SSM Health surgeon hopes book inspires Black girls to become doctors

By VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN

Dr. Jovita Ugochi Oruwari wants Black girls to see her.

She wants Black girls to see what’s possible, that they can be successful, live full lives and help Black patients facing sometimes drastic health disparities.

Oruwari, a breast surgeon at SSM Health DePaul Hospital — St. Louis, edited a book that published this spring called Black Girls in White Coats. The book profiles 60 female doctors from around the country in different medical disciplines.

Black physicians make up 5% of the physician workforce, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Black women account for just under 3%. The nation’s Black population is 14%.

Oruwari, 55, a native of Nigeria, attended college and medical school in the U.S. and has worked in St. Louis for more than 20 years. She was an oncologic breast surgeon for the Mercy St. Louis Cancer and Breast Institute, which is in a predominantly white area. When she moved to DePaul in 2020, and the majority of her patients were Black, she was struck by what she learned about disparities in medicine and the patients’ cruise ship who were under federal quarantine arrived at Sacred Heart’s unit in the early days of the virus’ spread, “There was a lot of response based out of fear,” said Christa Arguinchona, a nurse and Providence special pathogens program manager. “And so, it was challenging for sure, but it was also an opportunity to educate

CommonSpirit hospital programs acquaint minority students with health careers

By JULIE MINDA

Like many other health care facilities across the U.S., sites within CommonSpirit Health have been increasingly concerned that minority populations are underrepresented on their staffs.

Such introspection has led hospitals in two CommonSpirit regions to develop internships that invite high school and college students of minority backgrounds to experience firsthand what it is like working in a health profession. They also get support from on-staff clinicians and receive handholding and other help to get started in a health care career.

Though the programming at the hospitals is in its infancy, it already is showing strong potential to build minority students’