Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thomas

I'm pretty laid back.

I mean, I'm a surgeon, so I'm type A, but I try to limit those barriers because I feel like it's never a you and them.

We have to change this world collectively.

And the more open you can be, the more information people will share with you so that you can build it together.

So as a black child, you were always told you have to be better than because anything that you do is not going to be just reflective of you.

It's the people who follow you.

Right.

And you also understand that the generation above ahead of you did not have the same opportunities.

So anything that you're given, if you do not excel, you are basically changing the future for others.

Because if you don't have exposure to a certain culture, then the one person that you happen to know, even if it's superficial, represents the entire culture.

So I would say that going through med school, going through residency, it was stressful because yes, it's hard work, but also you always had to have everything together.

You had to be on time.

Your presentations had to be very tight.

You had to be eloquent.

You really didn't have the opportunity to make multiple mistakes because you were kind of crafting the future for others.

As a Black female urologist, I have certain patients who aren't Black females that reach out

to see me because they say, I think you probably went through and had to study harder than others.

So I really appreciate that.

And I want to make sure that I can glean that knowledge and that experience.

And I appreciate that that's recognized.