• Boston College – Undergraduate
  
• U of Hartford – Graduate School
  
• Ross University – Medical School
  
• Past Surviving Medicine Senior Editor
  

Instagram  |  Choosing Myself  |  Shame in MedSchool  |  Podcast Episode 36

Wow, 2020, it is like the gift that keeps on giving. A year of natural disasters, pandemics, and now social reform. I am recording this the week after the start of the civil rights protests surrounding George Floyd’s murder. If you are listening after the fact, you likely already know how this turns out, but for right now, we are living through history and every day brings changes to human equality in solidarity with the movement #Blacklivesmatter.

The topic of social justice, black lives, white privilege is obviously a difficult one. The healthcare system and medical education is a prime offender in ensuring diversity on all fronts. From the lack of diversity in many schools to the social prejudice’s minority students endure in the hospitals, the term #whitecoatsforblacklives is only the start of the change. Being a white male myself, I come from a lineage guilty of perpetuating racial injustice. In thinking about today’s podcast, I felt it was important to talk to someone about this topic. I know I have a lot to learn and I know there are things I can do to ensure equality in the future. Today we brought back one of our previous podcast guests, Jeremy Scott from Episode 36, where we dive into it. Before I introduce our guest, let me start by saying that I am not an expert in diversity, and I know I will unknowingly make mistakes in discussing the topic. Dialogue is crucial for all of us to learn how to discuss these issues, so while Jeremy eloquently speaks about growing up as a black gay male in America, know that I still have some work to do in how I discuss the topic.

Jeremy Scott MS, MSIII is a third-year medical student at Ross University. Jeremy is a non-traditional medical student with a Master’s degree and experience working in retail for 5 years, as a research technician, as a lab supervisor, and as a teacher and professor. Jeremy has a passion for salsa dancing and running and is a contributor for Surviving Medicine with my favorite piece of his titled “Mental Health: Choosing to Prioritize Myself.” Jeremy was our guest back in Episode 36, where we discuss why he chose medicine. Today Professor Scott showed up. In this episode, we dive deep discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition from didactic to clinical years in school, what Caribbean schools are doing during the pandemic, his experience growing up in a historically racist town, and what I can do, as a white male, to improve the lives of those within the black community.

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