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Finding Your Medical Specialty · AccessCo Leaders Career Conversations

• speaker-0: Hello, hello and welcome back to AccessCo Leaders career conversations. I'm Ilyne, I get to host this with our students from Freire Tech Charter High School with an incredible guest, Dr. Calvin Parker, the third who's an gastroenterology vice president at Wood Home Gastroenterology Associates. Welcome Dr. Parker. speaker-2: Thank you. Thank you for having me. speaker-1: Thank speaker-0: Excellent. Can you tell us what do do as a vice president there at Wood Home? speaker-2: Well, Wood Home Gastroenterology primarily is a ⁓ clinical environment, a medical practice. And we have 20 physicians. And our primary focus is patient care. But like with any private group, there's a business component to it. And so that being said, there has to be a And I serve as one of the vice presidents for the organization. So that could be anything from helping to manage speaker-1: be a leadership team in place. speaker-2: physician needs, but certainly, you know, our employees and ancillary services, and also just interfacing with the community and larger health entities in the greater Baltimore area. speaker-0: Well, thank you for explaining that. you have your doctor, practicing doctor, plus you know the business side. And because I already had met you, you also served in the military. Can you tell us what you did in your time in service? And thank you very much. speaker-1: out speaker-2: Appreciate it and thank you for your service as well. Yeah, I was a major in the army. I served 12 years. ⁓ I went into active duty fresh out of medical school. I was fortunate enough to be selected for a scholarship, something called the Health Professions Scholarship Program. And they financed all of my medical education in exchange for four years of ⁓ active duty service. ⁓ But, you know. I ended up really enjoying what I was doing and I loved military medicine. So I ended up staying for. I practiced as an internist, an internal medicine physician, as a flight surgeon, as a gastroenterologist. And, ⁓ of course, you know, served in Afghanistan as well. was proud to do that on in a medical capacity. And that just took me all over the world as we were talking about a little bit earlier offline, but I had a very, ⁓ robust experience in. speaker-1: 12 years. speaker-2: got a heck of a lot out of it personally as well as speaker-1: fascinating. speaker-0: And you also share. That's awesome, that's awesome. Then you didn't plan, but you you enjoyed, which we love to hear. You also shared in the green room that your family got to move around with you overseas and throughout the throughout the states. Can you just give us a quick list and share with the students where the army took you? speaker-2: Sure, we were moving pretty much every three years or so. ⁓ So ⁓ I've lived a number of places including Georgia, Alabama, Germany, Afghanistan, Texas, Hawaii, to name a few. speaker-1: ⁓ speaker-0: Awesome. Well, I have a couple more questions before we hand it over to the students. Can you tell us, Dr. Parker, what kept you busy in middle school and high school? speaker-2: You know, it's interesting. I graduated high school in 1991, and we're coming up on the 35th anniversary of that, which just sounds bizarre even to hear me say that out loud. you ⁓ know, I was pretty active in high school and middle school. And I think that's probably in part why I ended up in the trajectory. I did. I tried to stay involved. I was in leadership. speaker-1: to you. After we I. Blue ship, I was- speaker-2: President of the student government when I was in high school. I was very interested in sport. know, was varsity, athlete, track and field. Drama, I liked drama, so I was in the thesbian society. And just trying to, you know, mix things up and have a hand in things and just be present. And then also just take myself out of my comfort zone and try new things, like acting. speaker-1: Bill. speaker-0: All right, so Dr. Parker, you did all kinds of things in middle school and high school, but you're saying, what I'm hearing you say is that you were present, you were just trying new things and you enjoyed it and you kept going. How does any of that have anything to do with what you're doing nowadays as vice president at Woodhome? speaker-2: So you have to, particularly at this stage in your career, I feel like you have to continue to sort of reinvent yourself ⁓ so that things remain fresh and you don't get stagnant because that can happen and define roles, particularly when you're decades into a career path. But that being said, there's always new patients, new challenges in terms of medicine. Each patient has a unique set of pathologies. You kind of get to be super sleuth in that regard and play a detective, which is very appealing to me. But at the same time, having interest outside of your day-to-day is very important. These are things that help keep you fresh, sustained. ⁓ Resiliency is something that we talked about a lot in the military. that's