We are continuing our Diversity in Healthcare social media series for 2022 with the theme Black Men in White Coats.

Our first post of the year features Dr. Dale Okorodudu (known as “Dr. Dale”), the founder of the Black Men in White Coats movement. Dr. Dale grew up in the Houston area and earned his medical degree at the University of Missouri. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Duke University and trained in pulmonary and critical care at UT Southwestern in Dallas, where he is now a faculty member. He was named to the Ebony Power 100 List in 2020 and has won multiple awards for his leadership and mentoring activities.

Black Men in White Coats is a movement seeking to address the lack of Black male doctors in the United States. Only 2% of American physicians are Black men, and fewer Black men applied for medical school in 2014 than in 1978. Strategies to combat this problem include raising awareness of the issue; providing visible representation of Black men in medicine through social media, short video documentaries, a full-length documentary, a book, and more; and a strong focus on mentoring. Visit the website or follow the hashtag on social media – #BlackMenInWhiteCoats.

We plan to contribute to increasing representation in 2022 through our social media series. Check this blog as well as our Instagram and Twitter accounts throughout the year for profiles of #BlackMenInWhiteCoats. We also wish you a happy Black History Month and encourage you to seek out more information about the people currently making Black History, including Dr. Dale.