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Turkey Dinners and Gratitude
62 Plays4 months ago
It’s that time of year on RTL where we show our gratitude for all the things that have happened in our communities, and our hope for change in certain areas that may not leave us feeling quite content. Join us as we discuss some recent trending topics, including climate change worries, Skai Jackson and her new bundle of joy, the Grammy nominations, and more!
Click this link to apply for the SNMA x Vituity Social Justice Scholarship: https://snma.org/general/custom.asp?page=VituityScholarship
Be sure to stay tuned to all of our programming being released here on The Lounge!
To share your thoughts on our discussions or if you have any questions to ask our hosts, email podcast@snma.org for a chance to be featured on the show!
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed on our podcast do not reflect the official stance of the Student National Medical Association.
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Transcript
Scholarship Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
The views expressed on this podcast represent only those of the hosts and do not represent the views of the Student National Medical Association.
00:00:09
Speaker
The SNMA and Vytuity Social Justice Scholarship is currently accepting applications. The scholarship is awarded to SNMA medical students from historically underrepresented communities, which helps further our mission to increase representation in medicine. VITUITY will award four $2,500 scholarships to help further the education of medical students who demonstrated an outstanding commitment to impacting their community and addressing health care inequities. The deadline to submit your application for this award is Tuesday, December 3rd at 11.59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
00:00:44
Speaker
For more information on how to apply for this amazing opportunity, click the link in the description box below. Now let's start the show.
Podcast Introduction
00:01:08
Speaker
Welcome to SNMA Presents the Lounge. Whether you're in the student lounge, doctor's lounge, or lounging around at home, get ready to join SNMA for meaningful conversations on topics affecting minorities in medicine and groups that often sit at the margins of healthcare. I'm student Dr. Isabella, and we have entered the season of giving thanks and rallying around loved ones.
00:01:27
Speaker
So in addition to the dinner plans that you all may be looking forward to next week, I'd like to ask you, Samisa, since it's just you and I today, um what are you most grateful for this
Thanksgiving Reflections
00:01:36
Speaker
Thanksgiving season? I can actually go first. um I think for me, I'm honestly grateful to be in a space right now in my medical journey where I'm now currently applying and looking for jobs. and you know interviewing and everything for a job. I feel like there's such a huge delayed gratification process um in medicine, and it's just really reassuring and rewarding to be at the stage where now we are seeing the fruits of our labor happen, and we're getting to select like where we're going to make, not only training, but you know make money.
00:02:06
Speaker
hey Very important decisions. Very, very important. it Very, very important. But you know, I definitely am grateful for that outside of the Thanksgiving meal that I will definitely eat this year.
Medical Interview Challenges
00:02:18
Speaker
What about you?
00:02:19
Speaker
Yeah, I have two really big things. So one, I want to second what you're saying about the whole interview process. We're both fourth years. Oh, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm like talking, like y'all know me. um I'm Steve Zachary, Samiza Palmer. Good to hear from you guys again. um But yeah, back to the Thanksgiving gratefulness. um I'm super grateful for, um you know, just everything happening with interviews. Like Isabella said, like you just kind of keep working all throughout like med school and you like, I just need to make sure that when match comes, like it's okay. um And I literally have a... draft, a tweet draft right now, sorry, a tweet draft right now, to just really talk about just how grateful I am, just like the whole, the whole entirety of fourth year, just sub eyes and that going well and the abs going well. And now you're in the season where people are like, yo, like you did a lot. A hundred percent. You did a
Thanksgiving Plans
00:03:17
Speaker
lot. This is important. and Your place is necessary and it's just yeah super grateful. um And another big personal one for me,
00:03:25
Speaker
is my mom just turned 60 actually. So, so sad. and to her all like i know i love her i cry he's glittering i thirteenine dadty right now but that' all her there um but no I think more so than you know just her you know reaching this new decade of life. It's been a super hard year for my family personally. And I think seeing her hit that milestone for me, I'm just like incredibly grateful.
00:03:54
Speaker
um But yeah, hopefully we get to this food. I don't have like a Thanksgiving house that I go to. So I'm a little wary about where the dinner plans are happening. Where the dinner plans are helping. Don't worry. It's going to be good. ri regard How I see it is that no matter what happens, the food, the food plans are going to come through. They always come through every Thanksgiving. You don't need to have a set plan. Just show up somewhere.
Current Events in Medicine
00:04:18
Speaker
The food is going to come.
00:04:19
Speaker
Throw up and don't throw up empty handed. No matter what you do, bring something. You gotta bring something. You gotta contribute. That's very important, but yeah. Love it, love it, love it. But you go you know, guys, everyone who's listening, you know that it is time for us to introduce our favorite part of the show. It's time for us to run the list. So for our preclinical students running the patient list on the wards allows the team to address pressing matters of the day. In this segment of the show, we'll be discussing some recent events in medicine and beyond affecting our communities and the populations we serve.
00:04:48
Speaker
So, you know, we're going to start off you too you know with but what's been on everybody's mind. we've We've been kind of keeping it a little bit low key on the podcast when it comes to this. And I think um we want to make sure that this is a balanced conversation because I think, one, SMA is a nonpartisan organization, so we're mindful of that. SMA actually did release a statement um following the election results, and I would like to read that out. um I'm going to be a quick reader because I see a couple paragraphs because I'm going to make sure that's I'll read like the first you know paragraph first two paragraphs and the clothes and we'll stick it to there. so Dear SMA family, in the face of every challenge, every obstacle, and every moment of doubt, we stand strong.
00:05:33
Speaker
We are still here, bound together by a shared a mission, our passion, and our commitment to a vision that transcends the walls of medicine to reach the hearts and minds of our communities. The Student National Medical Association remains as steadfast as ever, driven by our dedication to diversifying the medical profession, uplifting underrepresented minority students, and addressing the health care needs of undeserved communities across the nation.
00:05:53
Speaker
Our mission is more than words. It is a commitment, a pledge, and a call to action that we carry with us in every patient encounter, every classroom, and every advocacy effort. We are here to nurture the next generation of minority physicians, to provide culturally competent, clinically excellent care, and to break down systemic barriers that limit access to health care and opportunity. We are here because we know that diversity in medicine is not only beneficial, but necessary for the health and well-being of all.