a lesson that I carried over to my life and in my medical practice. speaker-1: is very you you. stability speaker-0: Being resilient and reinventing yourself. That's awesome. I love that. Let's bring it over now to the students. Charles, you get the first question for Dr. Parker. speaker-3: Hey, Dr. Parker, nice to meet you. My first question is, can you describe what a typical day looks like for you in your role? speaker-1: Likewise, Charles. speaker-2: So a typical day for me usually begins at 730 in the morning, typically with medical procedures that we perform. We have several endoscopy. ⁓ These procedures don't necessarily have to be done on patients in the hospital. We co-own three endo centers. And we do procedures in there every day starting at 730. ⁓ Every half hour, there's speaker-1: So speaker-2: a procedure called colonoscopy or endoscopy or whatever the gastroenterology GI need is for the patient from a procedural perspective, my day starts doing. Other days, ⁓ you know, there will be office encounters where we have sit downs and consultations with patients. And it just varies day to day. We have ⁓ set schedules for the week. But almost certainly there's some admin time incorporated into my schedule to try and take care of some of the tasks that come with leaders and having a large organization. speaker-0: Neat. So it's a variety on your schedule. And I know you, like I shared with you earlier, you've got a great team supporting you there. Keeping you on track. All right. Let's go to Jamiyah. speaker-3: Hi, it's nice to meet you. My first question is, how did you know you wanted to pursue a field in gastroenterology? I feel like that's not niche, but it's definitely one of those fields in the medical field. like, oh, you don't think about it, but it's like, there's somebody always working there in the medical field for different parts of the body. speaker-2: Yeah, that's a great question. And you're correct. mean, GI, as we say for short, gastroenterology is sort of a mouthful. So just say GI. But that is sort of a granular, nuanced, ⁓ you know, specific area of medicine. I did not know initially that that would be my path. And so how I came to focus on that was pretty much just by casting a very broad net. speaker-1: We can see the eye and make it simple. speaker-2: ⁓ experiencing as much of medicine as I could and, you know, trying different things, things that I didn't think that I would be interested in and just kind of got a sense of what resonated with me. And in time, it became clear to me that GI ⁓ served that purpose. ⁓ To take it just a little step further, GI is sort of, as I mentioned, it's a subspecialty of internal medicine. So when you go to your primary care doctor, for example, speaker-1: And. speaker-2: ⁓ that may or may not be an internal medicine provider and they do an exam, they talk with you and they, you know, oversee your medications and things like that. Not a lot in the way of procedures. ⁓ surgeons on the other hand, they do a lot of stuff. Surgeons like to cut. They like to be in the OR. Well, I didn't want to do that, but that appealed to me as well. speaker-1: And they speaker-2: So this field of GI serves as a perfect middle ground for me where I can marry up both those interests. On any given day, I'm in the endocenter or in the operating room, but I'm also in my clinic seeing patients and having conversations like this, which is what I like. I like to engage with people. So that's how I came to... speaker-1: people. Pursue that. speaker-0: That's excellent wisdom too, because that can apply to any industry, right? So that's how you figured it out as a doctor in your specific field, but in any industry you can decide, you know, let me just cast a large net and decide, ⁓ what worked for me or what was interesting, what didn't work for me, and then start refining what direction you're going in. So thank you for that wisdom, Dr. Parker. Let's go to Kieran, your first question. speaker-3: hello. said that you were in the Army for 12 years. So how did that experience, which was like a pretty big part of your life over like a decade. how did that shape who you are today? speaker-2: I keep Never saw the Army coming. In full disclosure, it is not something that I aspired to ⁓ when I was in high school or even college. ⁓ Frankly, I was looking for a way to finance my medical education and I applied for a scholarship that the Army offered and thank goodness I got accepted. ⁓ It was not my plan at all. speaker-1: and speaker-2: You know, but there's an expression that says man plans and God laughs. And this was one of those instances. I ended up loving my time in the army. ⁓ I learned so much about myself, about values that the army holds dear that are now ingrained in me and part of my DNA, selfless service being one of them. It pushed me, it challenged me academically, personally, professionally. speaker-1: this. speaker-2: morally, spiritually, in so many different ways. And there are just so many lessons in amazing people that I was privileged to work with and serve with in