"Shouldn’t You Spend Your Time Curing Cancer or Something?"
In the latest issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, Kimberly S. Johnson, MD, MHS, shares what inspired her to become a clinician — specifically a geriatrician and palliative care physician, and the importance of the field in order to create equitable access to health care for African Americans. As she says, "By the time that I was in sixth grade, I knew that whatever career I chose would involve fighting for racial equity. Not surprisingly, my interest in medicine grew out of a desire to ensure equitable access to health care for African Americans."
Through personal stories, Dr. Johnson explains how her choice to become a palliative care clinician highlights the importance of "creating equitable opportunities for people like [her] grandmother to receive high quality palliative care".