ABOUT ME
I M P A C T
Passion &
Career Goals
“…at the intersection of systemic racism, healthcare policy, and orthopedic biomechanics…”
During the pandemic, I experienced severe lower back pain that greatly affected my mobility. Various healthcare professionals had different opinions on the cause, but only physical therapy temporarily improved my condition. I still occasionally experience back pain and worry about future episodes. This experience has inspired my interest in orthopedic biomechanics, particularly prosthetics, and exoskeletons, to help restore autonomy to individuals with lifelong mobility challenges.
My long-term goal is to address healthcare disparities in the Black community by expanding the range of care provided by surgeons and practitioners. I aim to conduct research at the intersection of systemic racism, healthcare policy, and orthopedic biomechanics to offer holistic care and assistive technology to underserved communities. To achieve this, I aim to acquire an interdisciplinary education, integrating both engineering and medical knowledge to understand the biological aspects of ailments and develop effective assistive technology tailored to the patient's needs.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
My commitment to health-equity-focused medical technology took on new life as the lives of over a million Americans came to an end. Pandemics are often called the great equalizer, implying that death and disease affect everyone equally regardless of demography or identity. After enduring a global pandemic, I know its devastation is anything but equal. I watched the great healthcare divide crack only wider between those who could afford wellness and those who could not. While death comes for us all, medical interventions and the US healthcare system still pick and choose which of us are saved. Impoverished, Black, and Brown communities suffer disproportionally when receiving medical care. From breast cancer to diabetes to a global pandemic, health gaps and disparities result in more people of color dying from treatable conditions than their white counterparts every year.
While the Quarantine has come and gone, this issue persists, drastically hindering the health and quality of life in underserved communities. When a patient’s resources are low, as is the case in many underserved communities, it is imperative that the proper treatment be prescribed as early as possible to increase the likelihood of effective treatment and decrease treatment costs and patient suffering. Treatable diseases that are not caught and accurately diagnosed in their infancy can decrease the quality of life and increase mortality for minorities all over the country. This requires not only appropriate treatment but also adequate technology to accurately diagnose the ailment. Medical equipment accustomed to lighter skin, physician bias regarding the health or pain tolerance of the Black community, and inaccessibility to proper health care can all impact a patient’s health greatly. As researchers, the least we can do is ensure that the therapies and technologies we develop provide the best possible solution for all in need.