U.S. Elections Analysis
00:06:16
Speaker
They closed, telling us, thank you for your commitment, your resilience, and your belief in this mission. Together, we will continue to push boundaries, create space, and build a path toward a health care system that truly represents and serves everyone. We are SNMA, and we are here to stay. Yours in SNMA. Word. That's a big word. And so if you'd like to read the whole statement, you can go on SNMA's Instagram page. They posted it there. I believe it may even be on their Facebook um as well. um you know I think in general, we you and I recognize the what the election came with and everyone's gonna have different opinions and in terms of what happened. But I think let's get into actually all of the the nuances and pieces that came about with this particular election that maybe some people weren't expecting. So all the swing states this cycle happened to be red. Yeah, they swung in one direction.
00:07:11
Speaker
So I go a direction and it's like, and who, I don't know if people were expecting that or whatever, but um that's what happened. And Trump actually defeated, but or Biden, sorry, and back in 2020 defeated Trump in winning six out of the seven. So this year it was a complete turn of events where Trump actually beat Harris in all swing states. um And funnily enough, like in the 2016 election, it sort of went the same way. So it's kind of like we've done this like flip flop. And it's kind of like the flip flop is, is it just like people want to go back and forth with, you know,
00:07:52
Speaker
how we're planning to vote in a particular swing state, is it kind of just a coincidence? I don't know, because sometimes there's patterns that have a predictability, or sometimes there's patterns that are random. And for our sake, let's hope it was random. You know what I'm trying to say? Let's hope it was a random mistake. Yeah, I mean, you know, I don't i don't think this is necessarily an opinion, but I think that people have had opinions about the current administration. I think people have been saying you know their opinions. And yeah I think you know for a lot of us, like we didn't know necessarily what to do with these opinions. And I think people apparently let their voices be heard you know this this election cycle. So I think that's what we're seeing. I think we're seeing a fallout of
00:08:39
Speaker
this current administration not necessarily dealing with every you know complaint that they got. And I think the complaints have been loud and clear, I will say. Right, and it definitely showed in the way that people voted because this year, accordinging according to the Associated Press, Trump won 74.6 million votes nationwide or 50.5% compared it to Harris's 70.9 million or 48%. We live in a political system where the way that the election is decided is based on the electoral college, a very specific system, and is's not every um country goes by this, and so I think it's worth kind of describing. Explain that to some of our viewers. For those of us who, you know, it's been a little minute since we've been in the civics government class about the federalism, all of that, let's talk about it. What is the electoral college?
00:09:32
Speaker
yeah Okay, I'm glad you you mentioned that. So the Electoral College, according to brennancenter dot.org, is a group of intermediaries designated by the Constitution to select the President and Vice President of the United States. Each of the 50 states is so allocated presidential electors equal to the number of its representatives and senators. And so in total, the Electoral College actually is made up of 538 members and a presidential candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes to or yeah they they have to win the majority of those votes which equates to 270 whoever reaches 271st is elected the President of the United States um and so that is what occurred
00:10:10
Speaker
um in this case, Trump hit 271st. How was it established? um So of course, actually, before I even get into that, because there are some states say that are larger than others, right, some states, the larger states will have a bigger share of the electoral college votes, which is why we speak about the swing states where ah a state like Pennsylvania, they're going to get a huge amount of electoral votes compared to, say, Rhode Island. um And so that's why it's crucial that you want to swing the swing states into your favor if you want to secure that presidential ticket. um and so But getting into how it was established, um back in 1787, the Constitutional Convention settled on the electoral college as a compromise between delegates who thought Congress should select the president and others who favored a direct nationwide popular vote. Instead, state legislators were entrusted with appointing electors. So that's kind of how we got here.
00:10:58
Speaker
um Yeah. Can I just, I just want to say something to this. um I think it's really important that you talked about like when this was established. This was established in the 18th century. America looked very different at that time. and I think, you know, when it was established, it was, you know, we're a new country, we're thinking of how do we keep equal representation happening and you don't necessarily keep it concentrated um like in these city centers or you know you don't necessarily like basically
00:11:33
Speaker
cancel out people's votes because they have a large land mass, but not a bunch of people. I think this sort of discussion comes up every few years about the electoral college and its place in American politics. So I think before we can even have those discussions about opinions on it, people need to know the history of
Trump's Policy Proposals
00:11:53
Speaker
it. And I think people will definitely, it's definitely not the most exciting point of American history, but it is really important when it becomes I guess, critical in modern day um issues because that is why you know our elections go have gone in at least the 21st century, have gone away, they've gone some place, some elections, we've had people that won the popular vote versus people that won the electoral college. So right now I think it's just really important for us to continue to have this conversation.
00:12:25
Speaker
Right, 100%. No, I agree. And I think it's really good that you actually made mention of that. um Now that we kind of have a better understanding as to what is the electoral college, how does it fit into American politics? um We can talk about Trump on some of the things he stated in terms of what he hopes to implement.
00:12:41
Speaker
And this is by no means a comprehensive list. right We're just kind of highlighting the things that's relevant to us as medical students, as women, and um so one being the Department of Education, which was established by President Jimmy Carter. um The point was to provide programs such as Title I funding for low achieving or high poverty K-12 schools in need of support as well as Pell grants for undergraduate students who are in financial need. um And so Trump's agenda 47 campaign actually proposed to eliminate this, which according to the DOE website establishes policy for, administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education. um Trump said that he actually would prefer the states and not the federal government to have control over schools.
00:13:20
Speaker
um Yeah, and yeah, we're gonna we're go to leave it there. um There's possibly more things. Yeah, I mean, I think the only thing that I think we can add is that I think you know since we started thinking about you know this podcast and you know what exactly we would say, more decisions have come out about specific like appointees yeah um in these different divisions. um And I believe the one that he has for this I want to say she's the WWE person. I believe so. I think I saw, I saw actually a recent ah post on social media that he, yeah, the lady from WWE. And, you know, I think that there's a lot to be said about the choices that go into
00:14:11
Speaker
to his ah cabinet, I guess, appointments. But yeah um I think overall, as medical students, as people that really do value like education and higher learning and as a personal recipient of you know grants and scholarships and fundraising, I think it's really important to that stay informed because I think eventually like some of these decisions will begin to like impact us as students. So 100% for sure. Yeah, you're right. um Because there's basically to your point, I mean, he has called for the dismantling of certain diversity initiatives and education and federal funding cuts for schools or programs that feature critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual, political content.
