A word that truly embodies how this all came together. A word that re-instilled in me a sense of hope in our efforts. Serendipity.
As first year medical students, Elen Mendoza and I became the new leaders of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix (UACOM-P) chapter of White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL) in December of 2020. We each share a passion for Social Justice work, and amidst both the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd exposing the ongoing systemic nature of racial injustice in our country, we were eager to continue the important work initiated by our predecessors at the College.
However, choosing a place to start proved difficult.
We knew there were opportunities to work with The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, motivations to continue making progress on the school’s 12 Action Steps Toward Inclusive Excellence, and a variety of community contacts through which we could begin new initiatives. But given the longitudinal nature of anti-racism work and the persistent prevalence of racism, choosing just a handful of ways to advocate did not seem like quite enough. Yet we had no choice but to start somewhere, especially given our limited time as medical students. So, when we were presented with a chance to submit testimony to a National Kidney Foundation Task Force, dedicated to reevaluating the use of race-adjusted measures of kidney function, which are used to make life and death decisions about treatment of disease, we jumped at the opportunity.
A previous leader of WC4BL, Briana Corkill, shared the opportunity with us from one of our incredible supporting faculty members. Prior to getting involved in this advocacy work, I did not know much about the controversies surrounding use of a particular lab test, called eGFR, which measures of the kidney’s ability to filter the blood to maintain healthy balances. I learned that different cut off points for what is a normal number in Black patients comparted to White patients contributes to racial disparities in kidney disease. This impact of this is significant, because Black patients are more likely to experience end-stage kidney disease and death due to kidney failure. We recognized that advocating for this purpose could make a difference to countless patients. In January 2021, Elen and I began participating in meetings, and eagerly listened to the inspiring testimonies shared by other medical trainees, professionals, and community advocates. We were there to learn how to support and creating change. Little did we know what was to come.
About a month later, Briana introduced us to Juyoun Han, a legal practitioner she met virtually through the testimony event. Juyoun’s law firm works to investigate how clinical decision tools can lead to disproportionate health outcomes based on race and gender, and just like us, she was excited to get connected with other community contacts to enact change. From there on, the connections branched out even further. Juyoun introduced us to Analyn and Raymond Scott, a dynamic partnership both in life and in advocacy. Analyn and Raymond founded the 1in9 Foundation to provide education and resources on early stages and detection of kidney disease, based on Raymond’s own experience as a patient of kidney failure. When we were introduced, Analyn was preparing to host a panel titled, “Shining a Light on Kidney Disease in the Black Community.” The opportunity for engagement was beyond what we ever anticipated.
When Elen and I joined this panel, along with Juyoun, we met Teshieka K. (T.K.) Curtis-Pugh, the Chief Nursing Officer at Encompass Health in Rock Hill, South Carolina, an experienced advocate for patients of color and combatting health disparities. It was at this meeting that Analyn first described all these connections as “serendipitous.” Everything seemed to be coming together perfectly, and each discussion we had gave us new ideas and opportunities for re-committing to anti-racism advocacy.
Perhaps the most serendipitous moment of all, though, was what followed. At the same time Elen and I were gaining momentum in our own plans to host a panel based on the fruitful discussions we had been having with our valued connections, we were also wrapping up our first-year cardiovascular curriculum, led by block director Dr. Elise Barney. What we soon came to discover was that Dr. Barney, a nephrologist, knows The Scott’s very well. Not only were we furthering our connections, but our connections knew each other. Serendipity incarnate.
At last, each of these amazing individuals were a part of the panel Elen and I hosted in collaboration with OEDI at UACOM-P at the end of April: Disparities in the Black Community and Racism in Clinical Algorithms.
What started out as a small opportunity to advocate – one seemingly trivial, initial step in the work Elen and I committed to doing 6 months ago – developed into a robust, community-oriented, inspiring, and united group of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, all dedicated to tackling racism beyond their unique careers. And that is perhaps what has inspired me most: witnessing fruition of the vision so many of us have, in which people from all backgrounds, races, and perspectives come together in the longitudinal fight against systemic racism.
Isabel Strouse is a rising MS2 student and
Co-leader of White Coats for Black Lives at UACOM-P
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