Raising Global Citizens Shero Series: Healthcare
Not all superheroes wear capes. In fact, most of the superheroes that I know don’t look like superheros at all. Our goal is to share a few stories of every day women who are not celebrities or globally recognized. However, they are in fact superheroes. Everyday, they wake up to make a difference in the world. Raising Global Citizens Shero Series: Healthcare is about highlighting every day an superhero women, (aka shero), who is accomplishing her dreams one day at a time in the foreign service.
“I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.”
– Venus Williams
Raising Global Citizens Shero Series
If you did a survey of parents, one of the biggest goals of most would be to raise children who care about others. When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they visualize themselves as a hero. Two weeks ago, I wrote 7 Reasons We Love Wonder Woman; a global superhero whose greatest power is her empathy.
Children as well have enormous dreams and are ready to conquer the world. They play make believe and dress up in costumes because they believe in real possibility. By reading and learning about people who are worthy role models with children, in turn, we encourage our next generation to become what they dreamed of becoming as a child.
Last week, we started our Raising Global Citizens Shero Series with human rights lawyer, Christie Edwards. If you missed it, you should definitely go back and read Christie’s amazing story. Today in Part 2 of the series, we are going to learn about a career in healthcare from LaSheena Washington. She currently works for the U.S. State Department in the United States Embassy in Accra, Ghana. She is not a traditional diplomat that you may hear or read about in the news. Her wonderful story is below.
Tell us about what your job entails.
I am the Medical provider at US Embassy Accra in Accra, Ghana. In our Health Unit, I have a staff of 5 nurses and 1 administrative assistant. I provide medical care to all US embassy personnel. What that means is that I am the primary care provider for all of the Americans and their families that are posted at the Embassy. This includes vaccinations, routine examinations,etc. I also provide medical training to the local staff that works with me.
Our Health Unit promotes a healthy lifestyle for the Embassy families to maintain morale. One of the biggest health risk factors is that it is difficult for some people to be far away from home. Without their normal support system and comforts, many people can respond with high stress levels. We sponsor sporting tournaments, fitness competitions and classes, yoga, etc to try and build a sense of community and foster healthy relationships within the Embassy community as well as with the locals. We also work closely with the State Department sponsored international schools to provide First Aid and CPR for teachers responsible for the Embassy children.
What got you interested in a career in the medical field?
From at a very young age I discovered my love for science. It wasn’t until AP Biology in high school that I realized I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating high school, I attended Fisk University (a historically black college), and I was selected for the Fisk-Meharry joint program my freshman year. This was a rigorous program in conjunction with a neighboring historically black medical school.
Every student front loaded all classes to graduate a year early and attend medical school our senior year of college. Sometime during my junior year of college, I was contemplating the career choice. My long-term goal was to be in healthcare, but I knew I needed to reassess the path to reach my goals. After graduating from Fisk, I went on to get a Master’s Degree in medical technology and worked as supervisor in microbiology for 2 years. I then attended the Ohio State University Nursing program to become a nurse practitioner.
I always knew I wanted to treat patients, however I ultimately wanted to be the advocate for them, not solely just to treat them. By becoming a nurse practitioner, it was the perfect opportunity to strike a wonderful balance.
After being placed in Mauritania for your first tour, why did you choose to stay in West Africa?
As an American of African descent, you see these images of the continent from which my ancestors came. Although against their will, none the less, they were brought to America. Slaves from West Africa are partially responsible for making the United States as strong as it it is today. Mauritania was austere and boring, however the local people I worked with treated me like family. They loved me and welcomed me into their homes as a long lost sister. That is a feeling I have not experienced since attending Fisk University.
There is something truly special about being surround by your people. Good, bad, or indifferent, you feel a sense of home, comfort, and self. Serving in Mauritania gave a me a taste of that again. Moving to Ghana this past year, I have been embraced by the community in a way that I know I am home. There is nothing like the feeling of reconnecting with the place from which your ancestors came. I would not trade either experience of living in Mauritania or Ghana for anything in the world.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as an African American female representing America as a diplomat?
