As a black female physician myself, I've encountered moments that both challenge and affirm my place in the medical field. It's these experiences that make me particularly excited to share the airwaves with Dr. Toyin Weaver, a family medicine physician whose story of resilience and success is not just inspiring but a beacon for change in healthcare. Dr. Weaver brings to the table her wealth of knowledge in hyperbaric oxygen therapy wound care, along with insights from her roles as a hospitalist and urgent care clinician. But perhaps her most profound role is that of a mentor, guiding us through the intricate balance of professional and personal life as a wife and mother of three. This episode isn't just about the hardships; it's a celebration of the strides we're making in medicine, both as providers and as individuals.
Representation matters, and Dr. Weaver's presence in healthcare is a testament to that. From the joys of being a role model to young black girls to the sobering realities of vaccine hesitancy and historical mistrust in medical institutions, we examine the layers of being black physicians in today's world. We unravel personal anecdotes of mistaken identity and racial bias, uncovering the ongoing need for frank dialogues to build patient trust. With Dr. Weaver's narrative, we underscore the significance of seeing oneself reflected in their healthcare provider. This enlightening discussion not only acknowledges the generational impact of medical mistrust but also champions the pursuit of health equity and increased representation in the field. Join us as we address these critical issues with the hope of inspiring a future where diversity in medicine is not an exception but a norm.
Thank you for Listening to Beyond Clinical Walls Podcast.
To find more from Dr. BCW
As a black female physician myself, I've encountered moments that both challenge and affirm my place in the medical field. It's these experiences that make me particularly excited to share the airwaves with Dr. Toyin Weaver, a family medicine physician whose story of resilience and success is not just inspiring but a beacon for change in healthcare. Dr. Weaver brings to the table her wealth of knowledge in hyperbaric oxygen therapy wound care, along with insights from her roles as a hospitalist and urgent care clinician. But perhaps her most profound role is that of a mentor, guiding us through the intricate balance of professional and personal life as a wife and mother of three. This episode isn't just about the hardships; it's a celebration of the strides we're making in medicine, both as providers and as individuals.
Representation matters, and Dr. Weaver's presence in healthcare is a testament to that. From the joys of being a role model to young black girls to the sobering realities of vaccine hesitancy and historical mistrust in medical institutions, we examine the layers of being black physicians in today's world. We unravel personal anecdotes of mistaken identity and racial bias, uncovering the ongoing need for frank dialogues to build patient trust. With Dr. Weaver's narrative, we underscore the significance of seeing oneself reflected in their healthcare provider. This enlightening discussion not only acknowledges the generational impact of medical mistrust but also champions the pursuit of health equity and increased representation in the field. Join us as we address these critical issues with the hope of inspiring a future where diversity in medicine is not an exception but a norm.
Thank you for Listening to Beyond Clinical Walls Podcast.
To find more from Dr. BCW
Hi everyone. It's Dr BCW with Beyond Clinical Walls. In honor of Black History Month, I am so excited to introduce my next guest, dr Toyin Weaver. She is a Nigerian-Canadian family medicine physician who graduated from Upstate Medical University in 2008. She completed her residency in family medicine at Albany Medical Center and is a family medicine specialist in Reno, nevada. I love that in her bio she states specialist, because when we talk about family medicine, we often do not give it the credit that it deserves, so I just want to highlight that piece.
Speaker 1:Dr Weaver is affiliated with St Mary's Medical Group, where she works as an urgent care physician and as a hospitalist nocturnus. She has 16 years of experience. Her specialties include not only family medicine but also hyperbaric oxygen therapy wound care. She is a hospitalist medicine specialist as well as an amazing urgent care clinician. She is also a clinical instructor of family medicine at University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. In her off time, she spends time with her husband, dr Jeffrey Weaver, and their three kids. They have two twins, two 11 year old twins and a four year old. Her passion includes traveling, sports, working out, audio books and dancing. I am so excited to have you with me today, dr Weaver. Thank you for joining Beyond Clinical Walls podcast. I would love for the listeners to learn more about you.
