Reaching the goal of becoming a medical professional entails a multitude of transitions.  It’s a process. In my case, the first two decades were filled with uncertainty about the viability of becoming a physician.

We are approaching another season of transition for college students considering medical school, medical students searching for residency programs, and residents truly getting their feet wet at job opportunities or having fellowship applications approved. 

Here, we pay tribute to the late Dr. T.B. Ellis, UMMC’s first Black cardiology fellow and the first Black cardiologist in Mississippi. A Jim Hill High School graduate, Ellis played football at Jackson State University followed by signing on with the Green Bay Packers before being accepted to medical school.

Crowds gathered to support college and professional sport teams the last four weeks of 2022. We watched the World Cup, college invitational basketball tournaments, college football bowl games, and a race for NFL playoffs. The excitement stirred by such events is intense enough to make sports fans sit for 8-12 hours watching games…

As we face the notorious July 1st excitement of entering house officers, chief residents, fellows, and new faculty members, we will have opportunities to be ambassadors reflecting the positive goals set by the University of Mississippi Medical Center….

This month, we celebrate Black History Month by recognizing the first black male and female physician in the United States. Both of these historic physicians challenged prejudices present in the United States to become physicians and care for the underserved.   

My husband asked after breakfast, “Why do you have to work today? Weren’t you on call last week?”  I was going to help out at the Jackson Free Clinic. Being at the JFC doesn’t feel like work. If you have ever been there, you know what I mean. 

One of the consequences of the internet is that news travels fast. These days, we learn within seconds about mass shootings, wildfires spurring out of control, airplane crashes, or hurricanes waiting to make landfall.

If you are over 30 years old, you likely recall vividly what you were doing you when our country was hit with one of the most horrific tragedies we had ever seen.

The recent graduation ceremonies for our medical students were certainly different this year.  The usual cheering and other outbursts were muffled by masks worn at some graduation exercises, while sporadic loud yells (or shouts) of excitement pierced through the masks at other ceremonies.  Some attendees screamed, clapped, and whistled –– despite instructions to maintain a solemn demeanor until the designated time. 

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