This post was originally published on St. Louis American
By JoAnn Weaver
Less than 6% of physicians in the U.S. identify as African American, according to statistics from SSM Health.
A new book called “Black Girls in White Coats” is helping to inspire Black girls to become doctors, and could help increase that low percentage.
Written by Dr. Jovita Ugochi N. Oruwari, a breast surgeon at SSM Health DePaul Hospital, the collection of narratives draws on personal and professional challenges and milestones that Black female doctors experience.
“This book actually means quite a lot to me as a Black woman,” Dr. Oruwari said. “I’ve always just had an affinity for wanting more and the best for my fellow Black women and Black girls. I also strongly believe that it’s so hard to try to be or try to aspire to something that you have never seen.”
The book features powerful testimonies from African American female doctors in multiple disciplines who share their experiences navigating the medical field.
“This book seeks to empower young Black girls who need to see people that do what we do,” says Dr. Oruwari, who was an Excellence in Healthcare awardee during the 2016 St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon.
“We need more Black physicians. ‘Black Girls In White Coats’ provides encouragement for Black girls dreaming of becoming doctors. From my work at SSM Health DePaul Hospital, I felt this collection of memories can be a guiding light for Black girls as well as help alleviate the stigma associated within the Black community around health care.”
“Black Girls In White Coats” demonstrates Dr. Oruwari commitment to delivering exceptional health care services to underserved communities.
“Many of us grew up in families where there’s no one in healthcare, no doctors, [and] no nurses. I hope this book gives kids that don’t have those role models the ability to see people that look like them in healthcare and hopefully encourage them to inspire them,” Dr. Oruwari said.
Dr. Oruwari received her Doctor of Medicine and completed her residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey.
A native Nigerian, Dr. Oruwari was recruited to St. Louis after finishing her fellowship at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She has been a practicing physician for 20 years and has been with SSM Health DePaulHospital since 2020.
“I’m a breast cancer surgeon and I primarily take care of women who hae breast cancer. We know that breast cancer is a disease that affects everyone equally, but Black women disproportionately die from it,” Dr. Oruwari said.
“What I’m trying to do in the community is to spread the word, bring the word out to women of color, letting them know that they should go for screening, they should have breast self-exams.
“Prevention is a lot of what we’re doing here at SSM, that’s what we’re trying to bring to the community.”
When asked what the inspiration for her book came from, Dr. Oruwari talked about her experience of treating patients during the pandemic.
“It was just something that I started thinking about since the pandemic from taking care of breast cancer patients in West County to taking care of breast cancer patients in mid to North County,” she said.
“During the pandemic there was this whole debate about the vaccine, and so many people of color were dying from the virus and so many people of color were distrustful of the vaccine.”
Dr. Oruwari said she explained to patients why they should get the vaccine, which helped them decide to receive one.
“I knew that it was a big difference in having people hear me tell them than someone of a different race saying the same thing,” she said.
“Looking into racial disparities, we know that health outcomes tend to be better for people that are taken care of by people that look like them. That’s what inspired me to write this.”
The doctor believes that her book will encourage future generations to become the doctors of tomorrow.
“We really want this book to go out and inspire young African American girls and get them into the healthcare profession so that they can become our replacements because we are not going to practice forever, so we need more women of color in the field,” she said.
