National Society for Black Women in Medicine begins new chapter at UT | Campus Life

The National Society for Black Women in Medicine is a nonprofit organization founded at Florida State University in 2017 by Amber Balkcolm and Ashlei Phillips. The organization was founded because both women realized a need for more representation for minority women in medicine and scientific disciplines. 

Bodies are diverse, and people of color will not have the same bodies as white people. However, these differences still are not reflected well in most modern medical practices. Health disparities are prevalent amongst communities of color. The history of some medical practices also have racist roots. J. Marion Sims, known as the “father of gynecology,” made many of his discoveries operating on Black slave women without anesthesia, according to an article from the African American Intellectual History Society.

There is a need for more minority health professionals in the field, and this is exactly what UT students Afia Opoku and Alexia Amobi intend to do. 

Opoku is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology and minoring in neuroscience. In her time studying and preparing to go into the medical field, she has noticed a lack of diversity. As a Ghanaian American, this was concerning to her.

“I currently live in Nashville, one of the more diverse cities in Tennessee, and growing up I always noticed that when I went to the doctor, my doctor was a white male,” Opoku said. “The workers in the hospitals and clinics were always white. I don’t want to say it tainted my view of the medical industry, but it was a motivator that always made me want to do my best.”

Even in modern day, there are still some barriers that prevent women of color from practicing medicine. White women in STEM fields already have to face misogyny from their male colleagues, but women of color have an added barrier: racism.

As a sophomore majoring in nutrition with a minor in public health, Amobi is passionate about spreading awareness about the healthcare disparities in America and promoting more minority healthcare workers. She also operates as the chapter president of NSBWM at UT.

“There’s not much diversity, especially when you hit specialties in different fields like neurology or cardiology,” Amobi said. 

Only 2.8% of black women in America are physicians, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“We should definitely have more inclusivity, which would also impact patient retention and patient care,” Amobi said. “When you have someone that looks like you, you have someone you can relate to, and that improves the quality of your care. We’re here trying to bridge a gap and break these barriers that have been in place for years, before (women of color) were even thought of.”

Opoku and Amobi started the UT Chapter of NSBWM in August of 2023, making it a very new organization on campus.

“We are open to any females of color who believe in our mission and want to join,” Opoku said. 

The organization hosts different events, some restricted to members and some open to the public.

“We have general body meetings and board events,” Amobi said. “We had a graduate panel back in October where different Black women were able to come in and talk.”

Another event they hosted included a movie night where they watched “Hidden Figures,” the 2016 film about Dorothy Vaughn, Katherine Goble and Mary Jackson, three Black women who serve as inspirations to women of color in STEM for their roles in the space race of the mid 1900s.

More minority mental health professionals and minorities in STEM are desperately needed but due to a lack of education about these healthcare disparities, many remain blind to this issue. 

“I think the best way to spread diversity is by letting those diverse people speak for themselves,” Opoku said. “We’ll bring in different physicians of color or bring in medical students who are on different journeys to become doctors. I think our presence alone can really spread that awareness about the need for more minority health professionals.”

The UTK Chapter of NSBWM emphasizes better education about the bodies and health of people of color. Oftentimes, patients of color find their issues or worries waved off because many medical practices were made for white patients. 

“When medical students go through medical school, throughout their curriculum you just see a one size fits all mentality. Basic caucasian skin and male figures. It doesn’t include females or people of color so I think that is something important to highlight and have conversations about,” Amobi said. “Caucasian physicians that are not familiar with how diseases look on colored skin are easily susceptible to misdiagnosing somebody. It’s very disheartening because we shouldn’t have to vouch for ourselves to be taken care of. Medical professionals are supposed to take care of the patient regardless of race, color or anything else.”

The NSBWM chapter at UT has collaborated with some organizations in Multicultural Student Life and hopes to collaborate with more organizations in the years to come.

From April 13-14, the National Society of Black Women in Medicine is also hosting their annual virtual 5K in support of minority health month. You can find out more information on their website here.

If you are a woman of color studying health or interested in studying health, consider checking out the UTK Chapter of the National Society of Black Women in Medicine. You can find them on Instagram at @nsbwm_utk. In their bio, you can find a link to a Google Form that includes a registration to be a member of the executive board, as well as a registration for a CPR and AED class that will be hosted on April 27 in the Haslam Business Building.