The effort would eventually turn into Black Men in White Coats, an initiative with the goal to increase the number of Black men entering the medical profession through mentoring, exposure and inspiration in the form of short documentary series.
Now with a Black Men In White Coats Summit scheduled this month, Okorodudu is continuing the work to increase aspiring Black male clinicians’ confidence and investing in their future success.
“Along the journey, I was one of the few [Black men]. A lot of things go through your mind when you’re one of the few,” said Okorodudu, a pulmonary and critical care physician and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “We wanted to encourage people and let them know that they could achieve the same thing that we achieved.”
Dr. Dale Okorodudu speaks with students.
Black Men in White Coats’ website features an array of video and podcast episodes sharing the insights and advice of Black males in healthcare careers. There is a video of physician and UCLA assistant professor Dr. Stanley Frencher Jr. speaking about mentorship, stress management, his upbringing in a family of doctors and his hospital’s impact in the surrounding community.
Another features resident physician Dr. Kwadwo Owusu-Akyaw speaking about his experience at Duke University Health System, the importance of giving youth opportunities and the advice he lives with from his father that “you can be unapologetically Black and be unapologetically excellent” simultaneously.
