theGrio’s 100: Drs. Kameron Matthews and Alden Landry, inspiring future doctors city by city
theGRIO's 100 - Drs. Kameron Matthews and Alden Landry saw a need for a more diverse healthcare workforce and now tour city by city, school by school inspiring young college students interested in medicine...
Who are Drs. Kameron Matthews and Alden Landry?
Dr. Kameron Leigh Matthews, 34, is the medical director and chief medical officer of Mile Square Health Center at University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital & Health Sciences System and assistant professor of clinical family medicine with the UI Health Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Alden M. Landry, 32, is an emergency medicine physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He also holds other academic positions including senior faculty at the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and faculty assistant director of the Office of Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School.
Why are they on theGrio’s 100?
While having grown up in different parts of the country, Matthews from Philadelphia and Landry in Houston, they both realized that diversity of the health care workforce is not only important, but necessary in tackling the country’s racial and ethnic health care disparities.
To play their part, they founded the Tour for Diversity in Medicine — a grassroots effort to educate, inspire, and cultivate future minority physicians and dentists.. The Tour recruits doctors, dentists and podiatrists as well as students in those fields as mentors, then hosts sessions on university campuses that focus on premedical academic achievement, the application process, and other necessary skills.
In two years, Drs. Landry and Matthews have completed four tours that have taken place on 23 campuses in 17 states and the District of Columbia, during which they have reached over 1,800 minority undergraduate and high school students.
In addition, they are launching a full calendar of webinars as well as additional online resources designed to assist students, guidance counselors and parents to help better prepare students for a future in medicine or dentistry.
What’s next for them?
This dynamic doctor duo are now doing two tours per year, which will be held this year in February and September. The upcoming tour in February 2014 will visit New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.
For more information on their upcoming tours, check out the Tour for Diversity in medicine website or their YouTube channel. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
