“What if I were to have someone who looked like me, worried about my mental health when I was a child? How much better of a human would I be now? How many of those internal doubts that I had would be eliminated? And I wanted to be one of those people who really drove the conversation and utilized every ounce of my influence to really create something that can revolutionize what’s accessible in terms of mental health.”

- Dr. Russell Ledet MD PHD MBA

On December 14, 2019, 15 African American medical students from Tulane University School of Medicine posed in front of a former slave cabin at the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana, while donning their white coats. “We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” said a tweet of one of the photos. The image went viral and multiple national news outlets picked up the story.

The students formed The 15 White Coats organization,  a nonprofit group with a threefold mission: To reimagine cultural imagery in learning spaces, lessen the financial burden of medical school for applicants of color, and influence cultural literacy in learning spaces. Donations and the sale of photographs and posters allow The 15 White Coats to distribute their photos to classrooms across the U.S., establish scholarships, and more.

Master Certified Coach Jill Farmer welcomes Dr. Russell Ledet, MD, PhD, MBA to talk about the barriers and doubts he faced as a black man and aspiring physician along his journey from security guard to MD PhD MBA. Specifically, Dr. Ledet shines light on the disadvantages that medical school applicants from marginalized communities face. In recognition of how important it is to have role models, Dr. Ledet encourages listeners to take action. He is receiving national recognition for starting 15 White Coats. Dr. Ledet talks about his journey from being in the military to becoming a security guard to realizing that he could go to college, and eventually to medical school after earning his PhD at NYU. He is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

Dr. Ledet earned his bachelors degree from Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge. He earned his PhD in Molecular Oncology from NYU School of Medicine, Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. He earned his MD and MBA from Tulane University. He is a Triple Board Resident (Pediatrics/Psychiatry/Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) at Indiana University School of Medicine.

LinkedIn: Dr. Russell J. Ledet  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjledet

Instagram: @drrussellledet

Find @the15white coats on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Dr. Russell J. Ledet, MD, PhD, MBA  co-founded The 15 White Coats, an organization that helps to propel underrepresented minority students to the next levels of education by providing inspiration and economic support. Dr. Ledet has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, People Magazine, NPR, Washington Post, The Steve Harvey Show, and Good Morning America. Following medical school, he plans to focus on mental health accessibility for marginalized communities. He is a husband of 14 years to Mallory Alise, and the father of two little girls, Maleah Ann and Mahlina Abri.

Socials:

@drrussellledet (IG/TikTok); FB

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