Speaker 2:I think you covered it all. Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad I can finally join you on the podcast. But yeah, I think you covered my life right there. I'm a family medicine physician in Reno and when I'm not busy doing that, I joke when I'm leaving work that now my real job starts because I go home to my three kids and my wonderful family. So yeah, that's me.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited because, when we really delve into the topics that we're going to talk about, it really highlights so many of the different intersectionalities that make up who you are as a physician, a wife, a mom, a black physician and so much more, and it's something you just said right then and there. My job also when I go home, is to be a mom, and all of those factors. Today, what we're going to do is we're going to highlight the life of a black female physician. This is something that often is not really discussed.
Speaker 1:The reason why I think this part is so important the lack of representation in healthcare. We know Dr Weaver and I have talked about statistics that we represent less than 3% of physicians across the US, although the overall population is greater than 14%. So today we are going to talk about representation, we're going to talk about intersectionalities. We're also going to talk about what Dr Weaver myself, as well as, I'm sure, other black physicians, may have experienced and really shine a light on just what it's like to walk in our shoes as a black female physician. This topic is near and dear to both of our hearts and I'm so glad that we are getting the chance to bring this to light. So can you just share what is a day in the life of Dr Weaver.
Speaker 2:Oh boy. So my day starts early, usually getting up around 5.36. And for me I'm just going to say that's early, because even though I'm a doctor, I am not a morning person at all. So getting up at 5.36 is something that I never thought that I would not only do on a daily basis but actually now come to enjoy. So if I don't have a morning workout planned, I get up at 5.36. I'm getting the kids off to school. The twins are in middle school, so that means the bell rings at 7.23. So, getting everybody dressed out the door, I drop them off and then I usually head to my shift.
Speaker 2:If I'm doing an urgent care shift, and because I wear many different hats, my schedule doesn't always look the same on a daily basis.
Speaker 2:So if I'm doing urgent care, I'm working during the day.
Speaker 2:If I'm doing my night job the nocturnist, once I drop the kids off I'm going home and I'm hopefully going to sleep for a couple hours before I have to round back and pick everybody up around 2 o'clock.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I get everybody off to school and then I'm either going to work or I'm going to sleep to prepare for going to work in the evening and then, yeah, just trying to get in some family time. It's hard with middle schoolers just trying to get them to talk to you, so I love being able to pick them up from school and have conversations with them and still try and do family dinners so that we can all stay connected. And my four-year-old has a lot of energy, so I need that sleep if I'm working during the night so that I have energy for him before I leave in the evenings and then also trying to work out and be healthy, because we tell our patients that that's important, so I also got to try and take care of myself and find time for my husband too. So, yeah, it's work, family and then self-care which I'm trying to learn to be better at.
Speaker 1:And just by shining a light on all of those things that happen minute by minute, hour by hour in your life of not only helping your family, but also helping yourself and then also helping others. As a physician, all of those factors are really at play every single day, and I would love for listeners to learn about your journey into becoming a physician. I think that part is an important piece to highlight.
Speaker 2:So I actually didn't want to become a physician. I had an aunt growing up who was a doctor. She was an OBGYN and it felt like every time we were anywhere, every time there was a family gathering, she would get paid. She'd have to step away from the table and take a phone call or leave. And I was like that is not the life for me, because I didn't know for sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I 100% wanted to be a mom and raise a family and I didn't want the kind of distractions I saw my aunt having. So I actually decided I wanted to become a lawyer. So I was fully on that path and I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyways I think it was sometime in late middle school, early high school, where I started to kind of research. All right, what is it going to take to become a lawyer? How much time in school? How much money am I going to make? Because, let's be honest, that's an important part, especially if you're going to put yourself through college and then graduate school, and what would my career mean for having a family? And so when I started to look at those two things side to side. I decided that not only did I want to be a physician, or I decided actually I do want to be a physician, I just don't want to do it the way my aunt did it, which meant finding a specialty where I wasn't really taking call, where I would have a flexible schedule, where I could kind of tailor it to not only be a professional person but also be a mom and family.
Speaker 2:Medicine kind of really fit that bill for me. Because, as you can see from my bio, I've done many different things. I've been a hospitalist, I've been a daytime hospitalist, I've been a nighttime hospitalist, I've done urgent care, I've done hyperbarics. I've been able to kind of tailor my schedule to what my family needs at that time. And because my husband's also a physician, his schedule is crazy. He's an anesthesiologist, so his schedule is even crazier than mine is and he can't avoid taking call.