00:14:58
Speaker
Take that however you may, right? This is what he's said. um So we're not necessarily saying this is how we feel about it. We're just saying that this is what Trump has stated that he would like to dismantle. Yes. So we just want to make that clear. Okay. This is a quote. isn matter and This is not a representation of our opinions. This is a quote. Yeah. Yes. Yes.
00:15:18
Speaker
um Yeah, so I'm glad we went through that. So the Department of Education is going to change under Trump's presidency and and we can count on that. um Whether everything he stated is going to happen, that's yet to be determined, but we have a sense of what he has said is his plan.
00:15:35
Speaker
um Roe v. Wade, that was ah another big point that both candidates, particularly the Harris campaign, did discuss, and Trump also had his own particular stance on it. We know that the federal ah the federal backing of Roe v. Wade got dismantled due to Trump, as he stated, and he believes that Roe v. Wade should rest ah on, or I guess the choice or the ability for women to get an abortion should rest on the states, rather it being a federal requirement.
00:16:01
Speaker
um And so just some context of Roe v. Wade, because we always hear Roe v. Wade, Roe v. Wade, but no one really knows like, hey, what when did this start? Where is this coming from? So Roe v. Wade was a legal case in which the US Supreme Court on January 22nd, 1973 ruled seven to two that unduly restrictive state regulation regulation of abortion is unconstitutional.
00:16:19
Speaker
The court held that a set of Texas statutes criminalizing abortion in most instances violated a constitutional right to privacy, which is found to be implicit in the liberty guarantee of the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment, which states, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of the law.
00:16:36
Speaker
um So basically, Trump, when he was president, overturned that. And now that he's back in presidency, I think he's planning to keep things that way um and to keep it in the hands of the state. um However, Trump does say that he is going to be a protector of women, that his campaign platform said that he and the Republican Party proudly stand for families and life, and that states are free to pass laws protecting their rights,
00:17:02
Speaker
It is said that he and the GOP will oppose late-term abortion while supporting mothers and policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control, and IVF. so um I mean, I think some of this is important to like i guess point out in this is that you know when the original decision was overturned in 2022,
00:17:21
Speaker
Trump himself called the ensuing flood of state level restrictions a beautiful thing to watch. However, during this campaign season, and I think I personally saw it too more so during the vice presidential debate where they kind of took the softer approach. um and So I think that, you know, the administration understands that a large swath of the American population thinks that reproductive rights should be available to ah ah to the majority of people. um So, I mean, I guess we'll see where this goes. I mean, as a woman, it is a very, I guess, interesting spot to be in. Because we'll just have to see where it where it goes, honestly. um Hopefully, ah he continues to be a protector of women, like he said that he wants to be.
00:18:18
Speaker
right And we'll go from there. We're sticking to like quotes, a quote. is a quote. This is a quote. OK. Yeah, and then I do. Sorry. Just one more thing, though. I think it's really interesting, though, that a consultant that is of the Republican Party did say that he has changed, he being Donald Trump, has changed his mind on abortion a few times. And
Voter Demographics
00:18:42
Speaker
he doesn't think that that Americans know whether Donald Trump has a solid and settled position on abortion. So predicting what he would do,
00:18:49
Speaker
with any potential abortion law as unlikely as it is to make it to his desk, I don't think we can predict that. So if somebody that consults other Republicans is telling you that he doesn't know how this is going to go, I don't think I as a non significant politics can tell you. Okay. Yeah. A hundred percent. A hundred percent. So it's, it's all a waiting game is what I, is how I've seen it. We're going to just wait and see, you know, we have, we have the the things that have been said, we have, you know, things that possibly haven't been said, and then we have what we know has happened. And so based on that, it's kind of a, it's a, it's a draw. It's in the middle. It's in the middle.
00:19:29
Speaker
That's it, that's it. so um But before we move on from politics, that this hopefully will not be a podcast just centered on politics because I think we've all done our proper processing of the results and probably don't want to hear about this all day. um But I think it's helpful to note the demographic breakdown of voter results this particular cycle. So according to AP VoteCast, 16% of Black voters supported Trump in 2024, which is actually up from 8% in 2020.
00:19:56
Speaker
And in comparison to that, 83% of Black voters supported Kamala, which is down from the 91% who supported Biden in 2020. Latino, yeah. And then Latino voters actually um were interesting ah thing to witness as well. They lost ground this year ah for Democrats with 56% voting for Harris in 2024 compared to 63% for Biden in 2020. And Trump support actually grew from 35% in 2020 to 42% this cycle. and so ah you know, we see an increase in Latino support of Trump, a decrease in Black support, and then there was also a gender gap in just the voting preferences. So Trump actually won support from 24% of Black men versus 9% of Black women. um You know, I see that head shake. And 47% of Latino men versus 38% of Latino women. And then 59% of white men versus 53% of white women. So all I see is that...
00:20:54
Speaker
That's similar to 2016. So this year, um men it seemed like rallied for Trump a little bit more is kind of how I would summarize the the the breakdown. And that's a statement. and That's not my opinion. the That's what the the um the statistics show. So what we can do is, ah you know, keep that in mind. ah you Keep that in mind. or i need your collection ah And, you know, I think it's also important to know ah somewhat like, these in terms of education and location of the voters, right. So I'm looking kind of at the AP vote cast graph they have here. And it seems that ah the support for
00:21:43
Speaker
I would say the support for Trump was higher when it came to location in suburban and rural areas. um And then education-wise, for Trump, he had a greater support for people who had a high school degree or less compared to Harris, as well as some college compared to Harris. And so it seems like people with lower education status um also were more likely to vote for Trump. Once again, that's what the graph shows.
00:22:11
Speaker
Yeah, i um I also looked at a graphic that was from the Washington Post. And I think it was just, honestly, some of the most fascinating like political demographics that I've seen in ah in a really long
Political and Climate Concerns
00:22:25
Speaker
time. And I think yeah the one that sort of like stuck out to me the most, I'm pulling it up now, so that's why I'm looking at it. but Yeah, I think this was a really interesting statistic when you talk about family income. Yeah, like people that made 100,000 or more.
