents often have when trying to navigate their pediatricians office, emergency department and urgent care office when faced with a sick or injured child.

Later in the episode, the hosts also discuss the types of disorders that children of color often face the most, what are the factors that one should consider before choosing a pediatrician office, and some of the red flags that are to be avoided while doing so.

If you are a parent or the caretaker of a child or expecting to become one soon, you don’t want to miss listening to this episode!

Timestamps:

• 02:58 Black history fact.
• 06:19 Nia's Journey and introduction.
• 07:35 How Nia got into pediatrics
• 12:01 What would encourage more black students to take up pediatrics/get a PA degree?
• 16:01 What are the differences/similarities between working as a pediatrician or a PA in rural versus urban settings?
• 21:01 What is a physician assistant(PA)?
• 27:40 What advice do you find yourself giving to parents often?
• 31:45 What necessitates going to the office vs urgent care vs ER?
• 38:05 Pediatric concerns that are impacting children of color or interventions that play out differently in communities of color?
• 46:44 Should parents or caretakers interview pediatricians? How soon is too soon?
• 50:28 Red flags while interviewing pediatricians.
• 53:36 Aspects of being a pediatrician/PA that most people don’t know about?
• 56:30 Lightning round getting to know the host Nia

Let's talk about relationships!

This episode highlights our very own Eboni Gadson MSW, LSW. Eboni studied psychology at St. John's University in Queens, New York. When she's not working with individuals and couples at The Princeton Center for MindBody Healing, you can find her leading discussions about sexuality, trauma, healthy relationships, and how healthcare practitioners can provide more affirming care.

Eboni and I sit down to discuss all things relationships and answer your questions about monogamy, polygamy, and marriage. We also examine therapy options for individuals and couples exploring these topics. Lastly, we have some engaging dialogue about break-ups and dealing with many types of infidelity that can occur in a relationship.

You don't want to miss this one!

Episode Highlights:

• [00:03:10] Black History was made when Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark decided to marry. Learn about this dynamic power couple and their contributions to the field of psychology and history.
• [00:06:08] Get to know our very own Eboni Gadson, MSW, LSW
• [00:08:08] Relationships can contribute to significant life changes. Eboni and I discuss how individuals and couples can manage the emotions of maintaining a relationship, children, dealing with intimacy issues, and much more.
• [00:08:58] Breaking up is hard to do, but did you know that there are tools available to minimize emotional grief?
• [00:16:44] Eboni explains the process of Discernment Therapy.
• [00:22:21] Finding a therapist of color can be daunting. Finding a sex therapist of color to discuss your sex life feels impossible! Listen as Eboni, and I share strategies to get the help you need.
• [00:24:14] How to advocate for yourself in therapy, knowing when to change providers, and resolving concerns - we always bring you insight on your rights as a patient.
• [00:26:45] What is Healthy Conflict Resolution and what does it mean to "Strike While The Iron Is Cold." - Eboni shares her perspectives on creating healthy habits in your relationship.
• [00:37:05] What are treatment goals in a therapy setting, how do they hold you and your medical provider accountable? Eboni breaks it down for us.
• [00:41:23] Fun Fact: What are Eboni's red flags and deal breakers when dating?

According to recent figures, there are only 500 Black Hematologist/Oncologist in America. If you've listened to the show before, you know that our most powerful tool to Curing The Culture is more Black healthcare providers in EVERY aspect of healthcare. This week we are discussing an important topic, Multiple Myeloma - a rare type of cancer that develops in "white blood cells called a plasma cells. Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies. In multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications. To discuss this topic, I am interviewing  Hematologist / Oncologist. Dr. Daphanie D. Taylor. In this conversation, we discuss her career and 14 year journey in medicine, the shortage of Black Hematologists/Oncologist, and everything about Multiple Myeloma from symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. We hope that this podcast episode provides insight into the disease that black people are 2 x's more likely to develop and helps to dispel any myths you may have heard.