Speaker 2:So we needed one of us. I remember in med school we had a family medicine physician and an OBGYN that were married. They came and gave a talk, actually on for Valentine's Day, about what it meant to be married to a physician, and so at that point my husband and I were already dating and we had to have some I wouldn't even call them tough decisions, but just realistic decisions or conversations about okay, if we're both going to be professionals, what does that mean for us? Having a family, and, like I said early on, I knew that I wanted to be a mom, so I didn't mind picking a specialty that would allow me to be more accessible for my family while also still getting to be a professional.
Speaker 1:And I think it's important for people to hear the journey when you think of four years of undergrad, four years of medical school residency and then also deciding what specialty will really fit your lifestyle, your plans for the future and all of those things really are important when you commit to that timeframe. After all of that, you become a physician and then a lot of times it's not socialized. The interactions are the things that we have to face when we are working with our patients and just getting through the everyday life as a doctor, helping people, our core and all of our colleagues. We're there to really help, serve and hopefully prevent disease, but also react and respond.
Speaker 1:The missing piece, I think, often in those conversations is some of the things that we have to face as a physician as we're going out there trying to help people, and this was a conversation that we really wanted to bring forward. I would love for you to share some of the things that you've had to face and how you've been able to overcome, because I think solutions are a big thing for people to hold on to and think about, how they can deal with certain things that may come their way. As a female, as a black physician, all of those factors are even just being a mom, because there are those challenges as well, sometimes if you're in a specific organization that may not support those areas that are important to you. So please share some of those challenges and how you've been able to overcome.
Speaker 2:You have to have realistic conversations with yourself and then with your partner about how you envision your lives, because I love medicine, but the one thing about medicine is that our schedules does not follow anybody's schedule. It doesn't follow school schedules, it doesn't follow any of that. So when you're asking me about what my day looks like, most of the time when I'm getting the kids ready to go to school, my husband's already gone. So if a kid wakes up sick or if the nanny calls in because you have to have some kind of, you need to have help, whether it's in the form of nanny, before and after care. We don't have family in town, so we've relied heavily on having nannies. But if a kid wakes up sick or if the nanny calls in, my husband's already gone. So it's up to me to figure out OK, can the nanny stay with the kid? Is this a sickness where I need to stay with the child?
Speaker 2:And so, like you mentioned, being in a job that is supportive of that is also very important.
Speaker 2:So sometimes you need to take a little less money to be with an organization that values your role as a mom, and I've been very lucky to work with you and have you as my director, and one of the things about where we work is that we just work with a really good group of people that it's OK to call in, it's OK to put yourself and your family first, and so finding a job where you have that is very important.
Speaker 2:I think it used to be taboo and we're coming, I hope, and I can see that we're becoming better as a society of being able to have these conversations. But it used to be taboo to say I want to be a mom or I want to have kids and those type of things. But I think a lot of places are now starting to put in place where there's not only maternity care but there's paternity care and there's day cares and other things like that. So hopefully, because not only are we taking care of other people, we need to take care of ourselves too so I hope self-care can become a topic that's not as taboo and we can continue to make progress in that area as physicians, as any professionals really.
Speaker 1:I agree, because we've all experienced organizations that have shared. We're family first, but then, when it comes to when you need to take the time off or if you have an activity or something that you need to do with your child and the meetings are placed on at that same time, and when you are trying to excuse yourself from it, there's this backlash that really shows that company's true feelings. What does it really mean? As my dad would say, it's lip service of. Are you really there? And so I think that's important for anyone listening with whatever profession you choose, is making sure that that company is one that really stands by what they state with, whatever their mission is Exactly. Yep, speaking of that, as we talk about those fundamental pieces of number one being able to just socialize and share what is important to you if you want to be a mom, if you're in a caregiver position, anything like that just being able to share that upfront is something that we need to include and be a part of our narrative and not make it punitive or uncomfortable in any fashion.
Speaker 1:And so, leading into that, some of the experiences I think that we experience as physicians and moms and women of color, I think are important to highlight. You and I have had. I want to call it unique only because I'm sure it's happening to others, but we call it unique just because in our world it's just the two of us. In the city we live in there's not that many black physicians, as she knows. And so one thing that we wanted to bring forward in this conversation of just highlighting the importance of representation yes, we hear it often, but we forget that it really is impactful, whether we're talking about patient outcomes, whether we're talking about breeding innovation, but it's also about creating an image of what a person can look like or what someone is doing in that profession. And so for Dr Weaver and I, two black female physicians that are working in the same organization, we have faced an interesting experience for years, and that has been where we are on shift on different days, or possibly the same day, and we've had patients who really feel strongly that they are seeing the opposite one. So, sharing I'll be working as shift and I'm working as shift, excuse me. And then the patient will say oh hi, dr Weaver and I'll share. No, I'm Dr BCW.
