Dream To Be

Jasmine Weiss 19MR, assistant professor in general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina, is an author, a podcast host, and CEO of iDream Enterprise, an online platform to connect underrepresented students to health care professionals from diverse backgrounds. Her passion to heal started young. "I was premature and, growing up, I was sick all the time, especially in the winters," she says. "I wanted to be a doctor because that was who helped me breathe."

To succeed, Weiss tells students, you must be confident, determined, and willing to make sacrifices. "Premed was not easy, the MCAT was not easy," she says. "As an undergrad, you might have to pick one or two nights to go out, not every night. Figure out your rhythm."

Weiss completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Florida A&M, medical degree at Duke, and pediatric residency at Emory, where she was chief resident. While a resident at Emory, she enjoyed interacting with young patients and families at hospitals across Atlanta — including Grady and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Egleston and Hughes Spalding campuses. "The hours are tough during residency. You are chronically fatigued. The first step is to figure out how to balance self-care," she says. "But it's a huge learning and leadership opportunity, the reality of trying to grow into a good physician."

Weiss wrote her first children's book, "What will Kami E. Bee?" during residency. "The idea was to help children, especially Black and Brown children, dream big and see themselves in careers such as medicine and science." She started with an early elementary book, remembering herself at that age leaning against a tree with a book in her hands. "I've read it to children, they love the story. They'll say, 'Wow, you're the author?' It's been really exciting, to have children say 'I want to be this.' "

Weiss' current initiatives include more children's books, a camp for children with the theme of health careers, and the launch of Black Med Connect (B_MED), an online platform and podcast to inspire increased representation in the physician workforce.

For more on Jasmine Weiss's efforts, visit bmedconnect.com and iDream2read.com.