Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherika Newman DO.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sherika. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I humbly call myself “a little black girl from the ghetto” because those are my roots. My roots anchor me to “me” when the world is asking me to be someone I am not. My roots nurture a resilient spirit within me which has helped me to defy what might have been expected of me in light of being a teenage single mother, fatherless daughter, a victim of childhood molestation and raised in a poor, African American neighborhood. My roots taught me how to pray and believe God is my be all and end all. My roots taught me early to learn life lessons in resiliency and to capitalize on opportunities.
My roots are why I’m Dr. Sherika Newman, a loving, supportive mother who nurtures greatness in her son and his progeny, as well as a doctor who cares for the “whole” patient in mind, body, and spirit, because I know the “wholeness” that comes from loving care.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been full of adversity – starting at age five when I was sexually assaulted by my cousin. My father was addicted to crack cocaine and spent a good part of my childhood in jail. I became a teenage mother my senior year in high school and raised my son without a father. However, I viewed these adversities as challenges, not as excuses. I never defined myself by my problems. I am the sum total of my entire life, not a victim immobilized by the challenges I have overcome. When I went to medical school, I didn’t weigh the pros and cons of what it would cost me emotionally and financially to attend as a teenage mother because I truly believed in “the God in me” and that I was meant to me be a doctor, so that is where I put my focus. I would study with my son in my lap and read medical textbooks verses bedtime stories. Nope, he’s not a doctor!
I think women should stop defining themselves by society’s standards of beauty, how they should behave and their place in the world. Each of us are unique; to be asked to be something you are not is painful, and it’s unkind of anyone to ask it of you!
Doctor’s orders: find your authentic self and live authentically.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Montgomery Medical of Atlanta – what should we know?
I am the owner of Montgomery Medical of Atlanta, a concierge medical practice in Atlanta specializing in family and palliative medicine. Montgomery Medical is becomes a part of your family by delivering world-class medical service with the convenience and respect you’d expect from a family member. It’s like having a doctor in the family, not just visiting your doctor’s office for your annual checkup! I limit the number of patients I see in my practice to enable me to provide personalized attention. Every patient has access to their own doctor and nurse, including our personal cell phone numbers. My husband, the nurse, and I wanted to take care of people, not just treat diseases. Not many concierge practices offer the dynamic duo of open access to a doctor and nurse.
Additionally, we have a complex disease management program focusing on the mind, body, and spirit of anyone faced with a serious illness. With over a decade of experience as a palliative care physician, I have heard many patients complain about navigating bureaucratic red tape and cumbersome healthcare systems while being very ill. What I’ve learned is people need is to be heard and comforted when facing a serious illness, which includes helping them navigate the system to get the care they need.
We partner with our patients to guide them through the difficult decisions necessary to achieve the best possible health outcomes.
I believe in treating patients in the context of their entire circumstances, their family dynamics, financial situation and psychological pathology. By limiting the number of patients we see, we have the time to evaluate and come up with an overall strategy to manage their medical issues.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
My advice: Go for broke and ignore the junk!!
Going for broke means believing in yourself against all odds, standards, and norms. Don’t allow extraneous “stuff” to cause you to quit before you start. Put all of your chips on the table and believe in you!!! Believing in yourself comes with high and lows. One day you can feel like you’re crazy and the next day you think “I’m the bomb”. THIS IS NORMAL, keep going!
Don’t get distracted by your junk or the junk other people can bring into your life. Be aware that other people can bring challenges into your life, challenges that are not yours to fix. Once you recognize unhealthy dynamics in your relationships, you are in a position to ignore the junk.
Contact Info:
- Address: 35 Collier Road NW suite 185
Atlanta, GA 30309 - Website: www.montgomerymedicalatlanta.com
- Phone: 404-590-0626
- Email: yourpulse@montgomerymed.com
- Instagram: montgomerymedicalATL
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontMedAtl/
- Other: https://surata-skincare.myshopify.com/
Image Credit:
Daryl and Sherika
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