such a very important patient population. I was blessed and privileged to have that experience. And the deeper I got in, the more I liked it. And so I just kept signing up and kept signing up. And then the next thing I knew was 12 years later. speaker-1: and variance. speaker-2: when I only really owed four years. speaker-0: That's amazing. You know, don't hear that story often. You hear people say, ⁓ I only signed up for four years. And then, you know, I decided to let the service pay for my school. ⁓ and I like this. And they keep going. So thank you so much, Dr. Parker, for your service and then being able to explain, you know, the type of service that you did with the Army. So guys, keep these great questions coming. Let's go to Hope. speaker-3: Okay, how do you explain complex medical issues to patients? speaker-2: This is a challenge. There's an art to medicine. Being a physician, it should go without saying that you have a certain level of aptitude and book smarts as it were. But you have to be a person. You have to be able to connect people on ⁓ a deeper level, particularly when you are navigating sensitive issues like cancer, colon cancer, for example, or many other. speaker-1: with. GI-related cancers. speaker-2: Someone told me years ago in terms of the approach to medicine. speaker-1: And I, it's. speaker-2: Very true, I'm reminded of this daily. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. So connecting with your patients, letting them know that you are a real person, that you care about their wellbeing, that ⁓ you know, hold space for their personhood regardless of their level because you just meet people where they are. Some people are formally educated, some people are not, so everything in between, but you just... ⁓ speaker-1: you After. speaker-2: have a genuine spirit about you because people see a fake a mile away. Folks are intuitive that way. And, you know, they see right through it. So I just try to remind myself of that and try and stay humble in my role and, ⁓ you know, try and reflect a brand of medicine that my family and my parents, you know, would be proud of. speaker-1: will kiddin'. And that. speaker-2: keeps me grounded. speaker-0: love that. Thank you, Dr. Parker. We've had other medical professionals on our shows before, and we love hearing the behind the scenes of what goes on in your mind when you're having to share those ⁓ tough moments and being able to understand it as a patient. So thank you. ⁓ Charles, your next question. speaker-3: My next question is, have you seen an increase in digestive health issues among younger patients and if so, why? speaker-2: Yeah, definitely. You know, we mentioned colon cancer briefly just a little while ago. And unfortunately, we are finding more concerning things in younger and younger patients. Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther. speaker-1: You know. for example, he's a. speaker-2: perfect example of why we start screening for certain things at younger ages. Colon cancer is one of those things. Now that's something that we start looking at in your 40s. But, ⁓ you know, even beyond that, there are things that we see in younger folks. Irritable bowel syndrome is something very common that we see in younger folks. Problems with digestion or dietary things, problems with gluten, something called celiac disease. something called inflammatory bowel disease. We're seeing these things in younger and younger folks. So along those lines, what I would say is start to know your baseline, know your normal, so that if you have a deviation from that, ⁓ you can be appropriately concerned and start a dialogue with your primary care provider. And there may be something to it or there may not be, but ⁓ at least knowing your baseline, knowing yourself. speaker-1: So. speaker-2: It's just ⁓ good advice in terms of health, just globally speaking. speaker-0: That's so helpful. And being able to articulate that, you know, to say, I don't feel right or something is off, but being able to understand like this is what I'm feeling and knowing who to go to talk to and share that information. So thanks for that. Great question, Charles. Let's go back to Jamiyah, your next question. speaker-3: My next question is, there is a lot of AI being integrated in different fields as well. I just want to know how your company is approaching that. Are you guys using AI for research or to show you early signs of maybe, like you said, like, I'm sorry, I'm trying to find the words, maybe early signs of diagnosis of different diseases and things like that. How are you guys integrating AI or? news technology and what you're doing today. speaker-2: Yeah, absolutely. It's, you have to stay on the cutting edge and, know, not get stagnant in your approach. You have to incorporate all of the latest and greatest tools and modalities to, you know, help deliver a good product for your patients. So to your point, we absolutely incorporate ⁓ AI in a number of capacities. ⁓ when you go to a doctor, ⁓ part of what happens, maybe not during the encounter, but after the