Inspirational Black Men and Women in Medicine: Muftiah Jokomba On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In Medicine

An Interview With Jamie Hemmings

Stop and celebrate yourself! The to do list is never going to end. There will always be at least 5 more things to do, but being able to stop, and take a break is very important. Schedule your breaks as you schedule your work, if you don’t your body will take the break when it wants, regardless of your timing.

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 Muftiah Jokomba.

Muftiah Jokomba, a Nigerian-born Muslim, found her heart and purpose in Houston after relocating at the age of 10. A Doctor of Physical Therapy from South College and an alumna of Howard University, she passionately serves as a travel PT in NYC/Manhattan, combining her medical expertise with a flair for fashion as a runway and high fashion model. Muftiah’s mission is to enhance generations’ lives through improved mobility, and she finds balance and joy through family, travel, diverse hobbies, and co-founding “TheOne…,” an events company rooted in African culture.

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”?

Well, in the modeling world, I’ve had quite a few interesting experiences from the craziest of runways, to fun photoshoots and even being a model coordinator assistant at some point, however in the PT world, there is one interesting story that stands out the most. It was I think my 3rd job and assignment as a travel PT, there was a patient let’s call him Joe. Everyone is doing their exercises as usual and I look over at him to find him asleep on one of the machines, so I go over to check on him. I call his name a few times and nothing, I shake him a few times and still nothing. His arm is limp, and he’s completely unresponsive. At this point, everyone is the clinic is panicked, the other PT and aides are starting to freak out, we’re splashing water on his face, trying to move him and still nothing. Finally, I start to do a sternal rub on him and he jolts awake! We all sigh in relief, asking him what happened, and he looks completely lost. He has no idea that he was unconscious and unresponsive for nearly 5 mins. We tell him to report to the nearest emergency room, so they can see what’s going on. What’s really crazy is, after he leaves one of the aides tells us that she saw needle track marks along his legs, while trying to wake him, so she had a theory that he was high and that’s why we couldn’t wake him. I’m not sure how true that was, but it definitely made for a long lasting memory.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

On what I believe was my first outpatient clinic assignment, which is essentially what you’ll picture when someone says they are going to see a Physical Therapist; I was working with another patient when one of the aides came to tell me that a patient wanted to talk to me. So, I finished what I was doing and went to see what the patient wanted. I got there and he started to tell me that his shoulder had been feeling better, but it still bothers him when he moves it in certain directions; so I tell him to lay down so I can check it out. I take his arm and start to move it around, taking it through ranges of motion and I’m like “Wow, this is much better than last time, you’re not even wincing anymore, you really must have been doing your exercises”. He goes, chuckling “Yeah I have, but umm, it’s the other shoulder that hurts” And I burst out laughing and said “Yeah I knew that, I was just measuring this arm first”, as I walked to the other side. We both laughed at the ridiculousness, and I went ahead to treat the correct arm! Honestly, that wasn’t the first and won’t be the last mistake I’ve made in my career or in life, but just like that situation, the ability to laugh or reflect on a mistake and move on at an appropriate time is a lesson that we constantly need to learn and remind ourselves of. At the end of the day we are humans, we’re going to make mistakes, it’s inevitable. What’s important is how we move forward from said mistakes.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now?

Absolutely! My website “themodelpt.com” is coming soon. The plan is to have it hold my model portfolio on one side and a variety of mobility offerings on there. From the “Move with Mufti” series currently on my social media pages to some videos dedicated to creatives like photographers who carry big camera bags around all day, to my make up artists who spend hours

on their feet. They’ll also be sections for folks that work from home, those that spend hours in front of a screen and a lot more! I’m very excited about it

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There absolutely is! This person, not going to say who is it, but he has played a pivotal role in my career thus far, and no he’s not a romantic partner. From helping me plan, to execute and even being there on days that I thought I couldn’t go on anymore. Unfortunately, he is no longer a part of my operation for many reasons, but his role in where and who I am today is not one that I take for granted and will always be thankful for.

Is there a particular book that made an impact on you? Can you share a story?

