Encouraging young people of color to pursue careers in medicine

No one could tell Andrew Githaiga, M.D., that he couldn’t achieve something because of the color of his skin. He graduated medical school in Kenya, surrounded by Black physicians and students who supported him. When he came to the U.S. at 29 and encountered prejudice, he had already built his foundation and nothing could rock it.

“It always hurts when you experience prejudice, but it’s harder for you to internalize when you know something different and real,” said Dr. Githaiga, a pulmonologist at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Dr. Githaiga was the keynote speaker at Sentara’s Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit, an event which encourages young people of color, both male and female, to pursue careers in the medical field, whether that’s as a doctor, nurse, or something else.

“I'm 100% certain there are kids in the audience who if they put their minds to it, they can do it. There's going to be challenges, but there'll be people that will come alongside to support and guide them along the way.”

‘I look in this room, I don’t see a shortage'

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. is expected to have a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034.

“In general, there is a decline of people in the medical field simply because of the baby boomers retiring,” said Dr. Jamela Martin, associate professor and chair of nursing at Norfolk State University. “They predicted it would happen and it’s happening now. It makes healthcare hard for people to obtain when there aren’t enough providers.”

Of the minority students who applied to U.S. medical schools in 2023-2024, 8% were Black, 6.5% were Hispanic/Latino, and 0.25% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native.

“I look in this room, I don’t see a shortage,” said Gwendolyn Williams, M.D., hospitalist at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va. “You belong in every space where you aspire to be. A test does not define who you are, your goal is to be excellent in life, and being excellent in life is being a good person. If you do that, everything else will follow.”

Dr. Martin also notes the importance of the patient-provider relationship when it comes to health equity.

These programs include Sentara-led educational programs, grants, and opportunities for middle, high school, and higher-education students. Many of these programs focus on attracting minorities and other underrepresented groups to build the diverse healthcare workforce of the future.