is, you know, charting. speaker-1: and you fact is speaker-2: as we call it, a note or a summary of the consultation and the visit has to take place. AI is very helpful in that regard because it can help streamline that process, make you more efficient in terms of your time management, but also give good detailed charting that needs to be communicated to other folks who are also charged with taking care of you, like a primary care program. In terms of, you know, The bread and butter procedure that we do to screen for colon cancer is called colonoscopy. And it depends largely on what the provider is seeing visually during the program. But there are these ancillary entities, AI focus, that can sort of be your wingman, so to speak, and help you identify pathology real time. From a business model perspective, A large component of having a medical practice is billing. And so we have a whole billing department, but we are trying to see ways in which we can shift ⁓ more into an AI component to help streamline that and make us more efficient and smart. So AI is present in medicine. It's here to stay. It's not just medicine. It's all discipline. speaker-1: And it's, but those are some of the ways that we use it. speaker-0: I love how you said you got to stay on the cutting edge, right? You can't sleep on this kind of stuff. So it's good to know where AI falls in, in even your, your specific sect of medicine. Let's go to Kieron. speaker-3: My question was, how does telemedicine, you know, stuff like Zoom, like, FaceTime and stuff like that, like, to consult a patient, how does that impact the engagement and the outcome in gastroenterology? speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-2: Great question also. Well, you guys are pretty sharp. know, COVID was a game changer. Back in 2020, we're all heck broke loose. That's really when we started leaning very heavily on telemedicine encounters. Personally, I do not prefer them. I like to be face-to-face patients. And sometimes you need to be in terms of parts of the physical exam. speaker-1: Right. with nation. speaker-2: It just depends on what's going on with the patient. There are some things that you just can't do via telemedicine, but it is valuable in the sense that it is an avenue to preserve access to care. And so I would rather someone have telemedicine than nothing. And we do still utilize it, but I will tell you practically speaking, my preference is to be fit. speaker-1: to face. speaker-0: for me personally as a patient, I appreciate the face-to-face when it comes to medical. So thank you, Dr. Parker. And Hope, your next question. speaker-3: ⁓ what are some early warning signs of digestive issues people should watch out for? speaker-1: Okay, yeah. speaker-2: Great question. Again, this goes back to what we were saying previously about just kind of knowing your baseline, knowing your normal. So that if something is array you can identify that to your change in bowel habits. I used to poop every day and now I poop maybe ⁓ every four or five days or once a week, ⁓ ⁓ having pain. Certain foods are triggering nausea and vomiting. speaker-1: can get. Point. speaker-2: ⁓ I'm having blood in my stool or I'm losing weight and I don't know why. I don't have a good explanation for that. These are things that ⁓ should provoke a conversation. And specifically in terms of GI could represent some underlying pathology. That's something that you would initially discuss with, again, your primary care provider. That's kind of like your quarterback, right? That person's going to direct you here, direct you there based on what's going on with you. And, you know, if speaker-1: So, Dude. speaker-2: to get down to the granular level of GI, they can help ⁓ gear you that way. But those are some of the things that would kind of stick out. And hopefully, raise some eyebrows for us. speaker-0: Parker, all these years later, you've been a doctor. And hearing that one question, you lit up. You're like, yes, let's go there. Let's talk about it. It's good to see ⁓ Charles, your next question. speaker-3: My next question is, what are some common misconceptions people have about access to health? speaker-2: about digestive health, but health in general. One misconception that folks have is that, you know, there's nothing really wrong. speaker-1: I think go. And you may be correct. speaker-2: You know, you might have some minor ailments, here, you know, things can snowball. and as we talked about before, we're finding bad things in younger and younger people. So, you know, I feel like sometimes people don't take certain symptoms with the seriousness that they deserve, ⁓ and sort of brush it under the rug. One of the real challenges in terms of, ⁓ trying to help patients speaker-1: again. And speaker-2: navigate disease processes. speaker-1: is speaker-2: catching things before they get to that snow. A lot of times the horse is kind of out of the barn already. Cancer, it spread or what we call, we staged things and that talks about spread and that sort of Unfortunately, a lot of times things ⁓ have