00:22:47
Speaker
53% of them voted for Kamala Harris, but if you go between under 50%, under 50,000 or between 50,000 to 999,000, so you're lower in middle class or lower middle class, you have that majority going for Trump. And I think, you know, there's a really, I guess just interesting,
00:23:11
Speaker
um I think there's just a really interesting result here in that yeah that whatever political party you're mostly from of the two majority parties, I think you need to listen to your voters that aren't necessarily on the coast, voters that don't necessarily have um you know, higher education or like here they've got an ambassador's degree or more because those one those voters are making up a majority of your voting base and they're telling you that something is not working for them. 100%. So I think, you know, as a whole,
00:23:52
Speaker
I think it's gonna be really important in American politics for whoever continues to make strides that they continue to listen to that demographic, because that demographic is having a significant impact exactly on the election. Right, correct. 100%. And I'll just say that despite everything that happened with the elections, um there are some states that not only didn't waver in how they vote, but know the representation of come on the race,
00:24:21
Speaker
that they bring in, it didn't waiver. Okay, so Maryland, you know shot you have to give you guys your ones, okay, as someone who was in the DMV area for four years. I don't be claiming Maryland like I need to. I do say I went to high school there, but honestly, I went to elementary, middle, and high school there. period but climate You You better claim it. Yeah.
00:24:40
Speaker
yeah They deserve all the claiming right now because ah this year they actually voted in in the same way that we were ah anticipating the presidential win. Marilyn actually voted in a black senator. um Angela also Brooks, who won the US Senate race by garnering almost 1.3 million votes Tuesday, making her Marilyn's first black woman to ever hold a position. um She and Delaware's Lisa Blunt Rochester will make history as the first black woman to serve in the Senate concurrently.
00:25:08
Speaker
um So now, Maryland is just really black when it comes to their political arena. They got a black senator. They have a black mayor, Mayor Brandon M. Scott of Baltimore since 2019. They have a black governor, Governor wes Wesley, or he goes by Wes Moore since 2023. And so, you know, my question to you is how do you think the strength of black representation in Maryland's government is really going to affect its influence on the current residents living there and even people living in other states?
00:25:32
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, just being a product of, you know, a public school system that honestly has like, that honestly had like great resources and, you know, for the most part, and, you know, even in the, you know, less fortunate parts of the county, like still had a lot of like public funding systems that was useful to their students.
00:25:55
Speaker
I mean, I think continuing to have representation that looks like most of the state is only going to be beneficial. um you know In terms of people living in other states, I hope that they'll you know take from Maryland's um model and you know start to do what they need to do. right but right i mean I really do think that Maryland, and I think one of the reasons my family stayed, um is just such a hub of like diversity, especially in parts that are close to ah to DC and Northern Virginia. um and you know I think even when we did have a Republican governor, I think
00:26:34
Speaker
it still was a state that you know provided for its residents. So I hope that this just only grows um as time goes on. And I'm proud of Marilyn. Come on, Marilyn. Yeah. Period. They're doing their big one. Do what you need to do. Yeah. and know One thing I really love about, at least that area, the DMV area, is that I feel like the temperature was always a mild temperature when I was there. I feel like it never got too hot, too cold, like say it would in the New England area or the south. and you know I'm hoping that with this climate change that we're currently experiencing that, Maryland doesn't take that hit as well because I really like i like that that mild temperature that they have. um so According to um ScienceAlert dot.com, 2024 is actually on track to be the hottest year. ah so This year, we've actually had a this this has been the first full year of
00:27:27
Speaker
1.5 degrees celsius now don't ask me what celsius translates into inferior high okay baby we didn't I'm gonna read it the way that they said it of global warming above pre-industrial, which is 1850 to 1900 levels, smashing last year's record jump in temperature minority, which was 0.60 Celsius above the 1991 to 2020 average. use uh the metro You know, we're already seeing the ramifications. People and countless animals are already dying as a direct consequence of this massive massive excess of fossil fuel-induced heat, as well as from the growing number of natural disasters. It's really just making a huge impact. And now it's estimated that three in four of us are set to face extreme weather changes in the next two decades. And I know that's a fact that I've even been hearing in Chicago. Them winters are not even that cold really anymore. It's mad.
00:28:23
Speaker
It's really not. So I don't know. like What do you think now that we have um the Trump administration that's coming in, you know who have their particular stances on climate change, do how do you think that's going to really affect the way that we're going right now with with climate change? um This is, again, not an opinion. This is a fact. This was a video. yeah I believe it was Puerto Rico that had a hurricane. And I believe it was Donald J. Trump that went down there and was throwing free throws with the paper.
00:28:56
Speaker
um suck
00:28:59
Speaker
okay me On a serious note, just me personally, I was in Seattle earlier this summer and something that was, I guess, notable there is that they didn't have a lot of indoor like AC.
00:29:17
Speaker
right? yeah And that is because Seattle is notoriously rainy. Seattle is notoriously like just a calm chill place. It was hot. It was hot. And they didn't have no AC. And I think they're going to continue to have stories like that where people can say directly, hey, something is very different here.
Celebrity Pregnancy News
00:29:35
Speaker
And you're seeing that even in our own lifetimes, like
00:29:41
Speaker
snow being a place, a thing where snow is not supposed to be, or, you know, it being just unseasonably hot. Like it's November, guys. It's November. Right. November. Let's get that in mind. Yep. Let's get that in mind. So, I mean, I think it's just going to continue to, you know, just
00:30:03
Speaker
get worse i'm hotter yeah unless we you know really make some strides, honestly. yeah So I don't know. We'll see. like Once again, another one of those things that we'll just wait and see. we'll let We'll wait and see how this new administration is coming as long as there is um There is good outcomes. you know I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful. And yeah, let's just pray for good outcomes. And you know what's always ah a sign of hope and in you know just life and everything? Ooh. New life. OK. And then food. Maybe. Oh, OK. OK. I like how you brought that in there.
00:30:46
Speaker
We've been seeing a lot of new life. We have. And not a lot of new life, a lot of new life on the celebrity front. And in that regard, I think one of the newest proud mama-to-be's is Sky Jackson. I don't know if you guys remember her from the Disney Channel this week. Disney Channel alum Sky Jackson announced her pregnancy and marking an exciting new chapter for her and her life.
