News and Commentary Macy Notes: Commemorating Black History Month Blog Series

Throughout the month of February and in celebration of Black History Month, we are excited to feature—via the Macy Notes blog—the stories, experiences, and voices of learners who are underrepresented in the health professions. Spanning medicine and nursing, and representing various points in the continuum of education, these contributors share their reflections on how the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans in the health professions have affected their own personal and professional lives—and how they will carry this legacy forward. This year’s Black History Month theme is “African Americans and the Arts,” and so it is most fitting that we are able to share these thoughtful and powerful written reflections with the Macy community.

Please see below the full list of blogs in the series


Our Family Tree: Living History of Black Excellence 

By Kayla Karvonen MD, MASNeonatology Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital, and Kristine Karvonen, MD, MSPediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital


The Legacy of Black Physicians

By Jessica M. Hippolyte, MD, MPH, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow at Children’s National Hospital


Honoring Black Pioneers in Medicine

By Tolu Akinpelu, third-year medical student at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine


Paying Tribute to Black Trailblazers in Nursing

By Mackenzie Higgins, nursing student at Miami University


The Need for Black Representation in the Health Professions

By Kya’ Willis, nursing student at Creighton University College of Nursing


The Role Advocacy Plays in the Health Professions

By Claire Oduwo, MD, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Resident (PGY-3) at  University of Washington

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