Liner Notes
John Lewis, MD, MS “The OG,”
“The Visionary”
Horns, Lead Vocals, Percussion, Keys, Turntables, The Boards
Hometown/Reppin’: Norfolk, VA, DC, Baltimore, Chicago, ATL
Credits/Street Cred: Morehouse, Hampton, Howard, Cook County Hospital, Emory School of Medicine
His-Story:
(Mostly True) Known primarily for his rugged indoor good looks and somewhat intimidating physical presence, John Lewis is both an accomplished student and aspiring teacher of Life.
One third founding member of the mythical, VA hip hop group The Nonbelievaz, Mr. HBCU a.k.a “Mr. Black Ivy League” married a graduate from the other “Ivy League” to add credibility -street credibility to their cause… just because.
Degrees and Fields of Study:Music, Martial Arts, The Beautiful Game, Civil Rights, Jehovah, Jesus, Justice, Just Us, Communism, Capitalism, History, His Story, Power, Politics, Science, Medicine, Health, Healing, Physics, Philosophy, Metaphysics
Titles: Son, Friend, Drum Major, Minister, President, Instructor, Mentor, Advocate, Physician, Intern, Husband, Scholar, Shareholder, Father, Chairman, Success, Failure, Broken, Restored, Me, You
The Path: VA, The Cross, ATL, DC, Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, NY, Indiana, Nicaragua, VA, Sow-Reap.com, ATL, ???
Mission: To combat the disease known as ignorance especially its most malignant forms, fear and hate by employing a Jesus-El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz hybrid technique -Love, Truth, Grace and Mercy by Any Means Necessary.”
To be continued…
Jawad Shahid, MD, “The Pretty Boy” aka “FACTS”
Lead Vocals, Strings, Keys, Background Vocals
Hometown/Reppin’: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Long Island, NYC, ATL
Credits/Street Cred: Stony Brook University School of Medicine, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Emory University School of Medicine
His-Story:
Jawad was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, but is of Pakistani descent. At the age of 11, he moved to the Empire State, a place that lives in his heart forever. Facing discrimination in Saudi Arabia for being "non-Arab" and in America for being Muslim, developed Jawad's interest in social justice. Moving to Atlanta has helped Jawad apply this sentiment to medicine by working with underserved populations. In academia, Jawad's focus of study are in racial disparities in medicine, social issues in medicine, pseudoscience and pop culture, and healthcare policy. Outside of medicine, Jawad is a huge soccer fan, a proud Red Devil and supporter of Manchester United. Jawad is a fashion and horology aficionado. On his spare time, he loves to spend time with his lovely wife, read, listen to music, work out, travel, and doing photography.
To be continued…
Chidinma Nwakanma, MD “The Queen from Queens”.
Lead Vocals, Keys, Percussion, Harmony/Background Vocals
Credits/Street Cred: U. Penn, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, U. Penn School of Medicine
Her-Story:
Chidi is a first-generation Nigerian-American and native New Yorker. From Queens, NY all the way to the Ivy League, Chidi is equally street smart and book smart. Her recent relocation to the City of Brotherly Love reaffirmed her professional goal to provide care and representation to an undeserved predominately black/brown population. Some of her interests include racial disparities in medicine, women’s health, critical care/resuscitation and global health. She splits her time between working clinically in the ER and traveling to several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean to lecture and provide free healthcare. Chidi is a lover of hip hop/reggae/afrobeat, an aesthetic aficionado, and a pan-creative. Her mission is to educate, inspire and motivate through humility, intelligence and sass.
To be continued…
Kristopher Ford, MD “GQ” “FACTS”
Lead Vocals, Bass, Percussion, Background Vocals
Hometown/Reppin’: Eastside Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, ATL
Credits/Street Cred: Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Emory University School of Medicine
His-Story:
My name is Kris, yup with a K, but most people call me K. Ford. I was born and raised on the Eastside of Detroit, Michigan. At this point I’ve spent half of my life outside of Detroit, but make no mistake, Detroit is home. That is the city that gave me ambition and a hustler’s spirit, and ultimately turned me into the man I am today. I’m a sports fanatic. They could get rid of all TV shows and movies, as long as I had NBA League pass, MLB extra innings and NFL Sunday ticket I’d be just fine. I’ve been rooting for Detroit sports teams my entire life. Yes that’s as miserable as it sounds. But hey, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Bad Boys and the 2000s Pistons aren’t too shabby. The Red Wings championship parades as a kid were fun too. Lastly, Rest in Power to Kobe Bryant, the greatest of all time. #MambaForever. In fact, along with the grace of God and the prayers of my parents/grandparents/aunties etc of course, it was #mambamentality that got me through the difficult times in college, medical school and residency and allowed me to become a board certified emergency medicine physician. Oh, can’t forget my wife. Unlike Drake’s girl in the smash hit Stay Schemin, my beautiful and intelligent wife was indeed shooting with me in the gym, holding my hand every step of the way. From Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University, to Western and Madison in Chicago with no heat in the winter (extra blankets) in medical school, to being nervous every single time I rode a medical rescue helicopter in Cincinnati during residency, to present day with 2 beautiful kids in our new home Atlanta, Georgia. She’s the real MVP, not to mention the most talented and dedicated pediatrician I know. I love God, Family, and Sports. I love medicine. Specifically, I love Emergency Medicine.
Mission: To see Health Disparities eradicated. I want to improve the health literacy of the people. I want everybody to be aware of the dark history of racism in medicine in this country including how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go. I want US, the medical field, to openly acknowledge this history in an effort to truly attempt to understand the pain and distrust we’ve caused. This is absolutely necessary if we are to repair the once sacred physician patient relationship. I want YOU, to listen to this podcast and for US to learn and grow together.
To be continued…
Austin Cat aka “Skillz” “The Kid”
Equipment Manager, Promotions,The Social Media Guy
Hometown/Reppin’: ATL
Credits/Street Cred: Georgia State University, Emory University Hospital