We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Mohammed. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Amanda, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

My ambition has led me around the world, sometimes unplanned. For example, my medical school training was not traditional. I lived on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean for 16 months. Most only know of this island from the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, however it is much more than the setting of a popular movie, for it was there that I began my official journey in medicine. Yes, I bought kilowatts of electricity daily from the local grocery store, carried buckets of water from the main campus when my water was mostly brown in color or I didn’t have any at all, and numerous roosters served as my alarm clock daily which inevitably helped ensure I wasn’t late to class.

I wouldn’t change my time in Dominica for anything. The experience was challenging and although at times I feared being unable to succeed in obtaining residency due to the hierarchy of medical education in the U.S. I continued to look ahead and strive towards my goals despite circumstance and preconceived notions about an atypical path in medicine. I am thankful I didn’t fall victim to negative opinion because it allowed me to achieve so much and stand where I am today. I was able to work with the community I lived among and contributed to their healthcare directly. I hosted medical drives and facilitated in the first HIV/AIDS symposium in Dominica and served as the Advocacy Chair for a Clean Hands initiative with the Dominican Ministry of Health. The time I spent abroad widened my understanding of my place in the world which was not framed by the color of my skin, gender or where I went to medical school. I benefited far greater than I could have ever imagined by having such an untraditional path.

Humanitarian action is more than simple generosity or, charity. I aim towards building a normalcy in the midst of the abnormal. Since I was a child I’ve continued to cultivate my vocation to the world and in doing so I’ve found myself all over the world-whether triaging hundreds of patients that stood in lines outside of a primary school in Kenya, building a home alongside a family in a remote region of El Salvador, or working in Argentina at local hospitals diagnosing Chagas disease with physicians and nurses. I’ve been fortunate enough to gain a unique global understanding of medicine in different stages of my life. My passion in medicine is founded in my ability to serve needs not only locally but internationally. I firmly believe in the WHO mission statement, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” I don’t just treat the condition, there is a holistic approach to medicine that is often overlooked and not regarded as critical. I’ve found that by having this approach I’ve not only connected more deeply with my patients but established a level of trust that goes beyond any prescription I could write. Even without knowing a patient’s language, I have been able to utilize resources within their own communities via local health care workers and religious leaders, to establish a means of connection regardless of circumstances, that transcended initially perceived boundaries. Medicine isn’t easy but it is in these challenges that I have found my greatest opportunity to strengthen my abilities to engage in community with others while being mindful of various forms of tradition, culture and beliefs. These are the many things that can not be taught in any academic setting but instead have to be experienced with intention. I strive towards profoundly impacting the lives of many in underserved rural, urban and international communities.