progressed and it makes it more challenging to. speaker-1: And when we catch a c- thing. to manage. speaker-2: ⁓ But if you present earlier and not sweep some little symptoms under the rug or at least have a conversation about it, I think that's a better approach. We can either get some reassurance from that conversation. Hey, everything's okay. Let's make some minor adjustments. Or we can use that as an opportunity to find something really problematic, jump on it with both feet and get that patient well again. speaker-1: and You speaker-0: Yep, these students are keeping you sharp. Dr. Parker, all these questions. speaker-1: Yeah speaker-2: I love it. speaker-0: ⁓ Jamiyah, your next question. speaker-3: This is more of a biased question because my family really talks about it. But you know, there's a lot of new drinks coming out in today's media, pop. There's like different types of energy drinks and stuff like that. I want to know what are the long term effects energy drinks has on younger youths and you know, do you recommend to take maybe only a certain amount or to not take it at all? speaker-2: I don't recommend them at all, particularly in younger folks. I recommend routine. I recommend being regimented. I recommend, you know, using natural modalities to kind of set your biological clock and energy and circadian rhythms and all that. And that's with deep hygiene. Most, not most, I take that back. But a lot of times, you know, younger folks ⁓ are not resting. speaker-1: Thanks speaker-2: And when we are resting, the quality of that rest is suboptimal because we have right next to us what? speaker-1: phone. speaker-2: ⁓ and so you might feel sluggish the next day and you might be inclined to reach for one of those, but I don't like the content. I don't like the uncertainty of the, long-term effects that you alluded to. ⁓ you know, the, the, the artificial stimulants, it's short-lived and I would prefer particularly for a younger person. speaker-1: Yeah. Bye! speaker-2: ⁓ trying to get those natural boosts just from being active and energetic and stimulating your own of energy ⁓ from more natural means as opposed to some of those artificial. Not a fan. speaker-1: See you. things. speaker-0: Well, Dr. Parker, I like coffee. don't drink the energy drinks, but for our listeners, all these students are smiling and giggling. What do we have on our desk there, guys? We have some energy. ⁓ listen. speaker-2: They are things in moderation. And you know, I'm not a monk. ⁓ But you know, mean, things can become habitual and snowballed you just find yourself, you know, beholden to that Starbucks account or whatever. ⁓ Yeah, not really a fan. speaker-1: Right? speaker-0: We're going to go out of cycle here. Jamiyah, you got to tell us, do you like these drinks? It's the flavor. What is it? speaker-3: I know some people in my circle who drinks more energy drinks than they should. And I just really wanted to know, there's a lot of cases going around where people are dying from over consumption of these energy drinks. So I was just curious, how does this do for your gut in the long term? You're consuming how many cans a day, two cans a day, one can a day. speaker-0: ⁓ speaker-3: You know, it can't be healthy. Same thing with like consuming caffeine when you're younger. It's just certain things that I get curious about. Cause I'm like, this seems like, you know, you look at the back of the bottle and it's like, ⁓ that's a lot of calories or that's a lot of sodium, sugar and whatnot. So it makes me curious. Like how is that affecting your insides? speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-2: There's a price to be paid. The desired outcome in the short term. ⁓ But taking a step back and looking at long term, yeah, things have a way of ⁓ catching one way or another. Around the gut microbiome is impacted, know, sort of the friendly bacteria that we harbor in our digestive tract. Some of these things, ⁓ you know, disrupt that. There is something called without getting too into the weeds, something called SIBO or speaker-1: I mean, you may get. That's Ken. speaker-2: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth that has been associated with ⁓ some of these consumption habits and can really disrupt quality of life. ⁓ I don't want to digress. speaker-1: Folks. too far, but I speaker-0: That's it's interesting. That's right. Young people are thinking about it. They say the gut is your second brain. So it's important that they are actually thinking through this as well. Let's go back to Kieran, your next question. speaker-3: If you could change one thing about how patients with growth sterilization can help, what would it be? speaker-2: I'm sorry, if I could change one thing about. speaker-3: ⁓ if you could change one thing about how patients approach their digestive health, what would it be? speaker-2: ⁓ kind of piggybacking on the last discussion there. ⁓ but taking that a step further, diet is hugely important. ⁓ it's something that we take for granted, because things are so readily accessible in our Western