Today, we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Tamara S. Greene.
Hi Dr. Greene, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I come from humble beginnings in Tennessee. While attending elementary school, I was often bullied for making straight A’s. However, early on, I knew I did not want to limit myself to West Tennessee (though now I love going home at every opportunity).
During my middle school years, my mother moved to Independence, MO. There were only seven black students in the school at that time, and I had to deal with some of the most racist people I’ve ever encountered in my life, including teachers and school administrators. I distinctly remember going on a lunch trip for students who made straight A’s throughout the school year and other students saying that I was only there due to affirmative action. Luckily, my mother moved to more diverse Grandview, MO, and I went on to become valedictorian of my high school class.
My educational journey took me to Xavier University in New Orleans on a full-tuition scholarship, where I majored in Chemistry and graduated in 3.5 years. I then attended Saint Louis University School of Medicine on a full-tuition scholarship. During the second semester of my third year of medical school, I discovered neurology. Though I was fairly unfamiliar with the specialty when I entered medical school, I became fascinated with the wonders of the brain and the numerous unfortunate abnormalities that can occur in the nervous system.
That fascination was further cultivated when I completed an away rotation at the University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center during my 4th year of medical school. It was wonderful to see residents who, despite working numerous brutal hours with very little sleep, were actually smiling and enjoying what they were doing. However, it became clear that there was a void in the profession, as I hardly saw anyone who looked like me, a black female. I would then spend five years at UT Houston: 4 years completing my neurology residency and one year completing subspecialty training in Clinical Electrophysiology. I completed a second fellowship in clinical neuromuscular medicine at Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. After this fellowship, it was time to officially start my post-training career.
I moved to Georgia in September 2012, where I practiced inpatient and outpatient general neurology at Dekalb Medical Center (now Emory University of Decatur). While at Dekalb Medical, I became one of only a handful of neurologists certified as a BAP provider for the NFL. I then began working in personal injury in 2019, discovering a significant void. Some patients had suffered serious traumatic brain injuries due to various personal injury incidents. However, they were not getting the help they needed, as not many neurologists were practicing in personal injury.
Seeing these patients suffer and not having all of their injuries adequately addressed inspired me to continue to educate myself to be an advocate for these patients. After working for various other personal injury clinics throughout the city, I decided to open my practice, Greene Neurological and Medical Consulting, in October 2023. This has allowed me to have much more autonomy to practice in a way that truly advocates for patients with traumatic brain injuries and helps them to recover from their injuries. Additionally, I resumed my relationship with the NFL, and currently, I am the only certified MAF neurologist for the NFL in the entire state of Georgia. This opportunity has allowed me to advocate for retired players who suffer from neurodegenerative disorders due to repeated concussions.
When I am not seeing patients and building my practice, I enjoy being a mother to a wonderful 11-year-old daughter who is active in gymnastics, volleyball, Student Council, and Junior Beta Club. I also enjoy going back to Tennessee to visit my family and traveling internationally, and I love discovering what this vast world has to offer.
In summary, you probably won’t meet many neurologists like me, a 5-foot African-American female who enjoys gas-station cuisine and blasting Project Pat on her Spotify playlist. I have had to work extremely hard for recognition in my profession. Furthermore, though I’ve been in the profession for over 15 years, there are still times when I have to advocate for myself to get the recognition I deserve. However, from West Tennessee to owning a solo neurology practice in metro Atlanta, I serve as a prime example that perseverance and hard work are the keys to life’s success.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like many successful people, my journey was not an easy one. My parents divorced when I was 3-4, so I grew up in a single-family home. When I got older, my mother told me of the struggles that she had to endure, though she did an excellent job of shielding me from those struggles. My father struggled to provide financial support for us. However, he has always been encouraging and one of my biggest cheerleaders.
While attending elementary school, I was often bullied for making straight A’s. My elementary school was predominantly black, so the teasing did not bother me that much. During my middle school years, my mother moved to Independence, MO. There were only seven black students in the school at that time, and I had a hard introduction to racism in America. I encountered some of the most racist people I’ve ever encountered in my life, including teachers and school administrators. The “n” word flowed so freely from the lips of students in the halls, and this was met by chuckles and smirks by a few of the teachers.
