Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine

I am thoroughly enjoying Dr. Tweedy's memoir. He and I have shared many experiences, me 50 years before and protected by a hide of a different hue.Tweedy puts the personal touch on a number of issues of intense concern to all of us today: income inequality, our third-world healthcare system (yes, with 40 million uninsured we are no better than a banana republic!), the racist leitmotif that pervades current practices. There is no other explanation for the results we see in our outcomes when they are laid out by race.Through his heartfelt examples, Dr. Tweedy reemphasizes that we still fall short of our founders' aspirations even though we have the riches and wherewithal to provide everyone with quality, affordable healthcare. A system that results in inferior care for the poor (too often a surrogate for skin color) fails to meet the ideals we have set for our nation and weakens us all.Cry, my beloved country! I see little progress - even serious backsliding - since I graduated from medical school 55 years ago. President Obama often said, "We are better than this!" I once thought so, but I no longer am so certain.

Damon Tweedy's memoir shares his experiences dealing with race, bias, and the health care problems of Black Americans. As the book follows his journey from a medical school student to a practicing physician, he recounts how his race influences his encounters with his patients. He sits through lectures where professors say "more common in blacks" after nearly every disease, encounters racism through comments made by other professionals about patients, as well as in his own life when he's mistaken for a maintenance worker by a professor. While the first part of the book is a little hard to get through because it is very statistic-heavy, it is 100% worth the read. This book was something I was assigned to read for school, and I'm so glad I read it. This book gives perspective on how racism and factors like health, poverty, culture, and lifestyle choices in healthcare are problems for patients and the doctors we see wearing white coats. Back to studying for my boards!

This webinar and panel was promoted heavily in the hospital I work for. It was gripping and enlightening. I was excited to read the book. Page 134 “if a nurse didn’t like you, they could wake you up anytime they wanted...getting on a nurses good side prevented all that”....etc. Basically the only time nurses were mentioned was as vindictive and useless as a resource. For a book focused on misrepresentation of a group and preconceived notions of said group this was especially disappointing. I was excited to pass this along when I was finished reading. It is now going in the trash.

As the title suggests, this is an must read for anyone who is interested in how race and medicine intersect, from the development of young black talent to the unfortunate racial disparities in health care delivery and outcomes. The narrative is engaging and instructive without being preachy, overbearing, or simplistically pretending to have solutions to deeply rooted and complex problems. It is like having a good conversation with an old friend.I had the good fortune to walk the halls of Duke with Dr. Tweedy (when he was "Student-doctor" Tweedy) and can attest that very little poetic license has been taken in this work - the narratives are true and largely unmarred by time and emotional content. Perhaps this is what makes his stories so powerful and instructive, and relevant to people of many backgrounds. Dr. Tweedy's ability to turn disappointments and injustices into opportunities for personal growth and even policy making make for a compelling read as well.Readers from many backgrounds should find "Black Man In A White Coat" appealing, beneficial, and perhaps even transformative. If you have an interest in the etiologies and possible remedies of racial disparities in health outcomes, this book provides an excellent introduction to the scope of the problem in an engaging narrative form. If you are a practicing medical provider, this work can make you a better doctor - it provides an opportunity for self examination, encourages self-awareness of stereotypes we all carry around, and brings to the forefront the complex "perfect storm" of factors that lead to racial health disparities. And if you are an aspiring minority professional, the grit that Dr. Tweedy demonstrates throughout this work will serve as an inspiring example (much like those of Dr. Ben Carson and Dr. Keith Black) and to some extent a road map to navigating the slow to change racial landscape still encountered in the academic and professional world.One last piece of advice - although this book is written in a easy to read narrative form, make no mistake - it represents not only a life experience, but also is the product of many conversations and much scholarship. Take advantage of the copious "Notes" section following the main text, and consider using this book as an opportunity to explore primary source material referenced to further enrich your experience.Bravo Dr. Tweedy!