Imani McElroy is a general surgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is in the first two years of the research component of her residency, during which she’s completing an MPH and doing outcomes research in trauma and vascular surgery. She plans to pursue specialized training in Vascular Surgery and ultimately return home to California to care for underserved communities. In this episode, Dr. McElroy discusses why only 0.79% of academic surgeons are black women, as well as the barriers that contribute to this astounding statistic. This paucity of black women surgical trainees cannot be explained by a lack of black women applicants. We also explore the scarcity of high quality mentorship and the contributions inequities play. She defines the “glass cliff” and explains why black women and minorities are leaving academia in high numbers. We discuss the minority tax that women in medicine are bearing and the potential solutions to overcoming these barriers. Her insightfulness will cause you to deeply ponder the interactions you have had in the workplace and their subtle implications which may communicate deeper truths. You won’t want to miss this engaging conversation.
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Great great podcast. Hit a nerve and plan to look into this some in my specialty in the UK.
My jaw dropped that Dr. McElroy had been mistaken for kitchen staff…and then I remembered my grandmother. Most of the racist things that come to my mind present in her voice. She may be dead, but there are many like her that are still alive and in need of professional, talented healthcare workers. Those who chose to serve in such capacities have enough to deal with trying to problem solve for diagnosis and treatment. They don’t need the unneccessary drain of verbal oppression.
I loved this episode and I look forward to listening to other episodes <3