00:31:09
Speaker
However, Kama, it was quickly overshadowed by the father of her baby and boyfriend. um His name is DeAndre Bergen, but he's better known to his followers as Yerky Yerky. Okay, got you. All right.
00:31:30
Speaker
yeah um Yeah, so he's only 22 years old. I mean, Sky Jack's not only 22 years old, but she, you know, she revealed her baby bump. She did a whole spread in People magazine. She just I'm really thrilled to be in this new chapter in my life, embracing motherhood and diving into new acting projects. My heart is so full. Does this sound like just joyous? That's very joyous. Lovely. And then he did Something happened right in our lab. He had a Facebook post where you know it was allegedly written by him. And the post, I'm not going to read it fully because it has expletives in it. But basically, he kind of was just upset that he got a dumb Disney Channel person pregnant. And be hair now her mom and her, Sky Jackson, both denied that it was him. And they said his Facebook was hacked.
00:32:23
Speaker
um But I mean, then he just went on to do even more things talking badly about her ex-co-star who had tragically lost his life and voice and just bashed him and just was going you know further and said that he was single. Just a bunch of stuff. A bunch of- Right, right, right. A lot of crazy things. see The whole baby announcement.
00:32:44
Speaker
Yeah. um So I guess, you know, my question for you is that, you know, obviously becoming a mom is the super new and exciting thing. And, mean you know, since Sky and her baby daddy have been in the headlines or more so that not in a great light, you think that this could cause any harm to her or her health? Like, I mean, what are the ramifications physically and and you know mentally of having to deal with this stress this much in your pregnancy?
00:33:11
Speaker
Yeah, you know, I mean as women in medicine we know the implications that happen when a woman is stressed period let alone when she's pregnant um and then pregnant by a yurky yurk or yurky yurky whatever your he goes by but it his at his archetype and profile, um you know, I don't So i I wish nothing but blessings upon that pregnancy you know and blessings upon her. I wish nothing negative on thats on her situation. What I'm saying, if I'm talking about this from a very like objective point,
00:33:44
Speaker
um that situation is not conducive to anything that could potentially be a healthy or peaceful pregnancy. And so I'm hoping that those are one-off situations and that she's currently not still going through that because I want nothing for her but to carry a very beautiful, healthy pregnancy to term, you know, and and deliver. um So I would say personally that like if we're talking objectively,
00:34:08
Speaker
that would have potentially negative ramifications on just her well-being in general, um whether it's related to her pregnancy or not, but like your well-being period is going to be threatened.
00:34:19
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we know that, I mean, you see, like, these are some of the social determinants of health that we talk about. And it doesn't start, you know, when you're born. It starts before. What did your mom go through? What did her mom go through? So I think this is just another example of that. And, you know, I think as a black woman and as a black woman in medicine and health care, it breaks my heart to see her going through this. But I also is um just more so of a, I guess of an eye opener that, you know, when, if and when I go like go through this process myself, I definitely want to make sure that, you know, that is not happening in my space. And I think it's something that I definitely want to advocate for, for like other women that I see in this position. yeah And this is honestly not the first time that they've had like such, you know,
00:35:13
Speaker
I guess, like a rocky start, like they've gotten detained before and had ah um altercations like at ah Universal Studios. So I mean, right you know, it's I hope and I wish that nothing further causes them any more dissension. That's my 100%.
00:35:32
Speaker
100%, you know, I affirm that. I agree with you on that. And, you know, I want all black women to win and I want all black women to thrive. And I'm happy to see that there are spaces where black women can potentially thrive and win, but sometimes, you know, they can also get slighted and in some
Music Industry Representation
00:35:48
Speaker
sense as well. And unfortunately, with the Grammy nominations this year, um there were a couple of black women who I was really rooting for that kind of got snubbed. So Meg Thee Stallion, okay, the one and only,
00:35:59
Speaker
Mother. Okay. Okay. Um, Tyler, who got a lot of Grammy awards last year and flow Millie, make me want like, okay. Like what? She, she was bopping to the gloves.
00:36:16
Speaker
And then, of course, Flo Milly, a very ah exuberant rap talent who's actually done a lot of big hitter collaborations this year with other female ah rappers. Unfortunately, they were snubbed this year. And so um it seems that I think the reason why this is something that people found kind of crazy was looking more into the history and patterns of artists who are snubbed, these old missions, they're not really just about awards, it's more so about representation. like Women, especially black women in hip-hop and R and&B, they're facing these uphill battles for recognition in mainstream spaces and despite dominating the charts, influencing pop culture and breaking barriers, their contributions are really overlooked, um especially by major institutions like the Grammys, as variety dot.com makes note of.
00:36:58
Speaker
and so um Fans have been vocal about this and saying, oh, well, you know, awards that really define the worthiness of an artist or how good their craft is, which I do agree with. um However, it's also kind of spurring these conversations around issues within the Recording Academy and from bias just to outdated nomination processes. So I'm kind of wondering, like, in your opinion, do you think black women artists like the ones mentioned being snubbed speak to their artistry or is it kind of just more of other factors that are at play that we're kind of just not, you know, paying attention to?
00:37:29
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I definitely don't think it's just their artistry, right? Because that would mean that they're not good, they're not talented, they're not deserving of this recognition. And I mean, I think when you have had people in the past like Beyonce being just like,
00:37:45
Speaker
thoroughly snubbed for objectively great projects, I think you sort of lose value of these awards ceremonies, right? and yeah And a very like known thing in black popular media, black art, black creative spaces. And yeah you know I just think that It's like, it feels like sort of everything else. Like the goal force is always being moved.
Tuskegee University Shooting
00:38:11
Speaker
Okay. Be popular in mainstream media. Meg does that. Tyla killing that. Flo and Millie did that. Her song, Never Lose Me is all over TikTok. All over TikTok, yep.
