Season Five: Mind the Gap featuring Jasmine Brown

Soon-to-be physician, medical scholar & author, and advocate for inclusive medical communities shares her joys, struggles, and truth

OVERexpressed & OUT

Jan 31, 2025

Transcript

Jasmine Brown is a University of Pennsylvania medical student, Rhodes Scholar and the author of TWICE AS HARD: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians from the Civil War to the 21st Century. She used her time at the University of Oxford to complete a master’s in History of Medicine and study the social and structural barriers put in place to prevent black women from entering medicine in the U.S. Through her research, she found that no complete history of black women physicians in the United States existed, and what little mention was made to these women in existing histories was often insubstantial or altogether incorrect. Jasmine believed that sharing the stories of black women physicians would inspire future generations of minority physicians, so she decided to publish her research as a book.

In TWICE AS HARD, Jasmine champions a new history, penning the long-erased stories of black women physicians in permanent ink. Since her book went on sale, it has become a #1 New Release in History of Medicine and in Women’s History on Amazon. It also reached #8 in the overall ranking for History of Medicine, ranked next to Medical Apartheid, The Emperor of All Maladies, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Jasmine has spoken at numerous academic institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, and Spelman College, as well as national conferences for organizations like the AAMC and the American Medical Women’s Association. She’s been featured in various media outlets including Time Magazine, NPR and 6abc News. She’s also been the recipient of multiple awards such as the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health Award.

Jasmine is committed to using her skills and platform to help create a more diverse and inclusive medical community.

"As I was writing this book, I chose to highlight African American women in particular to challenge this false narrative that African Americans are lazy. We had to work hard and exhibit unwavering determination to break into medicine. The immense obstacles impeding our journeys required nothing less. But we still shared many experiences with other black women physicians, and I hope that connection comes through too."

Jasmine Brown from TWICE AS HARD: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century