Key Takeaways:

• [00:00:33] Get to know Daphanie D. Taylor, Hematologist/Oncologist and Dallas Native 
• [00:02:03] Dr. Taylor was born into a family of healthcare providers. Still, a traumatic event led her to become a physician - Listen as she shares her journey into medicine. 
• [00:07:31] It's no secret that we need more black physicians like Dr. Taylor. Join us in this informative discussion about medical residency, fellowship, and managing the stress of becoming a doctor. 
• [00:19:09] Forget Ciara's Prayer - Dr. Taylor shares a prayer that every physician of color should use to find their ideal working environment 
• [00:21:12] A quick look into how insurance impacts your standard of care and tips to working with your physician to cut through the red tape. 
• [00:23:39] A "Short" story about the beauty of caring for patients - You're sure to fall in love with this one. 
• [00:26:54] The politics of healthcare for a southern black physician and how to overcome it to provide outstanding care for your patients.
• [00:33:21] What is Multiple Myeloma from diagnosis to treatment? Dr. Taylor breaks down the complicated terminology, testing, and stages.
• [00:39:12] The levels of Multiple Myeloma explained straightforwardly - listen as Dr. Taylor discusses this illness's stages, impact on other organs, and how physicians create specific care plans.

Resources: 

1. Medical Apartheid, by Harriet Washington 

Want to know how you can get involved and help Cure The Culture, email us with questions, comments, and send us future show ideas, we’re always listening!

The reason for the high rate of Black Maternal Mortality in the United States can't be narrowed down into one single cause. Still, our next guest believes that the solution lies in returning to our roots - Midwifery. "We can eradicate this epidemic by keeping women healthy," says Amanda Mondesir LM, CM, MS. Amanda is the founder of Mon De'sir Midwifery and the host of the Midwifery In The Mornings Podcast. In this interview, Amanda discusses her holistic approach to Midwifery and the importance of caring for her patient's physical and emotional needs. Join us as we discuss the importance of caring for your patient's mental, spiritual, and physical needs, the history of Midwifery, and why Amanda says that it's up to us collectively to heal our culture. 

Have you tried various different diets, but none seems to be working for you? You have come to the right place. Aubrey Redd will help us explore and umask diet culture, and chances are, by the end of the episode, you will have answers to your questions. Aubrey Redd, MS, RDN, LDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist practicing in Pennsylvania. Her private practice, Aubrey Redd Nutrition LLC, aims to support her patients on their journey from exiting diet culture to finding food freedom. For her, nutrition isn’t “one-size-fits-all” - it’s an individualized approach! Aubrey will share actionable tips on leading healthier lifestyles while still enjoying the foods you love. 

Comedian Katt Williams said it best "Some of us need to check in with our star player."

Your primary care provider or "PCP" is the quarterback of your health team, and just like a quarterback, your PCP is responsible for getting in the huddle with you and leading you on your health journey. In this episode of Cure The Culture, we are chatting with Dr. Jubril Oyeyemi, a Penn State College of Medicine graduate and founder of the Cherry Hill Free Clinic, about the role of primary care providers. Dr. Oyeyemi's desire to lead his patients to improved health and wellness is the result of witnessing his childhood friend pass away due to a lack of access to healthcare. His experience as an inpatient hospitalist seeing patients struggle to get reliable and high quality care was largely due to combination of wealth and health inequities. Dr. Oyeyemi was thus inspired to establish The Cherry Hill Free Clinic which provides free medical services to the under and uninsured patients in New Jersey. Join us as we discuss the importance of building a relationship with a PCP you trust to ensure you stay on the right track in maintaining your most prized possession - your health.

Key  Takeaways: 

• [00:02:44]  Cure  the  Culture  is  an  interactive  podcast  - this  is  how  you can  get  involved and suggest a topic for our podcast!
• [00:04:04]  In  each  episode  we  want  to  introduce  you  to  black trailblazers  in  the  medical  community.   This  week’s  trailblazer  is  Dr. Daniel  Hale  Williams  -  an  African  American  General  Surgeon  and  one  of the  first  physicians  in  the  United  States  to  perform  Open-Heart  Surgery. 
• [00:07:54]    Get  to  know  our  guest  Dr.  Jubril  Oyeyemi  and  learn  how  the  loss  of  his  childhood  friend inspired  him  to  become  a  doctor. 
• [00:12:04]  Discover  why  Dr.  Oyeyemi  believes  the  #1  cause  of  medical issues  can  be  pinpointed  to  this  one  thing  and  hear  his  view  on  the importance  of  Culturally  Sensitive  Care.
• [00:17:05]  We  discuss  the  history  of  experimentation  without  consent and  the  generational  trauma  it  caused.    This  painful  history  is  at  the root  of  the  black  community's  mistrust  of  the  medical  profession. 
• [00:24:00]  As  medical  professionals,  we  are  concerned  about  the  stress levels  of  our  patients.  Listen  as  we  and  Dr.  Oyeyemi  discusses  how stress  impacts  clients  mental  and  physical  health.
• [00:31:15]  Obesity  is  a  chronic  disease  impacting  our  communities.  Learn how your Primary  Care  Physician  can  help  you  in  this  area.

