‘Black Girls In White Coats’ Author Wants More Women To Pursue Medicine

Dr. Jovita Ugochi N. Oruwari is a breast surgeon at SSM Health DePaul Hospital in St. Louis. Now she’s using her passion to inspire more Black women to pursue a career in medicine through her new book, Black Girls In White Coats.

The collection of narratives uses personal and professional challenges and milestones that Black female doctors experience to highlight the need for more Black women in an industry that still hosts less than 10 percent of Black physicians, according to The Seattle Medium.

“We need more Black physicians. Black Girls In White Coats encourages Black girls dreaming of becoming doctors,” Oruwari said. “From my work at SSM Health DePaul Hospital, I felt this collection of memories can be a guiding light for Black girls as well as help alleviate the stigma associated with the Black community around health care.”

The book features first-hand accounts from other Black female doctors across multiple disciplines in an effort to show the vast landscape of opportunities available in medicine and “seeks to empower young Black girls who need to see people that do what we do,” said Oruwari, a practicing physician for over 20 years.

Believing that the future is the hands of the generations coming behind her, Oruwari said that the pandemic inspired her, and the other physicians involved, to push for diversity in their industries.

“We really want this book to go out and inspire young African American girls and get them into the healthcare profession so that they can become our replacements because we are not going to practice forever, so we need more women of color in the field,” she said.