00:38:22
Speaker
So you move it every time, like, oh, if you do this, then it'll happen. So I think sort of like all of us do, again, in our regular lives, you sort of just take it and you kind of just continue on in your craft. You don't let people impact your walk and sort of like what all of them are doing. So, I mean, yeah, I definitely don't think it's a artist problem. I think it's an outside factors problem. 100%. Yeah, definitely other things that are at play that we're just not paying attention to and you know,
00:38:58
Speaker
It's really crazy because I think that it's really about curating black spaces, spaces where black people can really thrive. And I think there's very few spaces that exist for black people to thrive and really have that um that potential to really um exist as who they are and not be threatened or feel like, oh, am I being overlooked? And places like HBCUs, such as Tuskegee, where they decide to have their homecoming and thrive in their black space and that was even threatened by a shooting that occurred um on November 10th. So it was recently and it was really a tragic event that disrupted all the celebrations that happened at the University in and Alabama. And a teenager actually not affiliated with the University opened fire, killing one person injuring 12 others.
00:39:42
Speaker
and four additional people sustained injuries during the chaos. The shooting shocked the entire community, casting a shadow over what would have been really a joyous occasion um celebrating school pride, unity, and and blackness. And, you know, before I even get into what I want to ask you, like, I think this is just crazy. As someone who's like an HBCU alum who attends Howard every single year, it makes me wonder like,
00:40:03
Speaker
but Where can I be safe at? Where can I celebrate you know my my blackness at, if not even my alma mater, and feel safe? And it's just kind of crazy to know that that could have been whoever got killed, could have been that could have been a student, that could have been an alum. like Even if they weren't either or, it's still a human life, but it's just kind of crazy to think that they could go back to a space where they they took a lot of, um ah that was a huge part of their life, and they couldn't even have that protection. um what What are your thoughts, just in general, about the shooting? Yeah, I mean, even as somebody who went to a PWI, I think, you know, the tradition of the HBCU homecoming is just so sacred. Yeah. It feels so like
00:40:47
Speaker
It's like an extra affront that it had in that homecoming. um I think you know it's just such a ah time of pride and just everybody's so happy to be back. And I think even students who don't go to HBCUs are able to come and just like just live in this you know microcosm of just Black culture, Black collegiate culture, which the reason those schools were created is because spaces weren't there for, you know, people like us. 100%. So, I mean, for that regard, like, it just seems like the sanctity of it is almost just like been destroyed by that. I mean, overall, I think, honestly,
00:41:30
Speaker
It just sort of speaks to, again, you know, just a larger like societal thing. a Gun violence and gun issues in America continues to be a problem and it infiltrates literally every aspect of our life. And I think that is really honestly the overarching thing here, right? Because I think a lot of us are like, okay, well, it won't be, you know, my place or it won't be my school or it won't be my place at work.
00:42:01
Speaker
But here again, it shows that it can show up anywhere. So I think that's the the biggest story there. You know, and um I think, of course, there's this question of our schools going after shut down homecomings in order to just keep the public safe, just kind of, you know, keep it only to university students. I think there could be some benefit to that. But then it does also make me sad because these were really supposed to be places that anyone who wanted to celebrate and join, in like join into that occasion could. And now it's like, oh, well, we have to close it off to even the community who might even see this as like the monumental thing. um So, you know, just kind of getting into the details of the person who, or the main self suspect, 25-year-old Jaques Myrick of Montgomery, Alabama, he was arrested and charged federally with possession of a machine gun. Law enforcement officers found him leaving the scene of the shooting at the time of his arrest. And there was a second suspect, Jeremiah Williams, 20, the US Department of Justice is charged with a legal possession of a machine gun, conversion device, commonly known as a Glock switch.
00:42:59
Speaker
um So just like you said, you know, it's gun violence and community violence and how access to guns can kind of affect um situations like this occurring and how we
Health Initiatives for Black Men
00:43:10
Speaker
really have to be mindful of that. So i'm I'm glad you brought up that point. um We really have to talk more about particular issues that really not only affect the community, but particularly undeserved and vulnerable populations, um even Black populations, which is really the ah the group that suffers at the hands of these kinds of issues. And so another project that's happening currently that affects
00:43:33
Speaker
a particular group of ah people, particularly black men is the Henry Ford project, which is actually um a system that they've tried to develop to help black men lower their blood pressure. And so pretty much Henry Ford, it's a health system that exists in Detroit. And we know that Detroit has a very large black population. um They actually developed a quick 15 minute express approach to blood pressure care designed to help black men effectively manage their hypertension. um And so really, this is something according to the AMA, that's a very groundbreaking effort, um because that's a very significant health disparity that affects Black men, you know which is on hypertension. We know that. We've we've read about hypertension. we We know the specifics, but I think it's different when you're thinking about it from a um societal aspect in terms of like who's being affected by it and how what are other ways we can really target it. And so really this initiative is focused on just enhancing access to care,
00:44:22
Speaker
increasing health education and fostering trust within the community, which I think is a very vital piece as well. um And I think it's really nice that it's Henry Ford because Henry Ford is actually a ah huge pillar in Detroit um in terms of the care that they provide to its residents. So, um yeah. Well, how do you think that this program is really going to enable more Black men to go to the doctors?
00:44:41
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, community programs like this are super, super important. I remember when I was in college and Philly, um there was another one like it. Shout out to Cut Hypertension. I don't know if you guys are still going on. Yes, I know Cut Hypertension. Yeah, we have that up too. Exactly. But they went directly into barber shops.
00:45:00
Speaker
And blood pressure is there, talks to people about cardio health, right? So I think you know whenever you make health more accessible to a community that is being directly impacted by it, it's always a win. So um shout out to Detroit, shout out to Henry Ford, and you know shout out to anybody that's doing any sort of community work like this. It's critically important and It's, you know, I think it also speaks to exactly like who is delivering that health care, right. And I think, you know, as time goes on, like that's critically important. We we know that, you know, as people that are in medicine and and are underrepresented in medicine.
00:45:42
Speaker
That's just, that's the name of the game.
Representation in Medicine
00:45:44
Speaker
That's why we that's why we're doing what we're doing. That's why we're here. It's true. So ah in speaking about that, yeah we know that we're here. We know that we're struggling. We're going through the interview process now, so it's it's good. But yeah in general, there is a severe lack of Black rather than some medical specialties. um yeahp And you know, that also includes ah specialties where we're known to be more represented, right? So, yeah you know, I just wanted to highlight the crisis in representation in care. So and there is an underrepresentation of Black residents in many medical specialties, and it's continuing to be an issue.
