Reflecting on the Journey
Jade Mountain …St. Lucia - May 8th, 2023
Out of the Stone, There is Hope
It’s been quite the past few weeks as I sat in reflection and with gratitude for receiving the inaugural Sheryl L. Heron, MD, MPH Legacy Award from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) on May 17th, 2023. To receive an award in my name is a time to pause and give honor and thanks to my parents, Basil and Amy Heron who had been married for 60 years on earth and now 2 years in heaven - May 27th,1961. They left this earth in November of 2021, 1 week before each other, exemplifying a profound love that many can only dream of. What a gift they gave me as the emotions compelled me to process the magnitude of receiving this honor.
Born in Jamaica, West Indies, educated at HBCUs for Medical School (Howard University College of Medicine (HUCOM), Class of 1993 - 30 years ago), and completed Emergency Medicine Residency Training at King/Drew Medical Center in 1996, I am an example, throughout my journey, that out of stone and barriers, flowers will rise. Anchored in my faith, serving as the Associate Dean and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Emory School of Medicine (ESOM) by leading the Office of Equity and Inclusion this past year has been quite the journey. We were celebrating the ESOM 2nd annual Diversity and Inclusion Week when I flew to Austin on May 17th to receive this award. The same day, our Emory Department of Emergency Medicine, which has been my foundation, was recognized with the inaugural Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Diversity award, for being an Outstanding Department for Excellence and Innovation in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The theme for the SOM Diversity and Inclusion Week Practices Not Promises: Moving Toward Action is resonant in its meaning. Today more than ever, the assault on education and policies that impact the lives of Black and Brown people, LGBTQIA+ communities, and women in our fractionated political world push us towards action.
Legacy is more about what you are building for the future than what you are leaving behind. Legacy personified in people like Dr. Vivian Pinn, the inaugural Director of the Office of Women's Health at the National Institute of Health and my professor at HUCOM, who came to see me and Dr. Yolanda Wimberly, inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer at Grady Health System, while we were both taking the AAMC Health, Equity Diversity, and Inclusion Certificate course in Washington, DC.
Drs. Yolanda Wimberly, Vivian Pinn and Sheryl Heron
We should never take for granted the gift of time and the lessons we have learned. Those who have served, as we reflect on the sacrifice and commitment on Memorial Day, compel us to push towards a brighter and better future...Equitable care for ALL people, by ALL people who have access to equitable opportunities and are treated with dignity and respect. Our personal and professional mentors guide us throughout the life journey to pay it forward.
So as we also mourn the loss of Tina Turner this past week on May 24th, Ms. Turner reminds us that Something Beautiful Remains. The beauty of continuing the foundation for generations to come from those who gave us life, literally and figuratively. There are too many to mention here and I am confident they know who they are.
It couldn't have been more meaningful for me when Dr. Sanche Mabins, a 3rd-year Emergency resident physician approached me after I received my award. She reminded me that we met on a beach in St. Croix (where my husband was raised) in 2009 while we were on vacation. She was an aspiring medical student who wanted to do medicine. Encouraging and supporting her in her dream of becoming an Emergency Medicine physician, she is in her final year of training to continue the work. Out of stone, the harsh realities of working in a challenging specialty of Emergency Medicine, I am reminded that something beautiful remains. That I believe is legacy.....