Inspirational Black Men and Women in Medicine: Dr Analiz Rodriguez of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In Medicine

An Interview With Jamie Hemmings

Residency is more grueling than you expect. During residency, my self care was at its lowest and you have to make conscious decisions to find time outside of work.

In the United States today, black doctors are vastly underrepresented. Only 5% of physicians nationwide are black. Why is it so important to have better representation? What steps can be taken to fix this discrepancy? In this interview series, we are talking to successful black men and women in medicine about their career, their accomplishments, and how others may follow their path. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Analiz Rodriguez.

An accomplished neurosurgeon and research scientist, Dr. Analiz Rodriguez M.D., Ph.D., is the Director of Neurosurgical Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Under her role, she strives to address the needs of rural patients and hopes to bring novel therapies and trials to the state of Arkansas. Notably, Dr. Analiz was selected to receive the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation’s Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Award (Winn CDA), which is one of two awards in the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program (Winn Award Program) that aims to increase the diversity of patients enrolled in clinical trials.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I grew up with a mother that heavily emphasized education, specifically reading and math. Outside of the curriculum that was assigned to me, she always made sure I was reading a new book each week and I have distinct memories of playing math games with her in the living room after school. Every summer, we had a theme for books we would read and I wasn’t allowed to go to the pool until I finished my reading.

The themes ranged from Mark Twain, Shakespeare, to black historical figures like Marcus Garvey. I therefore had a very solid foundation for academics and was a very curious child. My mother also truly “leaves no stone unturned” and found opportunities wherever she could.

When I showed early interest in science in elementary school, my mom convinced someone at a local college to let me into the middle school science summer camp. Lastly, I am grateful for having a childhood where I really did believe that I could be anything when I “grew up” and that comes from being blessed with support and encouragement.

Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I knew I wanted to be a neurosurgeon since I was a child based on a show I saw on TV. Afterwards, I read Ben Carson books and dreamed of going to medical school. In the ninth grade, I had an amazing science teacher, Dr. Betsy Glass, who approached me to participate in independent research and enter a science fair competition. I ended up doing quite well and got to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas Texas. It was a big deal for me as only four students from my region were selected to go and I was the only girl so I had to room with my teacher. I am still grateful to the local Kiwanis club in Ft. Myers, Florida that sponsored the trip as I was able to meet nobel laureates in science and start to understand how science can change the world.

Shortly after that, a former student of Dr. Glass visited our school to tell her that she was accepted to the MD/PhD program. I never heard of that program before and when I found out you can be a doctor and a scientist, I was hooked. I went into college knowing that I wanted to do MD/PhD and did research every summer. I went to a national conference on undergraduate research where I met a college student from the Midwest who told me about the Medical Scientist Training Program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) which was the first MD/PhD program in the USA. I applied there and to other MD/PhD programs but eventually enrolled at Case Western. CWRU had the most welcoming “vibe” and felt like a supportive community which was really important to me since I started medical school at 19. Unconsciously, I also probably went to CWRU because they had the most underrepresented minority students in their program when I interviewed. Only after matriculation did I find out CWRU was one of the first medical schools to accept women and those underrepresented in medicine, as well as the place where Dr. David Satcher, former surgeon general, obtained his MD/PhD.

After medical school, I trained at Wake Forest University for my neurosurgery residency. I was very lucky to get phenomenal operative training as well as work in the lab of Dr. Waldemar Debinski who is a renowned glioblastoma researcher. During residency, I was able to start formulating what I wanted to do for my career and went to City of Hope for my oncology fellowship. I went to City of Hope because it is a utopia where compassionate oncology patient care meets clinical translational research. I was able to participate in clinical trials that were based on a discovery from Dr. Debinski’s research.I knew that was my goal: to truly translate research to help patients.

I chose to practice in Arkansas to build a brain tumor program for an underserved state and to implement clinical trials to patients who typically have no access to them. I am very grateful to receive formalized training from the Winn Award Program on how to become a clinical trialist. I have met many people throughout the nation who have similar goals and know that through this network we will change cancer care as we know it.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

One of my favorite quotations is “Who is wise? One who learns from all others” from a Jewish scholar, Ben Zoma. In order to “learn from all others” you must acknowledge that we are all equal and we should not underestimate what someone can contribute. I was raised to remain humble and not to take anything or anyone for granted.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

The most rewarding part of my job is helping patients by either giving more time to those who are terminally ill or improving one’s overall well-being. You sometimes lose sight of this fundamental joy with the grind of work, so it’s absolutely amazing when you are made aware of the impact you have made.

Just last week, I was on the elevator and someone saw my badge. “Are you Dr. Rodriguez?” they said with unbridled surprise and joy. They were a family member to a young man I treated about one year ago who has made amazing neurological improvements. We got off the elevator and they showed me videos of their loved one talking and singing. I cried with joy watching these videos with them.