So, I honestly haven’t been reading much as I’ll like to, but a book I read earlier this year and really stuck with me is “The Defining decade” by Meg Jay. In the book, she pretty much talks about how our twenties, as commonly said, is not the time to be trivialized. She says, using her experience working with students and her background as a clinical psychologist, if used well our twenties can change how we work, handle relationships, identity and personalities. It’s an amazing read that she and I recommend even if you’re no longer in your 20s.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Well, I’ll like to think that my career as a whole, especially the PT aspect brings goodness to the world. A while back, I decided that as opposed to being the type of PT that only helps injured, or weak people, I wanted to be the PT to help everyone. The unfortunate reality of the world we live is one where people don’t really care for their physical health until the time of a crisis; I am trying to change that. Essentially, what I aim to do is to help generations age better with mobility. No matter how your age, background, or anything else, as long as you’re human and you have a body, being mobile, exercise and movement is important to be able to age well.

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

I’m not sure if this will be considered a life lesson quote, but one quote that rings true in my life is to “Continue in your efforts without questioning yourself, God will send helpers to you sooner or later.” I heard this quote a while back on one of my favorite shows, and I loved it so much I put it on my life planner. I’m not sure there is much else to say on that quote, it’s a pretty straightforward one, but it’s one I try to live by. If I continue to put in the work, put my best foot forward, and believe, then I’ll get all my hearts desires and I wholeheartedly believe that.

Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that will help people feel great?

Ofcourse! First and foremost is to meditate! I can’t stress it enough! Doesn’t matter for how long, or how much you think you “just can’t”. Trust me. There are free 5 min, 10 min YouTube

videos with guided meditations that help. Even if you don’t feel like you’re doing it the way it’s supposed to, just show up, 5 to 10 mins every day. The calmness, self- assuredness and feeling you’ll start to develop within yourself is honestly unmatched.

Another one is paying attention, intentionally. People say alot either with their words or actions. Of course not saying this tells you everything you need to know, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my short time on this earth, it’s that people can be very good at hiding things from you when they want to. However, the more you start to listen and pay attention, the easier it becomes to discern between those that are really for you and the ones that aren’t. Unless you’re in love with the person, in which case all I can say to you is good luck (laughing).

Last but definitely not least it to use the pomodoro technique. I’m not sure if its common knowledge, but the brain can only focus on one thing at a time for about 30mins before we start to lose focus. This is where the pomodoro comes in, and especially why I like it so much. So, what it pretty much says, is for every 25mins you spend on a task, spend the next 5 mins doing something else entirely and active. This gives your brain some time to recalibrate and, in my opinion, more importantly your body some much needed movement.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. It is hard! Whether is be modeling or physical therapy, they are both careers that require you to put in work. While one is more academic and can be easier to navigate, they both require long hours, focus and constantly honing your skills.

2. It is as rewarding as it is hard. There’s nothing like hearing a patient tell you how much you’ve helped them and not a lot has beat seeing your face in campaigns that you saw others in as a child and hoped to be a part of.

3. Be resilient. A lot of people will tell you no, patients will look at you like you’re crazy or might even try to tell you how to do your job. Your resilience in the face of these adversities is what will make you who you are and take you where you want to be.

4. Have people in your corner. Whether we want to admit is or not, we humans are a communal species. Having people that will be there to celebrate with you on the good days, but even moreso be there for you on the not-so good days. Have people that genuinely care about your success, because doing this alone sucks.

5. Stop and celebrate yourself! The to do list is never going to end. There will always be at least 5 more things to do, but being able to stop, and take a break is very important. Schedule your breaks as you schedule your work, if you don’t your body will take the break when it wants, regardless of your timing.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Intentional movement!! Everyone will be so much healthier in every aspect of the word, I’m talking mentally, emotionally, physically and all the other -lly’s you can think of, if we just move more and do so intentionally.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US 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 :-)

If I absolutely had to pick one person I would pick Naomi Campbell. Not only because she is the legend once it comes to the model world, but I also greatly admire her business acumen. Venturing in fashion design and partnering with known brands to make her entrance easier, tapping into the afrobeats scene and making connections within that industry that’ll can serve her in more ways than one, and probably my favorite is how she uses her platform to help people all over. She is a true inspiration to people from inside and outside the model world.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Until my website is up and running, which it will be soon, I can be found mostly on social media. I am themodelpt on every platform, asides from IG, where you can find me under the themodel_pt

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