As a black female you are taught that being average is not enough. It simply does not make the cut because of the color of you skin. So in turn, you have to be more educated, more qualified, and overall better then your white counter parts.
In my experience, my medical colleagues in other US Embassies are a little more forgiving. When it comes to a patient’s stand point, I have definitely been second guessed for my medical assessments. I have been stereotyped to be less educated and even unfit to render medical care to some of my patients. When you know this is because of the color of your skin, it is an extremely tough. Even writing about it brings tears to my eyes.
When some of my patients have asked for my medical credentials and found out I am not a doctor, my medical advice has been totally discounted. Often times, I have prove myself as a nurse practitioner, but also as an African American nurse practitioner.
With my family and community, I am given so much support and encouragement because they know how isolating can be for me. The State Department is growing in diversity, however it is still very dominated by Caucasians. I believe we still have a lot of work to do in not having to prove ourselves as professionals to our white counterparts.
Most people I have met in West Africa still see an “American” as blond and blue eyed. I get a great deal of shocked looks when someone asks me where I am from. Even the Americans I meet are surprised I am from the US, and usually move on to the microaggression in asking “but where are you REALLY from?”
Tell us about your medical outreach with the local community.
I have always had a special place in my heart for teaching in the communities I have lived. My NP career started working in a community health center in the Washington DC. While I was there, I treated everything from HIV to a common cold. My patients were mostly young black girls who seemed to have lost all hope, and it broke my heart on a daily basis. I was determined to be an agent of change. My goal was to show my patients how to dream big. I wanted to give them the right tools to show them achieving anything is possible when they believe in themselves.
I also wanted to live by example. While living abroad, I have continued my goals to mentor young girls. My current outreach in Accra is mentoring female sex workers. I am also in the process of trying to start a local clinic with one of the churches here in Ghana. Here we would administer free health care to the local community.
What would you say serving as a US Diplomat has taught you about being a global citizen?
Becoming a diplomat has taught to see the world as a true melting pot. It has given me the opportunity to see other cultures and opened my mind to different ideas and a different way of thinking. It has afforded me the opportunity to have a different definition of what it means to really live.
When you leave the comforts of home and travel the world, it opens your mind to more reflection. It shows you what you truly value and what contributions you have left for the world to see. I think because of the difficult situations you are put in, you think about what kind of legacy you will leave behind. It forces you to focus on the important things in life through new experiences. Personally, I did not see how confined my way of thinking was until I left the United States.
What kinds of unique challenges do you face working in an Embassy that you did not face in your medical career in the US?
Practicing medicine overseas is different than in the US. At home, you are trained to meet a certain standard. Those standards are not the same in every country, and most of the time there are no regulations that are uniformly followed. I have had to be flexible in working with my diverse staff to come up with a plan that fits our team.
The biggest pressure I face is that I have always being prepared for a traumatic incident or outbreak of disease. If you are the US, you called an ambulance or sent a patient to the ER. As the sole medical provider at the Embassy, I am the ambulance, and I am the ER.
As the sole medical provider at the Embassy, I am the ambulance, and I am the ER. Share on X
Every day, in the back of my mind, I am playing all the possible medical scenarios. In some cases, it is the difference between life or death. The critical role I play with the Americans at my post is a responsibility of a lifetime. This is a heavy burden to bear, but a role I feel honored to do on a daily basis.
What books would you recommend that both boys and girls read about strong women in history that advocated for global health?
One I love that recently came out as a popular movie is Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. This book truly captures a lot of my experiences as a young black female in the South with an aptitude for science. It is not popular for women, much less African American women to choose medicine as a career field.
This book, and now movie, is a phenomenal way to reach the mainstream audience of young girls with the idea that smart is beautiful. There is also a book version for young readers so the whole family can enjoy the story!