I distinctly remember going on a lunch trip for students who made straight A’s throughout the school year and other students saying that I was only there due to affirmative action. Luckily, my mother moved to Grandview, MO, during my high school years, which was much more diverse and less divisive. When I chose neurology as a career, it became clear that there was a void in the profession, as I hardly saw anyone who looked like me, a black female. Throughout my career, I have had to work harder than my non-minority male counterparts, and to this day, there are still times when I have to advocate for myself to get the recognition I deserve.
I had a full-tuition scholarship for college. However, scholarships do not cover living expenses (i.e., food, gas, clothing, etc.). I do not come from a wealthy family, so I worked 2, and sometimes 3, jobs while maintaining a full-time college course load. A few of these jobs included bartending in some not-so-savory bars in New Orleans, LA, and there were many nights that I had to dodge bullets inside and outside of these establishments. Luckily, I returned home safely. However, given that a certain GPA was required in order to retain scholarship funds, I would often have to return home and study instead of sleep.
Shortly after moving to Georgia, I went through a divorce. This was one of the most difficult times in my life, as I was left to be a single mother caring for an infant by myself. Of course, I still had to work, which was often grueling at times. I would have to spend early mornings and late hours seeing patients in the clinic as well as in the hospital during the week and sometimes during the weekend while on call. This stressful schedule began to gradually wear away at my spirit.
Early in life, I witnessed first-hand how addiction, whether to alcohol or drugs, can hurt not only the person going through it but have far-reaching consequences for the family of the person with the addiction. There have been several family members on both sides of the family who struggled with addiction. Later in life, particularly after my divorce, I would experience my battle with alcohol. Having been sober for several years now, the experience humbled me in ways that have been profoundly life-changing and helped me to find that inner peace that I struggled for several years to find.
I am truly grateful for these struggles because it was through them that I have grown to be the hard-working, strong, and yet humble person that I am today.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Greene Neurological and Medical Consulting provides neurology care for adults and adolescents aged 12 and over in and around Alpharetta, Georgia. Additionally, telemedicine visits are available to offer a more convenient option for patients.
I diagnose and treat a wide range of neurologic conditions, including various headache subtypes, seizures, strokes, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Greene Neurological and Medical Consulting also provides comprehensive neurological evaluations to identify early warning signs of dementia and other memory disorders. I am one of only a few neurologists with extensive experience in evaluating and treating personal injury patients. Additionally, I am one of only a few neurologists in the nation designated as a Qualified MAP Physician through the National Football League (NFL) to evaluate retired players through the NFL Concussion Settlement Program.
I offer in-office electrodiagnostic testing via electromyography/nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS) to assess muscle and nerve function. Botulinum treatments are also available for the treatment of chronic migraines, cervical dystonia, and spastic hemiplegia, as well as cosmetic Botox® to address aesthetic issues like crow’s feet and frown lines in adults. Unlike some med spas in which injections are performed by a nurse or technician with only a few days of training, I perform the injections to ensure the best treatment outcomes.
What sets my practice apart from other neurology practices is a personalized, integrative approach to care. I personally control my schedule to allot more time to be set aside for patient evaluations. I am most proud of the opportunities to be able to work closely with patients and their families to build an honest, transparent relationship to empower individuals to take a proactive role in making informed decisions about their health, versus treating patients as if they are cases from a textbook.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Atlanta has become a melting pot in the southeastern United States. I love that my daughter can attend school with diverse students and learn about different cultures from her peers. Additionally, I am a huge foodie, so the cuisine offered throughout the city is amazing. I learned of a new restaurant in the city several times during the week.
Like many other people, my least favorite thing about the city is the traffic, which is one of the main reasons I opened my practice in Alpharetta to be close to my daughter’s school and my home. Before opening my practice, my commutes would be anywhere from 50 minutes to over 1.5 hours, depending on the weather and, of course, the accidents. Now, I can leave home, drop my daughter off at school, and be at my office in less than 15 minutes.
Contact Info:
- Website: GreeneNAMC.com
