Episode 10: Representation and Resilience in Medicine

Imagine A World

In Episode 10 of Imagine a World, Johnny Powell, first-year medical student and first 2023 scholar featured on the podcast, talks about being the first in his family to attend an Ivy League school and his journey to medicine. He shares how he balances grit with grace, where he gets his motivation to work out at 6AM every morning, and why he hopes to empower young people that look like him.

Highlights from the episode:

• (6:28) Johnny’s experience growing up in North Carolina; his decision to apply to an Ivy League school, taking a different path from his family, who attended HBCUs, and the culture shock and transformative experiences that Johnny had at Harvard
• (15:18) How Johnny first became interested in medicine, motivated by the experiences of his family members, and his path to eventually pursuing an MD through consulting and clinical research
• (19:12) Johnny’s experience running the Harvard Black Men’s Forum, as well as other advocacy and leadership positions, and how they inform his notion of good leadership
• (22:40) Johnny’s thoughts on his Imagine a World statement, about addressing all people’s health and social needs
• (26:25) Johnny’s approach to handling bad days maintaining a sense of optimism without sliding into toxic positivity, and balancing his practice of grit and grace
• (31:55) The role of the medical school community, Knight-Hennessy, and family in supporting Johnny during his time at Stanford, and the support he’s gotten from his mother throughout his life
• (35:22) How Johnny views his role in empowering future generations and his thoughts on the inaccessibility of med school application process
• (40:35) Johnny’s experience applying to the Knight-Hennessy and his improbable facts about his experience staying with a host family in Japan; his advice for applicants to the program