What methods would you recommend for parents to encourage and expose their children to a career in STEM?
I would encourage parents to look for enrichment programs in their child’s school. When I was high school, I was in I was a member of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and other local clubs that were geared toward science. The MAP program is also an excellent program to introduce college students to science coursework.
I would suggest introducing children to the idea while they are very young. You want to cultivate that natural curiosity as a career option. When you see your child interested in STEM, find classes at your local library to foster that passion. Exposing children to different occupations like biotechnology or research after you do a simple science experiment at home from Pinterest will do wonders for a child’s future. It is all about making a measurable and achievable plan to move them towards their destiny each day.
Tell us about some of your own sheroes.
Dr. Phyllis Freeman is an Associate Professor of Biology and Curriculum Coordinator of Biology in the Department of Life and Physical Sciences at Fisk University. I was first introduced to Dr. Freeman my junior year and Fisk as my cell biology instructor. She was an example of everything I wanted be: intelligent, strong, independent, and beautiful. Although her class was rigorous, she had a personal way of teaching which changed my life.
Patricia Wingfield McCarroll has worked in the Biology Department at Fisk University for the past thirty-eight years. I met Mrs. McCarroll my freshman year at Fisk University. In her class, she required a work ethic that help to catapult me into my current career. I am so thankful to have been one of her students.
Dr. Helene D. Gayle who has served as the AIDS coordinator and chief of the HIV/AIDS division for the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 2014, Forbes listed her as the 78th most powerful woman in the world. Dr. Gayle is a shining example of black girl magic. Her contributions to the global health arena are phenomenal and she has changed many lives with all her work truly a shero.
Other famous sheros I admire are Michelle Obama, Viola Davis, Senator Kamila Harris.
How can families get involved as healthcare volunteers in their individual communities?
Many churches have outreach programs geared to fit their community. They usually have the best pulse on what the needs are for each individual community. Find a way to travel to a different country to provide healthcare as well. It is cliche, but your level of gratitude for the smaller things when you return home increases exponentially.
I went on a medical missions trip to Honduras with my home church and it was one of the most rewarding things I have done. Catholic charities also have numerous opportunities to give aid in communities. The key is to try a cause you are passionate about because of your own experience. Use personal experience to look for authentic opportunities to give back.
Part 3:
Our next shero in our Raising Global Citizens Shero Series is an international school educator. Emily Silva has taught in the United States, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, China, Venezuela, and currently in Monterrey, Mexico.
Her journey includes losing her dad in a ski accident while living abroad. She has been able to channel his memory into meaningful and authentic learning experiences for herself as well as her students in a truly heroic way. Read her amazing and inspirational story HERE.
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07/02/2017 @ 6:40 am
I’m part of a Facebook group your in but I wound up reading this… and I’m in love. What an amazing concept! This shero thing you got going on is very imaginative and inspiring. This is a beautiful, inspiring story. I hate the divide between people all because of the color of skin. People have the capability of intelligence, yet are so very unintelligent in the manner of criticism based upon superficial things. Lasheena sounds like a very beautiful, intelligent woman. It’s too bad more people can’t be like her. I hope everything she aspires to do comes true and wish for a better future for the world of all skin colors and other prejudices. Thank you for sharing this article. Best thing I’ve read all week.
07/03/2017 @ 2:47 pm
And with that, you made my day!! Thank you so very much for your comment. I forwarded it to LaSheena and I am sure it will make her day as well. I am in complete agreement; there are many snap judgments based on bias or underlying racial ignorance. We have to fight this by telling the stories and encouraging others to reflect at their actions in their workplaces, clubs, errands, etc. People many times don’t even realize what they are doing is hurtful to others, and it is this kind of story that will spark more conversation and self reflection. I hope you come back for more of the series. There are so many other women you will just love to read about as well. Thank you again for your comment. I am humbled and grateful.