00:46:23
Speaker
where specialties like OB-GYN and pediatrics, they tend to see a ah larger number of black residents, but fields like their radiology, orthopedic surgery, and ophthalmology have a glaring lack of diversity. um This imbalance poses a significant challenge for patients, medical institutions, and the profession as a whole.
00:46:41
Speaker
ye This is critical to why you know representation matters. researchers Research has shown that patients often receive better care from providers who share their cultural background and understand their needs. yeah For example, if you have black patients being treated by black physicians, they're more than they're more likely to engage in preventative care and feel excellent.
00:47:05
Speaker
a lack of representation in specialties, especially derm, where you can talk about skin cancer and QA, things that impact plaque patients, but they're not necessarily the face of it. It can lead to gaps in care. um So, you know, I guess my question to you is,
00:47:24
Speaker
What can we do to change the narrative around Black physicians? um And also, is there you know any stigma that's causing us to like sort of not be able to get to those spaces, especially those underrepresented fields in medicine or underrepresented minorities in medicine? Yeah, 100%. Yeah, I mean, I definitely think that in terms of changing the narrative around Black physicians, I think we need to stop seeing medicine and doctors is one type. So white male should not be the first thing that pops into your mind when we see a doctor. And I think the way you change a narrative is that you actually do the work to make things look different, right? You are more active and engage in recruitment of underrepresented minorities to go into medicine and helping to create avenues where they can actually do it and do it effectively and be successful in it, right? Because we know that a lot of people, at least when I was at Howard, and there were so many people who started off pre-med and somewhere along the line, they fall off.
00:48:19
Speaker
Oh, and Kat took me out. You know what I'm trying to say? And Kat took me out. Oh, the process is too complicated. Oh, I didn't have the grades or I didn't have the mentorship. There's always something that. is a roadblock, especially when it comes to underrepresented people in this field who don't even maybe have any mentors or anyone they knew growing up who did this. So they're already lost to begin with. And so we have to really be mindful and and be intentional about creating spaces where there's a focus on helping to give guidelines to Black and brown people who are interested in pursuing these fields. And then the stigma that exists around
00:48:51
Speaker
um Black you know male and female physicians um that can actually stop us from wanting to pursue it because of you know this stigma that makes us like, oh, are we qualified? Are we capable? That just comes from And you know I want to say allyship, but these days, after I don't even know if I believe in allyship anymore. At this point, I'm my own ally and I'm my own advocate. That's how I And actually, I think that'll be my answer. I think I'll say that we are our own best allies. We are our own best advocates. Y'all are waiting for your white male colleague to speak up for you. but
00:49:26
Speaker
the the point should be we should rally around ourselves and create a coalition amongst ourselves and advocate for ourselves like hey like we have an important role to play here and I think that when we start with us that's how you get inspiration of other people to want to join you in that fight but when y'all are looking disorganized lackluster you don't even care about what's going on then where are you going to get solidarity from other people you know so I will say that I think that is like a step towards the right direction Yeah. I mean, shout out to Sierra Leone real quick. We love a good adage. The best thing my mom has ever told me is that a man's best servant is himself. a Period. Right? Shout out to someone.
00:50:06
Speaker
but you know on on on On a real like note. like I have gotten so much inspiration from physicians that are walking in their path that are further along than me that look like me. It just is inspiring to see, especially if this is not something that you were exposed to when you were younger. like it is It makes the difference. right like and i think you know It is very hard to get into those spaces that we're talking about. I literally have friends right now that are you know doing things because they want to get into derms. They're breaking their backs to do it. And it is the hard work of specific individuals like that that will eventually lead to the representation. It's just that it's taking
00:50:58
Speaker
more time. more i I believe in all of my colleagues that are going through the opto derms or ortho struggle. Yeah, I have people in ENT, I have people in ortho. Shout out to y'all. They're doing God's work. because yeah You're doing God's work. It could be me. And I just want y'all to know that i mean we're all friends. I talk about this all the time to those people in my life that are doing you know research years for that.
00:51:25
Speaker
But we are so proud of you guys. You guys are doing the hard work your work. You're walking in the path and keep going because other people are watching for sure. Right. Exactly. I think those are all really important points that you brought up. And, you know, also it's important for us to highlight the ramifications of what happens when you don't have enough black black people in medicine. So of course there's the patient mistrust that is a huge thing that could happen in terms of patients, black patients in particular, feeling like they can't trust their providers. There's also limited mentorship, like I was stating. um Young black medical students who may really struggle with who can I reach out to to confide in about my path and what I should do, um and then even just general health care disparities that exist in so many different realms, um the less
00:52:09
Speaker
people who are underrepresented who can relate to patients or share like a similar background, the less you're going to really know how to bridge these gaps in care. And so those are definitely things that we need to be mindful of as to why this work is so important. And of course, you know, this podcast does come with solutions. So how can we mitigate this? Well, like I was saying before,
00:52:28
Speaker
Early exposure making sure that we're introducing people students early on um who are underrepresented to the specialties as young as maybe even middle and high school because sometimes it does start at a young age where you can really start getting the vision of hey this could be possible for me and it it helps to bear fruit in later years um scholarships and support.
00:52:46
Speaker
All I know is that finances play a bigger role than people think and a lot of people who have been well endowed and resourced tend to be the ones that end up in these spaces unfortunately and and I wish that wasn't the case but I've seen it time and time again of people who are coming from large generation of doctors or a lot of wealth and they can just find easier access into these spaces. And so definitely giving black students that same financial support is critical. um Institutional reform, so medical schools, residency programs, like I said, diversifying or prioritizing diversity and by eliminating certain biases that might exist in the way that they're trying to accept students.
00:53:23
Speaker
increasing their outreach to HBCUs, which is a huge catchment area of Black talents to folk who could really do well in the profession, and then fostering inclusive environments. um And then once again, highlighting certain role models, who can we kind of speak to as Black pioneers in the field who are underrepresented, so that way they can continue to spark inspiration of future generations.
Antibiotic Awareness Month
00:53:41
Speaker
So yeah, I think those are some of the solutions we we want to say here on the podcast. so that Come on, we love that. We love it. We talk about the problems where you bring the solutions.
