WUWM's Teran Powell reports on race and ethnicity in southeastern Wisconsin.

Milwaukee's Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit exposes Black kids to careers in medicine

WUWM 89.7 FM | By Teran Powell

Published May 8, 2024 at 12:32 PM CDT

In the 808s and Heartbreaks workshop of the Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit, guests learned how to perform CPR.

Last Saturday, hundreds of people showed up for the inaugural Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit in Milwaukee.

The event took place at the Golda Meir Upper Campus on North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It was hosted by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment.

The goal of Black Men in White Coats is to expose Black youth to possible careers in the medical field.

At 9 a.m. Saturday morning, families were filing into the Golda Meir Upper Campus building to register for the Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit.

Like Chermond Thomas and his 8-year-old son, Cree.

"My son and I, we like to sit around and watch medical shows, but specifically, Dr. Pimple Popper. And he’s shown somewhat of an interest in it, he’s very much into science, so when I saw the opportunity, we just decided to come and join in," Thomas said.

Eight-year-old Cree (left) and his dad Chermond Thomas stopped by the Skin in the Game workshop at the Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit.

On the agenda for the day was a keynote speech, lunch with mentors, panel discussions and hands-on workshops led by medical students, dental students, residents,and physicians.

Cordero McCall, a second year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said one of the challenges he’s noticed in medical school is the lack of diversity. He hoped the summit can change that by creating community.

"The importance of this event is to increase more Black men in medicine. Currently we don’t have enough, and it is our mission to change that," he said.

During the 808s and Heartbreaks workshop, guests learned how to intubate someone using a practice mannequin.

Black Men in White Coats is a national organization; cities across the country have hosted youth summits. It was founded in 2013 by Dr. Dale Okorodudu. He was motivated by data from the Association of American Medical Colleges showing that fewer Black men applied to medical school in the 2010s compared to the 1970s.

The AAMC reports that only about 5% of active U.S. physicians identify as Black or African American.

"Why do we care? Well, aside from just an issue of equity, Black men in this country have the poorest health outcomes," Dr. Ugwuji Maduekwe said. She is the associate dean & deputy director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and is an associate professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

During the Surgical Flow workshop, guests were able to use a heat device doctors use to stop someone from bleeding. They used real meat for practice.

"There is a wealth of data that show that Black people do better and are better treated by the health care system when they’re seen by Black physicians," she said. "They’re more likely to get preventative care, they’re more likely to get interventions when they need them. I’m a surgeon, a cancer surgeon. Black people are more likely to have surgery and to get chemotherapy for their cancer."

Maduekwe said all she wants people to take from the Black Men in White Coats summit is the possibility of a medical career.

Thirteen-year-old Olivia Cross-Luster thinks the possibility is more likely after attending the summit. She said she was already thinking about a career as an ultrasound tech or in obstetrics and gynecology. She attended the summit with her dad, Brandon.

Olivia Cross-Luster practices suturing during the Surgical Flow workshop with her dad, Brandon Luster.

I spotted them leaving one of the workshops — 808s and Heartbreaks — where they learned how to do CPR. They talked about experiencing the summit together.

"Oh, it’s great because I know she was talking about being interested in going into the medical field and it’s great to have a program like that here because something positive in Milwaukee; it’s been a lot of negative stuff going on," her dad said.

"I think it’s fun ‘cause then he gets to see me doing something I’m passionate about and he can also learn as well so we both know what to do in an emergency," she added.

I caught another father-son duo — Kendrick and 14-year-old Kendal Lewis, who had just been in the Skin in the Game workshop. They’d come up from Racine.

They learned surgical suturing, or stitching — sewing practice pads used in medical training with some of the tools physician’s use.

Here’s Kendal: "I thought it was really cool ‘cause before today I hadn’t even done anything like medical like in my life."

Kendal (left) and his dad Kendric Lewis learn how to suture on practice pads during the Skin in the Game workshop at the Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit.

Kendal said he was at the summit because he wanted to try something outside of his comfort zone. His dad said he wanted to expose his son to new educational possibilities.

Kendal said he might not be too sure about a medical career just yet, but, "I think it’s really important to really get our people out there, to get us doing more things, get us doing things that can really help other people and change the world," he added.