Speaker 1:Sometimes patients are willing to accept that it's a different clinician. But we've also had other patients who have doubled down and said, nope, you are this person we have taken the outlook of, we laugh with it, we just go with the flow. But I think it's something to think about when we talk about imagery bias or this kind of all-be-all-of-everybody-looks-alike and what are we doing to take note or investment in really making sure we see people and see those individual pieces and what parts are? Just kind of looking at the color of someone's skin and then kind of putting that as everyone, as the same kind of person? And so I'll let you kind of shine a light on our experiences and why we wanted to bring this forward.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you know, race has been a topic that's, I mean, it's always been an issue in America, but in the last several years it's really kind of come to the forefront and trying to make it better for everybody. I remember growing up and being told that I have to work twice as hard. Not only are you a female, but you're also a black female, so you need to work twice as hard. And I think we talk about this thing called imposter syndrome, of trying to feel like I've earned my place here. I remember having several experiences in med school residency where some directly, some indirectly, wondered how I got to where I got to. Was it affirmative action? Was it were they trying to fill some kind of quota? And so I think when you finally do make it, you know there is a lot of work that you have to kind of do with yourself to be to say no, I got here because I deserve to be here, because I worked hard. And representation having someone like you walking in and being like, oh, she's my boss, like you know, not always being the only person there kind of makes it a little easier to kind of let go of that feeling of imposter syndrome, and so I think it just happened to us just the other day when you stopped in the office.
Speaker 2:I walked in and the patient said good to see you again. And you know I see a lot of people, so sometimes I honestly just don't remember. But this guy, you know, he was telling me what happened at his last appointment and I'm like you know you don't want to make the patient feel bad, but I'm like, yeah, I'm not really sure that I saw you, and so I logged on the computer and I looked at the chart and, sure enough, it was you. I was Dr Curry Winschel, and that's usually how it goes. But and sometimes, like you said, the patient will just laugh and sometimes I'll kind of just go along with them if I can, if it's something that's actually not going to affect their care. But yeah, it's the amount of times that it happens that we get mixed and and it's it's funny because it's not just our skin color, but we look completely different. I mean both beautiful, but we look completely different. I'm five, eleven, you're five.
Speaker 1:I want to just call six and a half. I'm going to call that half.
Speaker 2:Well, you're a little shorter, I have short cropped hair, you have braids, so we look absolutely nothing alike. So kind of it makes me chuckle because that's innocent bias, if that's the right word. But we've also had issues that aren't innocent. You know, I've had an incident that led me have to actually start therapy where I had a patient using very derogative terms and getting very menacing towards me, and so I think it's very comforting.
Speaker 2:Representation is important, having colleagues that look like you. I try and focus on the importance. I had an incident where a dad bought his daughter in and he he at the end he had tears in his eyes and he said we were almost going to wait till tomorrow and see if her fever broke, but I'm so glad we came in today so she could see a black doctor, because they don't get to see black doctors and he's like what it meant for my daughter to see you today was huge. So as much as possible I try and focus on the positives of the patients that I'm getting to experience or have experiences with. I remember in residency I had a young mom and she did not want to give her child a vaccine and my white colleague called me in and was like do you mind talking to her, because you know she might understand you better. And I went in and I talked to her and kind of let down my physician guard a little bit and just talk to her as a black person, to another black person, and her child left with the vaccines that she needed.
Speaker 2:It's very important that we not only have colleagues that we can, that we can go to to talk, talk to you about our experiences being a black physician, because a lot of things are the same but a lot of things also are different. And then it's it's on the other side of it. It's awesome to be able to connect with patients and help them, because a lot of them have never seen a black physician before. I think about have I ever had a black physician? And I don't think I have. I don't. You know, I've had physicians from other cultures, but I don't think I've ever had an African American physician. And so, as we learn a lot in medicine, a lot of who you know, how we grow up affects who we are and the way we think sometimes. So, yeah, representation really, really matters in that respect.
