DESCRIPTION:
A Global View Toward Clinical Care: An Interview with Helene Okpere, MD, Recent Graduate of the Morehouse School of Medicine and Resident in Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Okpere discusses her calling into medicine from mission work to Ghana and a devotion to her nephew’s health. Her travels have also included learning about medicine in El Salvador. She explains the difference between “equality” for services and “enhancing the health outcomes for equity” so that under-served populations receive care where the social determinants of health help her listen to and engage the whole person. She was in a class of students with plans interrupted by the COVID-19 crisis, but has hopeful words to speak to all about being prepared to meet the challenges in the Emergency Department Residency she begins in July.
She adds:
- “Mentorship is very important to me, and helped me get to where I am today. Therefore, I take it seriously and have tried my best to help those behind me get to my position. I’ve created a YouTube channel just for this purpose, “Hey Doctor Helene,” where I share my journey, provide resources, and inspire the next generation of physicians”: youtube.com/c/heydoctorhelene
- “Global health is also one of my passions. It allowed me to find my calling in medicine, and I definitely plan to incorporate it into my career as an emergency medicine physician.”