That is the greatest joy of neurosurgery — to be able to restore functions like talking and singing always feels like a miracle. Every.Single.Time.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I am an extremely goal-oriented person and will pursue something doggedly. This translates to my clinical practice as well when trying to fight someone’s tumor. I tell my patients that I won’t give up on them, and I am willing to go as far as needed.

One other trait that’s important is to keep trying, even when there are obstacles. I recently reviewed my “failure” resume with a mentee highlighting the number of grants I applied for that did not get funded. There were many more that were not funded versus those that were.

Lastly, the other key is to have self confidence. It is true that if you don’t believe in yourself it is unlikely others will. When I would tell people that I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, I had some people literally laugh in my face like it was a joke. Thankfully, I had the self confidence to ignore the negative energy that others sometimes threw my way.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. This might seem intuitive to you, but it would be helpful to articulate this expressly. Can you share three reasons with our readers why it’s really important for there to be more diversity in medicine?

1. Diversity in medicine makes things better for everyone. If you continue doing something the same way over and over with a limited perspective, you will miss solutions.
2. Diversity allows for you to consider various points of view and build systems where everyone can thrive. I am happy to see initiatives that are moving towards health equity especially in clinical trials.
3. Bringing diversity into clinical trials will lead to infrastructure to improve healthcare for all groups. That is why I am proud to be in the inaugural class of the Winn Award Program.

As things stand today, what are the main barriers for black men and women to enter the medical field?

There are many barriers for black men and women in entering the medical field, but I think one of the biggest ones is lack of mentorship and support in a culturally sensitive context. For example, there are currently approximately 33 black women in the entire neurosurgery workforce across the country, including residents who have yet to complete their training. This is approximately 0.5% of all neurosurgeons. It takes 11 years of education and training after college to become a neurosurgeon so understanding the process and having guidance mentorship at all steps is crucial. It is also important to talk with people who have experienced things from your vantage point.

I wrote a piece recently about an instance when I experienced misogynoir during residency . At the time, I felt isolated and was limited in receiving guidance on how to handle a situation where I was singled out. These situations can lead to people leaving the path and not completing training. I am now in a position to help others in that situation. On a national scale, the Winn Award Program has implemented an opportunity for scholars to participate in a formal mentorship relationship with undergraduate medical trainees.

From your perspective, can you share a few things that can be done by the community, society, or the government, to help remove those barriers?

This is a very difficult time as how people view diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is changing and quite polarizing. On the one hand, the George Floyd summer galvanized many to take account of racial injustice in our society in various sectors. On the other hand, some DEI initiatives are viewed as exclusionary as many believe we live in a post-racial society. Fundamentally, race is a social construct and we are currently struggling as a society in how to dismantle these deeply rooted thought processes and prejudices. Hopefully, we can come together as the only way we can solve it is through unity.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started my career in medicine,” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Residency is more grueling than you expect. During residency, my self care was at its lowest and you have to make conscious decisions to find time outside of work.
2. You hear people say that when you finish training the responsibility is greater than ever before, and that is true. After training, the level of investment in getting your patients through difficult surgery is indeed heightened. The feeling of losing a patient after surgery is indescribable.
3. It is difficult to separate clinical and research duties as a clinician-scientist. On a day-to-day basis, I am constantly pulled between both worlds and that’s why the best course is to marry both sides. I am happy that both my clinical and research realms overlap.
4. You truly don’t understand the limitations of the healthcare system until you start practicing. I struggle constantly with insurance approval issues or getting needed resources for my patients. You don’t have an idea how integral and time consuming these things are until you are in practice.
5. You forget who you are outside of medicine. I went to a conference where someone asked us to tell everyone our hobbies. I realized that I haven’t had time for my hobbies since starting practice.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

My inspirational movement would entail making everyone in the world have immense empathy. I truly believe if you can relate to others and their feelings that can change the world. In medical practice, it is important to understand someone’s motivations for their actions and why those actions may be different than yours.

A group of us interested in community based participatory research had the opportunity to interview rural cancer patients. We learned about the reasons some people choose to not pursue cancer therapy. One of the main factors was to not leave their families in debt from their medical care. We would never have considered these motivations from our point of view but through empathy can now learn to build systems that reduce financial toxicity of cancer care and in turn increase compliance. If everyone in their life found ways to empathize and used that to motivate change, we could improve many lives.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Oprah Winfrey because she is a true inspiration and didn’t let a difficult childhood define or limit her potential. I also am amazed by how she used her platform to change the world.

How can our readers best continue to follow your work online?

I have a laboratory website and Twitter account, @ARODMDPHD My social media account also features my love for medical TV shows and music.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.