society, ⁓ and easy to, you know, get as opposed to something fresh and lean and green and colorful. ⁓ you know, it's just our, our Western world, but. The toxins that we put into our bodies willingly on a daily basis is something that unfortunately, ⁓ we tend to just turn the blind eye to, or just get on autopilot. And then, you know, there's direct correlations between and gut health in that answer between that and the toxins that we amass in our body and can't clear, not to mention diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cholesterol on and on and on. speaker-1: between that and can. speaker-2: All roads lead back to what you're putting in here. So if I could point to one thing, it would be that and getting active. Those are two things that I hope that convey to my patients on low-hanging fruit, areas that we can go after non-pharmacologically. But it takes lifestyle changes. And human behavior is a hard thing to ⁓ change. speaker-1: diet. I hope that I... to change. speaker-0: We hear it from all from everyone, right? It's what you eat and how how often you move. So thank you for that reminder, Dr. Parker. Hope your next question. speaker-3: What is interventional biliary endocity? speaker-2: You must have been reading my resume. So, you know, GI is, like I said, it's sort of a subspecialty of internal medicine, but you can become even more subspecialized in terms of, you know, very speaker-1: Alright, yeah. very granular disease processes. speaker-2: So biliary disease or biliary pathology has to do with the bile duct, the gallbladder, and the flow of bile that comes through that into our intestinal tract to aid in the digestion of fatty foods. Sometimes people have obstructions at that level, anything from stone to cancers to inflammation, and a blockage can occur. ⁓ And so there's sort of a nuanced procedure that I do. ⁓ called ERCP. It's a mouthful. I'll spare you the details. But we intervene at that level into the biliary tree, if you will. And so it's called interventional biliary. And there's a procedure called ERCP, where we get stones out of the bile duct, or we diagnose cancers of the bile duct, or if there's a blockage that we need to open up with a stent. Those are some of the things that I do. And that's what that speaker-1: pathology. for us to. speaker-0: Awesome, and Hope, thank you for showing that you do research and prepare before these conversations. All right, we're coming to Charles. This is when we flip the script and get to know our students. Charles, I mentioned earlier in the green room ⁓ that you have many universities who have ⁓ accepted you. How exciting, congratulations. I won't call you out on air, but share with Dr. Parker what your plans are and what your interests are after high school. speaker-3: I appreciate it. My plans after high school, I plan to go to college for criminal justice with the long-term goal of being a lawyer. So after college, going to law school, get my GED and get into the workforce. speaker-2: Fantastic. And I'm waiting with bated breath for May 1st. I want to hear how this plays out. I'm curious to know, do you have a network of like-minded folks, either in high school or current pre-med, sorry, pre-law students? ⁓ Because I feel like who we surround ourselves with in the day-to-day, at least in my experience, you are who your friends are. And if that's your goal, I would like to know that you are building a network of like-minded folks who have similar aspirations, pre-law students or lawyers, identifying whatever that pre-law society is at whatever institution you ended up going to. These are things that help and help keep you on track and build that network of mentors to help get you to the next step. That's something you've given some thought to. speaker-3: Yeah, so in the summer I did like an internship with Judge Osborne. So like while during the internship when she was like on the stand, I would go out into like the courtroom, talk to some of the lawyers and like, I guess meet with them outside of like the courtroom. I met this one lawyer, went to get some coffee. He, I think he went to like Harvard Law in Columbia for undergrad. So he was like really knowledgeable on a lot of this stuff. So was talking to him and I met a few other lawyers outside of there. They were like public defenders. speaker-1: So. speaker-3: So, yeah, I've kind of built in my network that way. speaker-1: Excellent. Excellent. speaker-0: Dr. Parker, you can give Charles ⁓ one piece of advice on how to steward those relationships, growing that network, what would that be for him? speaker-2: Well, ⁓ something as basic as just being aware of your presentation. speaker-1: Your energy. The the the. speaker-2: energy. ⁓ how you interact with folks. A lot is conveyed to folks without saying one word. Just your whole aura and the seriousness that you bring into a room ⁓ or a or opportunity to change and get ideas. ⁓ All of things, ⁓ you're constantly someone something about you, whether you realize ⁓ speaker-1: All right. exchange or not. ⁓ speaker-2: things often start there