As most of you probably already know, February is Black History Month here in the U.S. The murder of George Floyd back in 2020 was a real turning point in my life in regard to race. As a white person, I had become quite a bit more aware of racism over the years even before that horrific incident, but afterward it became something I truly couldn’t ignore any longer. The way some of my friends & family reacted to that situation showed me that despite the vast amount of progress we have made in this country over the past few decades, we still have a ways to go.

Anyway, this year I thought it would be interesting to showcase some lesser known black heroes, including some I actually know, specifically in the fields of medicine & metal. Why? Well, both are fields that are still disproportionately white &, since I’m a nurse whose major hobby outside of work is rock/metal, they are where I spend most of my time. Some of these will be multi-racial but considering Obama is always billed as the first black American President when he is also half white, I think we can agree that most people consider anyone who is 50% or more black to be effectively black. Besides, there are still far too many people out there who do not approve of inter-racial relationships (which seriously blows my mind- I mean, how silly can you be?!), the more positive light we can shine on multi-racial individuals, the better.

So without further ado, here are some of my own black American heroes in the fields of medicine & metal:

• Dr. Bradley Collins: Dr. Collins is one of the transplant surgeons at the clinic where I work. He is one of the friendliest doctors I’ve ever met. You cannot talk to him without ending up with a smile on your face. I am not exaggerating when I say that clinic morale is improved any day he is in the office. Considering the disproportionate number of black people (especially black males) in need of a kidney transplant, I know it is very special for a lot of these patients to meet a black surgeon. Let’s be real- most of us, regardless of race, are used to seeing black nursing/medical assistants, cafeteria workers, housekeeping staff, lab techs, & even RNs. But I daresay a significant portion of the American population has probably never met a black doctor, much less a transplant surgeon. It makes me smile even as I type this just to think of all the people he is inspiring. This is an excellent article from 2020 in which he discusses his experiences as a black man/physician in America- please check it out: https://surgery.duke.edu/news/black-voices-healthcare-bradley-collins-md-senior-faculty-member.
• Dr. Lisa McElroy: Dr. McElroy is another transplant surgeon at the clinic where I work. She is also extremely kind & enjoyable to work with. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure she is only the second black female surgeon I’ve ever known. Women are well represented in medicine these days but not so much in surgery, & minority women even less so. Again, it makes me smile to think of all those she is inspiring. Outside of the operating room, she does a lot of work addressing disparities in healthcare. Here is an excellent article about her: https://www.donatelifenc.org/blog/meet-dr-lisa-mcelroy-transplant-surgeon.
• Dr. Carla Brady: Dr. Brady is a hepatologist (liver doctor) at the clinic where I work. She sees all kinds of liver patients but she specializes in seeing pregnant women with liver conditions. This is a great article about her: https://www.aasld.org/member-spotlight/carla-w-brady-md-mhs-faasld.
• Dr. Omobonike Oloruntoba: Dr. O, as she encourages everyone to call her, is another hepatologist at the clinic where I work. (She is of Nigerian descent if you’re wondering about the name.) I love what she says in this video about having the patient at the center of care- finding out what their goals & priorities are & working around those, rather than always assuming we know best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2A0J-8oE7E&ab_channel=DukeHealthProviderProfiles.
• Dr. Kimberley Evans: Dr. Evans was a nephrologist at the clinic where I work & was truly one of the kindest physicians I’ve ever known. She had the most soothing voice too. I remember once listening to her making phone calls to patients about lab results & when she was done I couldn’t resist telling her “Dr. Evans, I could listen to you talk all day. Your voice is just so lovely.” And it really was. Tragically, she died last year, & what a tremendous loss that was for our clinic, her family, & all of her patients. This is a great article that talks about how she helped mentor others & ensure better representation in medicine: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2023/10/duke-university-kimberley-evans-obituary-champion-diversity-equity-inclusion-dei-duke-health-medicine.
• I couldn’t find any public articles about several other black doctors & NPs whom I’ve worked with & really admire, so in order to protect their privacy I will not name them here. However, they are all equally worthy of respect & admiration as those named above.

• Cullen Moore: Cullen is the lead singer of one of my new favorite bands, Sleep Theory. I had the privilege of seeing them open for Beartooth last week in Norfolk, VA. I actually went to the concert as much for them as for Beartooth & they did not disappoint. The band is based out of Memphis, TN & Cullen grew up & still lives in a town in Mississippi that is right across the border from Memphis. If you know me in real life or have been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I’m a huge rock/metal junkie. Unfortunately, despite having massive influences from traditionally black music, rock/metal have not always been the most welcoming to black people. Even if not overtly unwelcoming, the fact remains that most of the genre is dominated by white people. So I for one love it when I see anyone who is not white trying their hand in this type of music. (Side note, the band’s bassist & backing vocalist is also not white- he’s Filapino.) Cullen is a veteran of the U.S. Army who has done a fantastic job of blending R&B with rock/metal & has proven that he can absolutely nail said fusion. I had the pleasure of hearing Gone or Staying debut live on Sirius XM Octane a few months ago. It is perhaps the best example of Cullen’s vast vocal abilities. Check out the live version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2rksn_J1W4&ab_channel=SiriusXM.

• Moriah Formica: I actually just discovered Moriah & her all female band Plush a few weeks ago when I saw Disturbed posting pictures & videos of Moriah performing Ann Wilson’s part from Don’t Tell Me while on tour with Disturbed. Immediately I was blown away by her raw talent & infectious energy & naturally I had to check out her band. As it turns out Moriah is all of about 22 or 23 yrs old & only about 5 feet tall but she has a BIG voice. She is up from upstate NY, has a black mother & a white father, owns 3 pet snakes, & loves to go fishing with her brothers when she’s not on tour with her absolutely kick-ass band. Also, can I just say that she has AMAZING curls? I’m jealous. Here’s one of my favorites from her band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLvQlqc-Xw&ab_channel=PlushRockVEVO.

• Diamond Rowe: Diamond is the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Tetrarch. Again, there are far too few black people in metal in general & even fewer black women, but Diamond has never let that deter her. She & lead singer Josh Fore have been friends since middle school & moved from the Atlanta area to LA to pursue their heavy metal dreams. She was the first black female from a heavy metal band to be featured on the cover of several high profile guitar publications like Guitar World. Like Moriah, she enjoys going fishing when she isn’t rocking out on guitar. Check out some of Diamond’s very impressive guitar work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FqBgFqZJQQ&ab_channel=NapalmRecords.

• Doc Coyle: Doc is the lead guitarist & backing vocalist for the rock band Bad Wolves & has also recently filled in on guitar for horror-themed metal band Ice Nine Kills. I was lucky enough to get to see him performing with INK last summer in Richmond. He also hosts the Ex Man Podcast. Doc is not only a fantastic guitarist but is also highly revered in the rock world as a truly wonderful human being. If I remember correctly, Doc grew up in New Jersey & is half black & half Hispanic (Puerto Rican possibly?), but in any case he is a fantastic guitarist with an incredible work ethic & the ability to really think deeply about all matters in life (watch any interview with him & you’ll quickly see what I mean). He’s one of those people I could listen to talk for hours just because his voice itself is soothing. Here’s one of my favorite songs by his band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBYNG4NW6m4&ab_channel=BetterNoiseMusic.

I sincerely hope you’ll check out at least a few of the links posted here. More importantly, I hope, regardless of your own race, you’ll open your heart to examine your own unconscious biases- we all have them. But the more we’re aware of them & the more we open ourselves up to learning about others & their experiences, the better the world will be for all of us.