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Published on January 21st, 2016 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

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Celebrating more than ‘Black History Month’

IMG_6401I love to congratulate our entertainers on their success for example, Kendrick Lamar with 11 nominations at the upcoming 58th Grammy Awards or The Weeknd for his seven nominations, that’s my industry and where most of my work effort is expended. Not only do successful entertainers, make a difference in an art form, their success also provides jobs and income for workers, service providers, etc., across the globe. However, before we enter into Black History month, I want to congratulate a different set of outstanding individuals who’ve made a move forward onto a life changing career path…76 new pre-medical student inductees at Hampton University.

Why BEFORE Black History Month? Simply put, because we make historical and life changing achievements on a DAILY basis. In my opinion, we can and should, discuss and recognize these achievements as often as possible. One of those achievements I salute, is breaking out of the pack and choosing your own direction, in the instant discussion, I direct your attention to 76 individuals who chose the medical profession as their career path. They chose to make a difference, whether they go into research, general practice or a specialty field. The big deal in this situation is, it’s HARD to get accepted into a medical program and to do so, you’ve had to achieve in the academic realm and earn your spot. (Achievement #1)

Now that they’ve earned their acceptance letter, these 76 followed through and enrolled, taking their “Talk to do ratio” down to zero, meaning they executed the next step. (Achievement #2)

Lastly, they chose Hampton University, one of the most difficult higher learning institutions to get into, even as a liberal arts major, with an acceptance rate holding in the mid 30 percent range. This showed courage and commitment to being held as among the best of the best-trained professionals in the world upon graduation. Kind of like volunteering for Special Forces selection in my opinion… (Achievements #3 &4)

Scenarios are happening like this on a daily basis and while we celebrate our history, the sacrifices, courage and achievements of those who carved our inroads into and through the mountains that stood in our way; we celebrate those who can and will take us into the future, creating even more content to add to Black History Month conversations and celebrations.

Read Hampton University’s official announcement of the institution’s recent “White Coat” ceremony for their incoming class of pre-med students:

HU Pre-Health Program Inducts 76 New Students

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On Friday Jan. 15, the Hampton University Pre-Health program inducted 76 new students into the program. The graduate and undergraduate students who received their white coats are pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy and physician’s assistants. 

“At Hampton University, we are committed to the development of well-informed premedical students who will enter the health professions workforce and one day take care of us,” said Dr. Michael Druitt, program director. 

IMG_6345The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr. Bert W. Holmes, Jr. Dr. Holmes presently serves as University Physician & Physician Liaison – Administrative section at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute

Dr. Holmes, a retired Brigadier General, brings a spirit of excellence in leadership to Hampton University.  During his 30 years serving in the military, Dr. Holmes became the first African-American state surgeon in the National Guard, senior flight surgeon and the first African-American assistant adjutant general. He retired as a highly decorated brigadier general in the Virginia Army National Guard. Dr. Holmes received his medical degree and specialty training in urology from the Howard University School of Medicine. Dr. Holmes was also instrumental in helping to establish the Medical Science post-bac program in 2001.  He mentioned in his speech that this stemmed from a conversation with Dr. Harvey on addressing the disparity of low medical school enrollment for minorities.

“Parents, family members and friends really enjoy this annual event because for them, it is a signal that there child is making a huge career decision that may eventually impact an entire generation,” said Druitt.

Photos courtesy of Hampton University


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About the Author

Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.


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