because in terms of making a relationship, ⁓ getting buy-in from a peer or someone who was already at the spot where you're trying to get to, you have to kind of establish that seriousness and that good communication at that level. Oftentimes it's a non-starter if someone is interested in medicine and I sense that they don't respect My time or their time or their presentation is, you know, you have to be suit and tied up. So maybe it depends on the occasion, I guess. But, ⁓ you know, these are some things to just keep in mind. How you present yourself. speaker-1: lacking goes a long way. speaker-0: That's so helpful, Dr. Parker. And when you say that, that's not just when you show up for the coffee. That is what your emails look like, if you're texting, if you're calling, all of that is part of who you are and your brand and what you're reflecting, if that is the direction you want to go. So thank you for that. Dr. Parker, let's go on to Jamia. ⁓ Jamia is one of our real tech students. Not that you guys are all tech students, but really on that side of interest. She's shared that she's interested in civil engineering or some kind of. building and planning. Jamiyah, can you share with Dr. Parker what your plans are after just a few weeks from graduating from high school? speaker-3: ⁓ I'm going to Temple University. I got a full ride scholarship from them as of recently. I'm celebrating today. And hopefully I will be able to travel abroad my sophomore year to Japan to study and know gain even more insight on the field that I want to do. Like Charles said, I also did an experience ship over the summer where I got to connect with a lot of engineers and in the field or even some people in positions where they didn't even have an engineering degree. came from different ⁓ schools, they came from different backgrounds, but they all got to the same place. it was cool to hear those experiences and ⁓ meet them and hopefully I can meet even more people in college. speaker-2: Fantastic. think if we haven't done so already, we'll have to put her in contact with my good friend, Brian Young, a civil speaker-1: I love it. engineering the greater Baltimore area. Yeah. speaker-0: Jamiyah, we just message Mr. Henley that there's another ⁓ resource you. ⁓ Another guest we've had on recently who did travel to Japan as a young ⁓ in high school, I think, but you'll have to you'll get to meet her and she'll share that with you. She's another civil engineer. ⁓ with Parker, you got a scholarship into medical school, Jamiyah. Congratulations. We are celebrating with you. We are so proud of you for getting that full ride to Temple. ⁓ Can you share with Jamiyah some of your experience or some wisdom, some encouragement about having that scholarship and how to keep it and own it? speaker-1: Well, you know. speaker-2: Never want to rest on your laurels. ⁓ You know, the fact that you were selected speaks about you and you should be applauded and celebrate that. But, you know, constantly think about the next step. How can I continue to distinguish myself? Because clearly you've distinguished yourself from your peers. Otherwise you wouldn't have been selected for the scholarship. But what's next? What's next? What's next? ⁓ speaker-1: very highly. that. ⁓ speaker-2: Go do the extra little bit that someone probably get up a little bit earlier. Study just a little bit later. Do a couple of extra push-ups. Get your energy up or whatever it is. Stay balanced. Because the more balanced you are, the more energetic you will be. You'll be less likely to burn out. speaker-1: isn't doing. and are. will be. speaker-2: And these are the intangible things that help you be authentic and appeal into folks who ⁓ are in positions of authority that are looking for that next hire or scholarship recipient or what have you. These are things just constantly be strategic about how you can continue to distinguish yourself. speaker-1: energetic from your peers. speaker-0: I love that. Jamiyah should have no problem with that. speaker-2: Let me qualify that a little bit. That's important and I stand by that. But I also would be remiss if I didn't say because clearly we have an exceptionally talented audience. As you are climbing that ladder of success, remember, you got to reach back and pull somebody else along. As you're reach back and help somebody else along. speaker-1: to your. Right? speaker-0: I love it. That deserves its own. speaker-5: All of you to win. speaker-1: Right? speaker-2: Not just this group, we need everybody. speaker-0: Yes, preach that. love it. Let's go on to Kieran. He runs another one who is another student who's a senior interested in tech, recent interest in engineering, ⁓ but has shared that he loves building things. So Kieran, your turn. Share with Dr. Parker what your interests are. speaker-3: Yeah, I like anything creative like drawing, feeling things like music. I love playing guitar. So yeah, just anything creative. speaker-2: Well, that's great. That's great. ⁓ You know, again, just in terms of being diverse people, having diverse sets of