00:53:50
Speaker
Period. And also plug on SFMA and Vytuity Scholarship once again. Fun's are important. see Yeah, you did I see what you did there. You know, we got to plug it in um because SMA does have a lot of financial opportunities. Actually, they have a bunch of scholarships, they're partnered with so many different organizations. And so I think it's really nice that actually we are speaking from a platform that very much is involved and passionate about this. And hopefully our listeners, you guys understand that this is something that we are trying to be a part of when it comes to bridging these gaps and in disparities.
00:54:22
Speaker
um Yeah, and so of course we always like to close with our health awareness month of the month. awareness It is November and so this month we've actually decided to highlight antibiotic awareness month. um So November, specifically November 18th to the 24th is actually antibiotic awareness week. And so antibiotic awareness month actually shines a spotlight on the global fight against antibiotic resistance, which is a crisis that threatens modern health care. um So we know that antibiotics have been really pivotal when it comes to combating bacterial infections. um However, there are some things that as we as we've learned as medical students and
00:54:58
Speaker
soon to be future resident physicians, um is that you know the overuse and the misuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance. we are ah okay multi-drug resistance. okay maybe and Right now, we are in flu season, even though that is not a bacterial infection, but you can get superimposed okay ah on a viral infection so that you it can then become bacterial. so There might be some antibiotic usage happening right now in our EDs, in our clinics, in our you know hospitals. and so It's very important that we take note that antibiotic resistance can affect any and everyone. um and Common infections such as surgeries, cancer treatments, they all rely on effective antibiotics. and
00:55:37
Speaker
and Actually, um you know the CDC estimates that over 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. annually, leading to tens of thousands of deaths. So this is like an actual, almost like an epidemic in a sense. It's it's a very serious thing. And so um we need to really bring awareness to this, like, hey, there has to be appropriate usage of antibiotics. um And so what are some ways that we as people or society can kind of help with that? um It's kind of maybe intuitive that only use it if it's necessary, right? You know, you don't got to use it for that for that little baby cold You got you don't got to pull out that old antibiotic in the cabinet. You need tell you something. Let me tell you something I feel like I am the stewardess of antibiotic, you know using it correctly and
00:56:20
Speaker
I love my family. Anytime. Smeeza, can I use this? No. When did you get that? Why didn't you use it fully the first time you had it? And don't just be using some amoxicillin that you found in the drawer, please.
00:56:36
Speaker
that's We don't even know if that's what you got. It could be viral. You belong. You belong. Go to the doctor. They'll be pulling out the oldest antibiotic. Yeah, yeah. I remember I got this antibiotic. Even when you go to, you know, when you go to, like, say, Nigeria and other African countries, they just sell it in, like, the drug store regularly. It's not like something you need a prescription from. So they'll even have it in somewhere locked in a safe. Yeah, I still have this from what I went to last year. Try it. This is going to help you so we can avoid Dr. Cost and all these things. The label just rubbed off like you don't even know what that is. like it's got a cru see so you know I think that actually goes without saying um follow the prescriptions exactly as it's written, right? So and what it's indicated for is not what you're using it for yet. Don't use that antibiotic. you' It's creating a necessary possible resistance to bacteria. And, of course, practicing good hygiene, making sure to wash your hands regularly, staying up to date on your vaccines. um We do know that there is some anti-vax culture. We do not endorse that on the SNMA, right? We believe, I think, in vaccines as we are in medical podcasts. And so, yes, ah make sure to stay up to date on your vaccines.
00:57:43
Speaker
And so, you know, I think in general, you know, health care providers, policymakers, the public, we all have a role to play in combating this. And so um I'm really hoping that this can bring more awareness into how we use antibiotics. um I mean, kind of I want to get a sense of your stance on this, but how do you think medical professionals in particular can showcase their awareness and education to patients who may just be, you know, tend to be prescribed antibiotics frequently or maybe request it ah for potentially unwarranted reasons? Like we were just saying for medical professions, like what do you think they can do to circumvent that?
00:58:13
Speaker
So I know people always like surgeons only know it about ANSA, but we know it no more. Thank you very much. We're fine. We know about the rest of them, too. I will say that I have seen like across the board during my like rotations, especially when I was like in the crit care units, we definitely made sure that you know we were utilizing our broad spectrum antibiotics as much as possible, and that it's as soon as the culture, literally, as soon as they pop in,
00:58:43
Speaker
narrow it. Right. ah media immediately Immediately. So i mean think that there's definitely, you know, I don't know if we got a shout out to the ID teams in the hospital or what it is, but so critical yeah I think I am seeing at least, you know, in my rotations that people are being very um cognizant of the fact that, you know,
00:59:06
Speaker
antibiotic resistance is a problem and that we need to take care of it and that we should not just be prescribing antibiotics willy-nilly. So no I will like to say your friendly neighborhood hospitalist doctors are doing everything that they can and yeah we just need you guys to follow the rules, por favor. We really do put in a lot of thought into whether or not it's seven days versus 14 versus how many you're taking every time the taper. Please just 100%. There's so much thought into it. Like, and like to even your point, I took an antibiotic stewardship course that was virtual for two weeks. And I had never learned so much critical things about antibiotics. Like the ID team is completely run by ID fellows and ID attendings. And they know so much. They do so much. They do the calculations. They know like every little big thing. And it's really different making a difference.
00:59:55
Speaker
it's it's making a difference in how we're combating, you know, antibiotic resistance. And so, yeah, everything's your point. So I think, you know, take away from this. um Yeah, guys, when it comes to antibiotics, this is not it's not free for all. It's not candy. Okay, is it's a controlled substance? Well, I'm not gonna say controlled substance, but it is. Yeah, but somebody side something that needs our control. that but So with that being said, um yeah, that that is that is how we'll leave the conversation.
Closing Remarks
01:00:25
Speaker
And just shout out to all the infectious disease doctor notes in the hospital. You're doing God's work. You're showing it a hospital course. Period. Enough of us and talking about everything we've done from you know politics to antibiotics. And you know, guys, this is our show. We want to thank you so much for joining us for this episode of The Lounge.
01:00:49
Speaker
Let us know your thoughts about the discussions we had today or ask us a question for a chance to be featured on the show by emailing us at podcast at snma.org and be sure to follow the SNMA on all our social media platforms to stay up to date on upcoming events. Thank you guys so much for listening and we'll catch you on the next episode. Bye guys.