Black Medical Student Creates New Kid’s Show Inspiring Youth To Pursue Medical Careers

The show's intentions are toward increasing diversity in the medical field.

A Black medical student-turned-content creator has developed a new animated children’s show to inspire diverse youth interested in medicine.

Joel Bervell remains well known on the internet as the “Medical Mythbuster.” As he continues his mission of uplifting diversity in medicine, he will now do so in his new kid’s program, The Doctor Is In.

Bervell aims to teach children about opportunities in the medical field while encouraging them to pursue this career path. Bervell shared his intention for the project, as well as a Kickstarter fundraiser, to social media in September.

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“I’m building an animated digital TV show to inspire the next generation of medical professionals, and I need your help,” explained the Ghanaian-American influencer. “For the past few years, I’ve been working on a project I wish I had growing up: *The Doctor Is In!* It’s a mixed live-action/animated series for kids aged 3-5, where Leland, a 5-year-old boy who loves going to the doctor’s office, and I explore medical topics with the help of Sammie the Stethoscope, Zada the X-ray, and Otto the Bag.”

The show will focus on a five-year-old Black boy named Little Leland. His curiosity surrounding medicine will lead him to explore new aspects of the field, including infections, parts of the body, and more. The show will teach science through animation and mixed reality to provide an educational yet immersive show for children of all backgrounds to enjoy.

The show also includes other characters, such as “Zada,” an x-ray machine, “Sammie” the stethoscope, and “Otto,” a doctor handbag. Together, they help Little Leland uncover more about the body and health in general.

The show hopes to help remedy a systemic problem with diversity in the medical field. The Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2022 Physician Specialty Data Report revealed only 5.7% of doctors identify as Black. While the number of Black medical students has also grown, they still only account for 10% of their entire U.S. cohort.

Currently, Bervell has a Kickstarter in place to raise money for the show’s production. Thus far, they have reached over 20% of their $60K goal, with a deadline of Oct. 31.