Inspirational Black Men and Women in Medicine: Dr Ogugua Ndili Obi of Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In Medicine

An Interview with Jamie Hemmings

Be sure to give your family the highest priority. Remember, you have a little boy or girl, a husband or wife, whose life also revolves around you. They matter very much.

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. Ogugua Ndili Obi.

Dr. Ogugua Ndili Obi is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Brody School of Medicine in East Carolina University (ECU), Greenville NC. She is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician by training and the director of the Sarcoidosis Center at ECU. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and master’s in public health (MPH) and Epidemiology (MSc) from Harvard. She has been in medical practice for over 20 years and is a member of the Foundation of Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) Scientific Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Women of Color and ACTeNow Clinical Advisory Committee as a part of FSR’s Ignore No More Campaigns. Dr. Obi is dedicated to the care of patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary sarcoidosis and is a strong advocate for improving the care of minorities and the underserved.

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

I would say — I have had several career paths each building on the one before. With respect to why I choose to study medicine, I would say it was a lot of “small stories”. I was born into a family of 6 siblings. My parents believed in every one of us and gave us the confidence and firm belief that we could be whatever we wanted to be. I chose to study medicine because I wanted to be able to help people and serve my community.

My interest in sarcoidosis came much later in my medical career and was largely related to one of the first few patients with sarcoidosis that I took care of. She was a young African American patient with severe multi-organ disease that was refractory to steroids. At the time, I was not aware of steroid alternatives, and I was disheartened to see her develop several steroid-related side effects. I did however take it upon myself to learn more about the disease and alternative treatments and the more I learned the more fascinated I became with the disease.

Knowing that Black women are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop sarcoidosis, and even more likely to have more severe and complicated forms of sarcoidosis, made managing the disease and taking care of sarcoidosis patients a mission for me.

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 life lesson quotes is “We will find a way, or we will make one.”

It is relevant to me because I think it speaks to the need for determination, grit, and the will to innovate and adapt. It speaks to the importance of having a goal and a clear vision. One can only “find a way or make one” if you have a destination or a clear goal to achieve. It inspires me never to give up or to throw in the towel when I meet an obstacle. Instead, I am challenged to maintain my vision and to find a way to negotiate around or through the obstacle to get where I am going.

Finding a way, making a way also speaks to the need to aim high. To be focused. To seek guidance outside of yourself and to be willing to collaborate and work with others to forge a vision and a path.

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

I have several stories but since this is about “early life”, I will share one from medical school training that affirmed my decision to study medicine and influenced my decision to specialize in Pulmonary and critical care.

It was our surgery rotation, and we were on call. A young man was brought to the emergency room after he sustained an accident at work. He was a welder and had sustained a cut to his neck from the blade he was working with. He was brought in clutching his neck and we did not initially appreciate the extent of his injury. While evaluating him, we noted he was becoming more confused — but it was not until he cried out that we found out he had transected his Carotid artery (the main artery that supplies blood to the brain). The response to his life-threatening trauma was instant. My classmates and I immediately swung into action and within a few hours he was taken to the operating room where he underwent lifesaving surgery.

It was a powerful experience for me. One that exemplified the need for rapid intervention, teamwork, and excellent communication. It was very early in my career, but it reassured me I was doing what I loved most — intervening to make a difference.

I have many more stories from the latter part of my career but this one stands out from one of my first few rotations in medical school.

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?

1. Always aim high, do your best and always be the best you. People look up to you as a leader. You are a beacon of light and hope and should always strive to motivate others to higher ideals.
2. Remember from whence you came. Never forget or discard those habits and character traits that got you to your current height. Those are the same traits that will keep you going. Always be true to yourself and to your God.
3. Never forget or neglect your core group. That’s your spouse, your children, your siblings, your family, and friends. Those are the people that you can relax with. They will always tell you the truth and will do it with love and purpose. Life would be empty without them.
4. Can I add one more? Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know. It opens a wonderful opportunity to learn and interact with others. Leadership is about learning, interacting, and building relationships. Sometimes saying I don’t know is the best way to build a strong relationship and partnership.

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 is important for patient care and improved medical outcomes. There are several patients that feel that they would be better served by seeing physicians or medical practitioners that look like them and understand their cultural and social background. It helps build trust in the medical system.
2. Diversity is important to motivate and inspire the younger generation. Young Black boys or girls are more likely to be motivated to become physicians or nurses etc. if they see people like them in the workforce.
3. A diverse medical practice would better ensure that all our patients’ voices and lived experiences are heard and understood. While most physicians are empathetic, it sometimes takes a shared experience or shared background to be able to truly connect with your patient.

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

1. I would say one of the biggest barriers is the perception that becoming a physician or medical practitioner is not achievable. Not doable. A perception that the barriers to becoming a doctor are insurmountable. A perception that “I’m not good enough to even try”. This perception is formed very early in life and unfortunately many young Black kids never shake it. We need to have Black physician role models that young kids can look up to. We also need to teach and empower young Black men and women — as early as grade school — to understand that nothing is impossible for them to achieve.
2. Financial barriers — medical training is long and expensive and contemplating payment for medical school can put it out of reach for several people.

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?

1. As a community and society, we need to make sure that our kids are always getting a message of empowerment, self-confidence, and self-worth. The messaging must begin very early in life. We should make sure that our schools are hiring teachers and guidance counselors who see our children’s potential and not their limitations. Teachers who can tell our children — “the sky is not your limit — it’s your springboard…”. Teachers who can help our children dream big and show them the way to achieve their dreams.
2. Medical school / medical training is long and expensive, and we need more funds and scholarships that minorities can tap into.

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 . Find a hobby and a life outside of medicine. It will give you much-needed balance in life.

2 . Be sure to give your family the highest priority. Remember, you have a little boy or girl, a husband or wife, whose life also revolves around you. They matter very much.

3 . Always strive to do your best and give of your best at all times. One of the most rewarding feelings in medicine is having your patient give you a smile or hug just because they know you did your best and you always go the extra mile.

4 . Being a physician involves dedication and patience. There will be good days and bad days. There will be times when your days blur into nights and your nights into days.

5 . That the COVID pandemic will happen, and there will be days when you stand at so many bedsides… helpless and unable to do anything except cry and mourn with families who have lost their loved ones.

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? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Level the playing field — especially at work and in corporate offices. People do better when there are no unconscious hurdles or barriers to cross.

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.

President Barack Obama. Because like me, like my father before me, He believes and motivates us to know: ‘Yes we can!”

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

My current work and focus is on sarcoidosis and I have been involved with the FSR’s “Ignore No More campaign.” This campaign started out by focusing on sarcoidosis in Black women. Highlighting the disparities in care and outcomes that they experience. We have since expanded that work to include sarcoidosis in Black men and women. The ACTeNow campaign emphasizes the need to advance clinical trials for equity in sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis occurs 2.5 times more in Blacks than other races, yet Blacks account for only 7% of all clinical trial participants. We need more Black representation in clinical trials to better understand this disease in the people that are most affected.

In May 2023, FSR released a white paper summarizing our work on the importance of clinical trial diversity.

You can access our work on FSR’s Ignore No More Campaign. I would encourage any of your readers who have sarcoidosis to join FSR’s Patient Registry.

I am also working with the Sarcoidosis Research Institute on a patient-centered survey to raise awareness about the aspects of this disease that are important to patients.

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