Philadelphia Nonprofit Starts #Blackphillygradwishlist to Help Soon-to-be Black Doctors

By

Demetrius Woodard
Image via Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania
Demetrius Woodard

To help Black medical student transition into residency and take some of the financial burdens off of them, the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania has started #blackphillygradwishlist.

“It’s a financially taxing career and when you’re going from med school to residency you have to think about moving costs, vaccination costs, fingerprinting,” said Demetrius Woodard, a 2019 West Chester University alumni who will soon cross the finish line at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine.

Dr. Safiyya Shabazz, president of the Philadelphia nonprofit, which fosters a safety net for black doctors in the greater Philadelphia area, said that the financial burden ends up causing young Black doctors plenty of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety.

“Every medical student that I know isn’t working a job at the same time that they’re doing their training,” said Shabazz. “And in Philadelphia, I would love to celebrate them.”

That is where  #blackphillygradwishlist comes in.

Soon-to-be doctors fill Amazon shopping carts with things that will help them transition into residency. Black doctors then look at the lists and donate money for the items listed.

So far this year, the nonprofit has raised around $14,000 for 33 local medical students.

“I think it’s truly vital what they’re doing for the Black medical students and residents in the city,” said Woodard.

Learn more about #BlackPhillyMedGradWishlist at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Doximity profiles Dr. Safiyya Shabazz, president of The Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania

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