ElevateMeD Welcomes Our Newest Board Member Dr. Jeshenna Watkins
ElevateMeD is excited to welcome our newest Board Member Dr. Jeshenna Watkins of Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to her focus on excellence in health care as a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Watkins has worked with many non-profits as a board member and advocate, with a philanthropic focus on health and education equality, minority empowerment, and teen pregnancy reduction.
In celebration of her new role, we asked her two questions about her involvement.
We absolutely look forward to serving medical students with Dr. Watkins on the board.
(1) What excites you about serving as a Board member of ElevateMeD?
I am most excited about being aligned with an organization that recognizes disparities in healthcare and is working to assist the brightest minds and future leaders that will help fill those gaps.
Being associated with an organization with a strong sense of purpose, supported by the passion exhibited by the founders and standing board members, makes me even more excited about the potential for continued growth and perpetuity of ElevateMeD.
As a first-generation college graduate from a family who lived most of my life living well below the poverty income level, the idea of college and postgraduate education came with the understanding that scholarships or student loans were my only options. Working with an organization that not only identifies the stressors this imposes on young aspiring students but works to help alleviate this barrier, directly aligns with a purpose that resonates within me.
In early conversations with founder Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey, I instinctively understood why this organization has not only grown since its inception but is thriving. The passion she exhibits, along with all of my fellow board members, ignites an energy that encourages you to work a little harder, give a little more, walk in the greatness that is within you while making sure you help others with similar aspirations.
ElevateMeD started as an idea that has taken wings, and because of the purpose of this organization, and the passion in the diligence of the board members, I see the potential impact we will have on the future of medicine as the organization continues to soar. I am overly ecstatic to be aligned with this organization, and I look forward to being able to impact the lives of the future physicians to come.
(2) Ignite Atlanta was…
Everything!! Simply amazing. It was an opportunity for those of us in Atlanta who know the purpose, passion, and potential of ElevateMeD to share it with Atlanta, and this event did just that! But on a personal level, Ignite Atlanta for me was Affirmation! Of course, the keynote speaker, being one of the first scholarship recipients and now an OBGYN resident, would be from my hometown of Memphis, TN. Her story from identification of career aspiration to matriculation, exactly mirrored mine! I was her, and she is the future me. These are the young minds that we hope to impact, this is ElevateMeD. I look forward to working with the team to Ignite other cities to align with the passion that is ElevateMeD. The future of medicine depends on us.