Food is our happy place, literally!

Did you know that 95% of serotonin is produced in our gastrointestinal tract (G.I.)? The link between proper nutrition and good health is well-documented, yet most healthcare providers are taught very little about the natural healing power of food.  Worse are the barriers between insurance providers and dieticians like our guest, Denine Rogers MS, RDN, L.D., FAND. Instead of using a proper balanced diet, exercise and nutrition to heal, we are often taught to treat patients with pharmaceuticals.  Today, we speak to Denine Rogers, registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist, about the need for more black dieticians, barriers within the field, and how physicians and dieticians can work together to create a complete and individualized wellness plan.

[00:01:53] Meet Denine Rogers MS, RDN, LD, FAND

[00:03:49] What inspired her to become a dietitian 

[00:13:54] Why the culture needs more black dieticians and how to get started

[00:14:04]  Challenges that dieticians face and how to overcome them

[00:17:44]  How Denine is leading the charge to recruit more dieticians

[00:23:50]  Reframing weight loss to make better food choices

• Denine did not aspire to be a dietitian and nutritionist. It was an internship and the encouragement of Paula Sneed, the first black Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Resources & Initiatives at Kraft Foods, Inc., that exposed her to the industry. Her experience highlights the importance of mentorship in the black community.
• Healthy living is marketed as aspirational instead of a fundamental human right. This causes underrepresented communities to shy away from healthy lifestyle changes. In this interview, Denine explains the mental and physical roadblocks that prevent patients from experiencing the healing benefits of food and how dieticians and physicians can begin to work together.

Let’s welcome Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards, an associate Professor at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of Research for the Cook Centre of Social Equity at Duke University. Her research centers on how racism, gender, and culture influence African Americans’ healthy development throughout their life. She joins us to discuss how COVID has affected the black community, how to cope, and what’s next.

A winding round brought Keisha to where she is now. Growing up in a safe household in a city with gang violence, Keisha was always aware that life wasn’t fair for everyone, and her family was very focused and involved in protecting youth and families. At Howard University, Keisha began to learn more about the disparities that were in play for marginalized communities. Much of her work comes from frustration, why do we have to fight to survive and thrive in spite of the system?

Moving on, Keisha discusses the experience of black patients and the importance of having POC caregivers. With COVID, when testing actually caught up, it showed black people were disproportionately at risk from COVID, and at an earlier age. Social constructs are not in the favor of the black community, and we need to address the why. Advocate for your care, ask questions, and fight for yourself.

With COVID, Keisha has seen a lot more interdepartmental cooperation, and she hopes it endures and moves through to other areas. Continuity of care is so important when battling disparity and the roadblocks to further care prevent that.

To end today’s episode, we are taken through the reasons for vaccine hesitancy in the black community, how to combat it, and the ways in which black people are more at risk.

Today we are joined by Dr. Beth Walker-Graham, currently the Director of Psychotherapy and Behavioural Health at a large hospital network in New Jersey. Dr. Walker-Graham joins us to discuss the importance of mental health, why seeing black practitioners is essential, and the experiences of black patients.

Dr. Walker-Graham begins by discussing her own experiences as a black practitioner and as a black patient. In her life and practice, she promotes doing the work and being your own advocate in both mental and physical health. No one can fix your problems but you, practitioners just give you the right tools to do so.

Patients don’t often understand the symptoms of things like anxiety and depression, so simplify your language. Dr. Walker-Graham often starts by asking patients “what are you afraid of?”. This allows you and them to begin to understand what the cause is. Getting patients to go to therapy is always a struggle, but it’s about building a trust and understanding of how mental health contributes to physical health and vice versa. Education of patients and practitioners is key.

When it comes to seeing more black people in the healthcare industry, Dr. Walker-Graham believes we need to have more involved in the admissions and interviewing process. Othering and micro-aggression can be prevalent in some medical fields, which is obviously going to put black people off of trying to work in those areas.

When it comes to protective factors for black people, community, culture, and spirituality is hugely important to coping with trauma and stress. It boils down to tradition and trust. The narrative surrounding mental health needs to be rewritten to make it more accessible and acceptable. Allow yourself to try different modalities and find what works for you.

CURE THE CULTURE is a space where members of the diaspora can speak to the provider and patient experience. We cultivate health conversations in the black community and answer questions through research-based dialogue. A safe haven where black patients can come listen to various topics that affect the health and wellness of our community. Join Nia and Eboni for in-depth discussions with black healthcare specialists.