Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Roxanne Peterson.
Ashley Roxanne, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story starts in college as I was only 15 years old when I started. At that time, I was set on helping others, I just did not know how I wanted to progress in my career. I started wanting to be a teacher as a child, then marine biologist, then an architect – I was all over the place. I finally settled on Pharmacy school in late high school and then when I shadowed a pharmacist I realized there was not as much patient interaction as I expected – that is when I knew medicine was for me: I could teach, I could serve, and I could explore sciences and math.
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?
I am literally laughing out loud at this question because anyone who has survived pre-medical classes (hello physics, biochemistry, and organic chemistry) and then survived the 4+ years of medical school after that know this is a long and hard journey. Medicine is hard because it is a service industry that including learning everyday. You will never know everything, and you make mistakes – mistakes that can harm people. It is a lot of pressure and it take true discipline to get to this place. Being so young as well, you can sometimes feel as though you are missing out on the best years of your life as your twenties pass by with 100s of tests, lectures, and clinicals. For me, it is all worth it but I of course struggled along the way. That is why I started my brand “Real Medicine with Dr. Rox”. I try to talk about the real parts of medicine that are dark, scary, and often overlooked to make the medical lifestyle seem more “glamorous”. For example, I am a five years medical school grad – that can often be taboo to say in a room of accomplished doctors but I stand up for myself and my worth. I am still a great doctor – I hear it from patients, preceptors, attendings, and colleagues alike. Who knows, maybe I even needed that struggle to make me strong – I embrace that time of failure because I am still here standing!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about “Real Medicine With Dr. Rox” & “Laborai” – what should we know?
Currently, I am in Atlanta at my #1 pick for Family Medicine Residency – Morehouse School of Medicine. I love it here as the emphasis on patient care, underserved population, telemedicine (huge innovation!), physician wellness, and just the location in Atlanta made it the best pick for me. I love being a doctor, especially a training family medicine and primary care doctor because you truly get to manage the medications patients take everyday and see them multiple times a year – you can build a relationship. As a family medicine doctor you become part of patient’s family. For this reason, I started “Real Medicine with Dr. Rox” which is on Youtube, Podcast sites, and Instagram. I also have a blog where I post at www.drashleyroxanne.com. I want to bridge technology – which is not going away only growing – and medicine together. Telemedicine is on the rise and businesses like https://www.rowedocs.com/ and my residency program inspired me to start using technology to promote health. There are very few social media platforms that are promoting health and easy tips people can use at home. That is what I want to promote while serving as an example in the Atlanta’s communities: I want to be one of Atlanta’s favorite doctors that they can count on to deliver “Real medicine” through your phones and computers.
Recently, various articles http://www.blacknews.com/news/24-year-old-ashley-roxanne-youngest-black-osteopathic-doctor/ & https://www.blavity.com/dr-ashley-roxanne-peterson-is-the-youngest-black-osteopathic-doctor-ever?category1=news have highlighted my journey as one of the youngest doctors in my chosen title (Osteopathic Medicine) but for me, it is truly about impact. I hope someone looks at my journey – good and bad and decides they can become a physician too. I have lived a pretty balanced life mixing medicine and my other interests (football, sports, travel, fashion, etc.). I started Laborai – www.shoplaborai.com – to address my other interests and passion for style. Laborai is a mix of “Labor” and “rai” to demonstrate “desk to dinner looks” mindset of my brand. Overall, I love what I do because I have the best of both worlds – my passion that serves others and my passion that addresses my own visions as well.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
For me, I am a generally optimistic person. I feel life is hard enough and life happenings miss no one. I have loss, I have been hurt and betrayed, I have been underestimated, I have failed greatly and I have also been successful. I often find the best parts of other people and a situation and can often smile when others are not because I am grateful for the place I am in. Every time I have failed, it has made me stronger and given me lessons that I carry everyday with me. In the words of so many “If you fall nine times, stand ten” and I live by that principle. I also try to journal everyday and reflection through and mindfulness strategy. If I can find 5-10 things I am grateful for everyday I wake up refreshed and ready to face whatever the world tries to throw at me. Keep pushing and keep working yall!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drashleyroxanne.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drashleyroxanne/
- Facebook: facebook.com/drashleyroxanne/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrAshleyRoxanne
- Other: https://shoplaborai.com/
Image Credit:
Ashley Nicole Photography: https://anicolephotography.net/
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