Amanda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am originally from Garland, TX. I completed my undergraduate degree at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, receiving my Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Minor in Spanish in 2008. I studied abroad in numerous countries such as Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala. I have a strong passion for community, international medicine/public health and HIV/AIDS advocacy. I graduated from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies in 2015. I completed my Family Medicine residency training in Dallas at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in 2018. I have an International Medicine and Public Health Diploma, serve on the Young Professionals Advisory Council for the HIV/AIDS Resource Center Dallas, serve as a Board member for Texas Children in Nature, and a former board member of Legal Hospice of Dallas. I also am a member of the TAFP (Texas Academy of Family Physicians) Council on Health of the Public and the TAFP Vaccine Literacy Task Force. I joined Walk with a Doc in 2019 and has been a leader of the organization in Dallas hosting monthly walks with her patients and members in the community. I have received recent awards in the field including most recently: The 2021 TAFP Humanitarian of the Year Award, Texas Children in Nature Champion Award recipient for 2021 & named One of the 18 Under 40 Award Recipients at Southwestern University for 2021. I am a co-anchor/creator of a podcast called “What the Health is Up?”and was featured on a Dallas local radio station called “Doc Talk Live”. I am a Board Certified in Family Medicine and practice at Oak Street Health in Dallas.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Texas heat seemed like winter compared to the Dominican sun. Walking up the massive hill from my neighborhood in Glanvilla to campus, I always reminded myself of why I was there and my ultimate goal. Spending my first year and a half of medical school in the Caribbean wasn’t what I had envisioned, but my time there helped me come to the realization that I was on the correct path. Dominica solidified my passion more than I could have ever imagined. During my final semester on the island, I was given the opportunity to host an HIV/AIDS symposium through the American Medical Association. The idea for the symposium stemmed from a consensus among students who felt that the topic was not covered in as much detail as it should have been during our first year. Stigmas about the disease and disparities in its treatment are a continuing global phenomenon. It was a helpful seminar, but at the time, I had little idea that a few short years later, I’d find myself in one of the most difficult positions that I have ever been in –and that those very issues would be the ones at fault. My patient, a 35 years old male, presented with his wife for what he thought was a persistent yet productive cough. He had no significant past medical history, was a nonsmoker, well-built and was an employee at a local restaurant near the hospital. I discussed his course of treatment with him in Spanish; we would be taking him for chest x-ray imaging and likely prescribing him a course of antibiotics. After thoroughly reviewing his chart, speaking with my attending and then doing some more research, I came to the conclusion that his presentation was very odd. He was a seemingly healthy young man with what appeared to be pneumonia. The next day, I asked my attending if we could consider doing an HIV test to rule out a potential immunocompromised state. After discussing with him my reasoning and research I did the night before, he agreed that the test should be done. The moment I saw the chest x-ray results the following day, I was in awe. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. It was a textbook image. As a student, it was a great feeling to discover that my suspicion was correct, but my heart sank as I realized we would have to inform the patient that he likely was infected with HIV.
A week thereafter, results came back regarding his status, –AIDS appeared in bold letters alongside the lowest CD4 count I’d ever seen. Only days after finding out the results of the HIV test, it was discovered the patient was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and had no health insurance. I’ll never fully understand if this was the underlying reason behind the lack of communication with the patient and the reluctance for vigorous medical management of his condition, but I struggled with both possibilities for weeks. I felt responsible but had no power in the situation. The patient had no idea what was going on inside his body, – and worse, before he was properly informed, his health deteriorated.

It took weeks before his wife and other family members were properly told what was happening to my patient. I witnessed the family meeting and it was heartbreaking. Afterwards, the patient’s brother took me aside and said that out of all of the doctors, consultants and nurses, the family trusted me. I thought I was seen by the world as just another medical student; but to this family, I was much more. They all saw my daily dedication and tireless support, empathy and constant communication. Unfortunately, my patient passed away without ever knowing the details of his medical condition. This patient impacted me greatly as a medical student & still does as a practicing physician.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Work life balance is essential for any occupation but speaking directly from a physician’s perspective it can be extremely difficult to put away the computer after a long work day. There is always something to work on having a large patient panel and many responsibilities as a leader of a clinic. However, I had to make a pact with myself to ensure balance and protect my the amount of time I spend with my family and doing things I enjoy outside of medicine. I remember hearing a former colleague tell me that you can perfect being available but it will come at a cost. There are so many duties that we have as physicians that many don’t understand or couldn’t imagine. The administrative tasks are a large portion of the daily work flow of a physician- between charting, teaching, meetings, community outreach, following up with patients regarding test results and ensuring quality as well as evidence based medicine is implemented every step of the way. It can be exhausting at times but of course incredibly rewarding. I believe very strongly that having an outlet is important in doing my job effectively and with the same amount of energy every week. Specific outlets that have helped me maintain a balance include: writing for blogs, exercising, starting a podcast with a close friend from residency, traveling and volunteering.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://efmphysicians.com/
• Instagram: Dr.mandamo
• Other: https://walkwithadoc.org/join-a-walk/locations/dallas/ What the Health is Up? Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DCE6Lr5gl0Up29m7Y8fva?si=diZzy3d7R7SS8hie09kVJQ

Image Credits
Leighton Strait