Speaker 1:And it's nice to be able to, you know, share those stories of how connecting with a patient immediately when you walk in that door and they see someone that looks like them, and how the history of mistrust and all the other things that we know about really live in so many different things, but one is not being represented in healthcare and in medicine, and how that plays a role when you're delivering care, and so being able to have those that look like you or be able to relate to those experiences and also just understand why you may have mistrust, is such a powerful form of healthcare and health delivery and health literacy. So right.
Speaker 2:So, like the mother the mother that I brought up from residency she brought up her fear of the. She brought up the Tuskegee experiment as why she didn't want to give her kids vaccines. And you know, we like to be told that racism was such a long time ago I mean that was in the 70s Like her family told her about that. She had family members that were affected by that. So, of course, when it's now time for her to give her kids a vaccine, she's going to remember that that's going to affect the way she makes decisions for her family. And it's not always about non-compliance with patients. I think being able to see whether, coming from and why they're making the choices that they make, and being able to talk to them quite you know, frankly and being like I understand why you have this mistrust, let's talk through it that's very important as well.
Speaker 1:We forget that generational history, that oral history of mistrust, and why certain things have when we talk about inequities and disparities, why we haven't been able to close that gap, because that history is still alive and breathing today when it comes to the decision making of our patients.
Speaker 1:And to your point, I mean my father. He shared that with me and that's one generational way of why he did not trust the healthcare system, and so continuing that narrative, continuing to highlight how that impacts care, is so important. And so, before we end, dr Weaver, is there anything else that you would like to share with the listeners? You have provided such amazing tips and information and insight into the life of a physician mom, wife and so much more as I keep repeating that theme, because it really is so many different things that really represent who you are and what you do every single day. That is evolving and changing, sometimes minute by minute, and so I would love for those listening to find a way to connect with you if they want to learn more and so forth. So anything that you'd like to share, please feel free to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2:I think, like I mentioned earlier on, it's kind of a taboo subject to say you know, I want to have a family, or this is what I'm looking for, or these type of things, and it took me a long time in my career before I was comfortable just being honest with the things I was looking for in a job.
Speaker 2:So if there's anybody out there whether you're in high school or middle school or you know, medical school residency, wherever you are along your path, if you're, if you have questions that you don't feel comfortable asking a professional in your space, I think Dr BCW is going to share my information and I would love for you to reach out and we can have an off the record conversation about some of the things that we talked about today, because these things are really important for you to think about when you're making your decisions, and the one thing about being in medicine is it's a long path, but you also need to make a lot of decisions early on about what you want to do and how you want to do it.
Speaker 2:So I'd be more than happy to talk to anybody who has any questions about anything that I touched upon today, and I just wanted to say thank you to you, dr Curry Wintle, because what you're doing beyond clinical walls is amazing, and I'm lucky that I get to know you as a professional, but also as a friend, and now what you're bringing to the community and to the listeners is truly amazing and it's helping with the representation and it's helping to shed light on all these areas that we really need to shed light on. So I'm proud to call you a colleague and I'm even more proud to call you a friend. So thank you.
Speaker 1:So I have a hard time responding to that. I'm just going to extend my heart and say a heartfelt thank you. Your friendship, the power that you have within you in all the ways that you help people, not only as a physician and as a friend, is just so amazing and I'm lost for words because it's truly been an amazing journey of connectivity and soul sisterhood I want to call it. It really is. It's just been an immediate connection and I'm so glad that not only have our past crossed, they have continued to get deeper and just grateful for who you are and what you bring forward. So I will definitely share your information as well. I am so glad that we had a chance to highlight this topic in so many different topics. I'm excited to have you back on. I just said that to her, so she is fine.
Speaker 1:I think this is important to continue that conversation, because our conversation also adds to the level of representation in this space, not only encouraging women of color to go into healthcare, but also sharing information to patients across the world. So I thank you, dr Weber, for just taking the time to highlight why you do what you do as a physician, a wife, a mom. Thank you again for joining me. It was such a delight to have you and, as always, I would love to say thank you to all the listeners listening to Beyond Clinical Walls. I always end with a level of gratitude for your time, your energy and just the ability to share this moment with you. This is Dr B C W. Thank you for listening to Beyond Clinical Walls. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss my next upload, and if you found this information helpful, please hit the thumbs up. It really helps the channel, as always. Thanks for watching and thank you for your support.