Hometown: Mitchellville, Maryland
Name of Undergraduate Institution: Davidson College
Major(s)/Minor(s) in College: Sociology Major
Name of Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Residency Program: Emory University School of Medicine
Contact Info: ajgrant@emory.edu
Additional Links:
Food Blog: The Doctor's Order
IG: @drsorder; @ajgrant11
Where are you currently at in your career path and why did you decide to pursue this career path?
Third-Year Internal Medicine Resident at Emory University. Currently applying for fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease. I have deep-seeded interests in health disparities related to cardiovascular risk factors, outcomes, and prevention. My goal is to create innovate ways to bring traditional healthcare and prevention to at-risk communities.
If you could go back and have a chat with your 1st year postgraduate self, what would you tell him?
Please try to enjoy the journey. Medicine is a long and arduous road. Enjoy every moment. Continue to learn. Appreciate wins and grow from your losses. Always remain confident, but do not forget to stay humble.
What advice would you give to a medical student looking to pursue a similar path as yours?
Stay hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist or to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer. You will inevitably have failures. But the key is to keep reading, keep growing, and keep developing until you reach your goals. You don’t have to be brilliant to be a doctor. You have to be hard-working and have good character. That’s what makes a good doctor.
What advice would you give to someone getting ready to start their application process to residency?
Remain calm. Relax. Everything always works out. God has a purpose for your life, and he would not bring you this far to not let you walk in your truth.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I truly enjoy the small victories. Helping a patient quit smoking, working with a new diabetic to get their HgbA1c down, or just encouraging a patient to take there health care seriously are all daily wins that really make the job enjoyable.
What gives you the greatest motivation to get up every day to go to work?
We need more Black physicians! Being able to relate and truly understand social barriers and implicit biases is a key part to medicine that often goes overlooked. Everyday I go to work and fight against these barriers in hopes of improving the lives of my patients.
What do you like to do for fun?
I am an avid soccer player. I run a food blog that promotes CVD prevention, and I also like hanging out with friends.
Thank you for taking the time to share a little about yourself as well as some wise advice with us Dr. Grant! You are very much appreciated! Congratulations on making it this far in your medical career and best of luck to you as you move on to the next phase of your life!
Health Career Spotlights Home Page
Posted on October 26th, 2018