Good Black News recently read an inspiring story at cleveland.com about Dr. Carl Allamby, 47, a career auto mechanic who figuratively changed lanes and recently graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University. Allamby, who grew up in East Cleveland, is currently doing his residency in emergency medicine at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital.
After returning to school to take business classes and falling in love with medicine via a required biology course, Allamby’s chemistry teacher told him about a new program at Cleveland State University called Partnership for Urban Health that sought to recruit and train doctors, especially minority doctors, to practice urban communities. The program offered intense undergraduate classes, help preparing for the Medical College Admissions Test, and then, if successful, a spot at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
To quote cleveland.com:
“There are so many times throughout the different hospitals where I will walk in and [a black patient] will say, ‘Thank God there’s finally a brother here,’” Allamby said.
“We absolutely need more black doctors, he said, noting mistrust that has a long history, including the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis, where black patients were victimized.
“I think you remove a lot of those barriers when there is a person there who looks like you,” he said.
Research shows that black patients fare better with black doctors. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research last year found that black men, who have the lowest life expectancy of any American demographic, were more likely to share details with black doctors and to heed their advice. Having a black doctor was more effective in convincing them to get a flu shot than a financial reward.
To read more of Allamby’s impressive story, go to: https://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/2019/07/car-mechanic-shifts-gears-becomes-a-doctor-at-age-47-and-helps-address-shortage-of-black-doctors.html?outputType=amp
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A great accomplishment for this man. I am proud of him. I am a physician, who started medical school at 27 years of age ( 1973) which was considered a late age at that time. I wish him well.
As someone who just completed a graduate degree at the age of 59 this story warmed my heart. As difficult as grad school was I can’t imagine going to medical school at any age. This is such a major accomplishment and goes to show that you’re never to old to learn or change your life if you want to. I wish him all the best. He’s an inspiration for any age and don’t let anyone stop you from fulfilling your dreams.
This is a fantastic story. I wonder if Partnership for Urban Health has replicated that program in other urban areas.
This is an inspiring story. I know all too well how important it is for more people in this country…especially minorities to become doctors and health professionals. I have a super rare autoimmune disease and there are hundreds of thousands of people who have rare diseases and more every day. I don’t know what he specialized in…but I wish him all the best in this very demanding profession.
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