“We need to reach a point where a patient isn’t surprised to see a Black female doctor is their heart surgeon, or their primary care physician or the expert consulted on their orthopedic surgery,” Thomas continued. “Emery has made those role models come forward and heralds their success, so that a 10-year-old Black girl today can envision herself as a physician.
Emery, a quadriplegic due to a form of muscular dystrophy, recently launched a national initiative, “Changing the Face of Medicine.” Its mission is to increase the number of Black doctors from 4 percent to 7 percent by 2030.
“My mission is to create work that inspires people everywhere to challenge self-imposed and other-imposed limitations so as to reach their fullest potential,” Emery said.
To help get Black Women In Medicine to the Oscars, visit the film’s crowdfunding website here.