interests are very valuable things. And, you know, ⁓ you have to find what it is that speaks to you, that gives you life, know, music, art, whatever it is. Find what that thing is and, you know, you incorporate that into speaker-1: Again. Right? Writing. speaker-2: your repertoire and transition that into some sort of career. And then your work is your pleasure. You're not one of those people that dread going to work every day because you really love and are passionate about what it is you're doing. So I'm hearing that you are exploring those passions right now. I think that's fantastic. And my only caution would be just be strategic as you were doing that. Figure out how you can parlay that into the next opportunity. speaker-1: Thanks, community. speaker-0: I love that your work is your play and you've been emphasizing the next step. next step, Kieran, what is your next question for Dr. Parker? speaker-2: See you. speaker-1: you did there. speaker-3: My next question was, I was asking about, since you published case reports, how important is doing research and stuff like that advances your clinical practices? speaker-2: How important is research in terms of clinical? The two are inextricably linked. We have no medicine or, or cutting edge procedures or the like without clinical trials and research. ⁓ the two go hand in hand. We actually have a whole research component of our practice for that purpose. So many of us are engaged in clinical research. These are where all of the, ⁓ you know, the medications and those sorts of things that we utilize to help patients. They all come from. clinical trials and research. There are varying levels of research and various types of research. You can be sort of a bench researcher versus clinical trials, which is what we do. But the point is hugely important. ⁓ Can't have one without the other. I think in terms of, certainly it's true for medicine, but in terms of any discipline, ⁓ R &D speaker-1: You can. ⁓ P- speaker-2: is probably the cornerstone of whatever that entity is. speaker-1: So, yeah. speaker-2: A lot of attention needs to be given to research and development, being involved, figuring out what the next best thing is, staying at the tip of the spear, the cutting edge, all that's research. speaker-1: and ball. speaker-0: research and development, staying on the cutting edge. That's what we're hearing from the medical community. So that's great. That's great. Let's go on to Hope. Hope is another one interested in architecture actually, and maybe some trade school business. Hope, why don't you share with Dr. Parker what your next steps are after high school? speaker-3: The steps after high school is to go to ⁓ college and study, well major in architecture and minor in business. And then I will go to trade school so then I can build more of my knowledge up. And my aunt suggested that with all that knowledge I should be able to like run my own business and stuff. speaker-1: Fantastic. I love it. Spirit. speaker-2: the entrepreneurial spirit, innovative thought, applying that to any discipline is something that ⁓ will serve you well, particularly as you develop whatever it is you're doing. But just having that mindset, that entrepreneurial spirit, ⁓ provides a lot of independence. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with being a part of a big corporation. speaker-1: and apply. doing. speaker-2: It just depends on what your priorities are and you know, what sustains you. all about sustainability, professional sustainability, resilience, not burning out, not being st- some passion about whatever you're working. Um, so I love to hear- you guys, this is exciting for me. It's a real shot in the arm just to hear all of this ambition and see all of this potential and just ready to tackle the world. speaker-1: Sustain. magnet, ⁓ speaker-2: And you guys are so needed. So, you know, whatever it is you do, do it well. ⁓ Go hard. You know, your 20s, that's go time. The late teens, the 20s, that's go time. That's when you challenge yourself and don't be afraid to make mistakes because time is on your side and we learn life's best lessons sometimes from failure. So go for it. speaker-1: Ciao! I love it. speaker-0: Go for it. Yeah, this is a reflection of the next generation. And we're so blessed, Dr. Parker, that you get to pour into these students here at Freire Tech. ⁓ Hope, what did you pick up from Dr. Parker today? speaker-3: that my ⁓ intestines like down there is very important and I got to make sure I keep it clean and healthy or else. speaker-0: else dot dot dot. Come on. ⁓ all right. We're coming back to you, Karen. What did you pick up from our conversation with Dr. Parker? speaker-3: I really like the way that Dr. Parker speaks. He speaks very confidently and also he speaks very, he has a very wise vocabulary. He uses lot of words that you wouldn't normally expect him to use in a casual conversation. speaker-0: Yes, Dr. Parker, very articulate. That's good, Kieron. Jamiyah, we're coming to you. This is more of a reflection question and your time being able to have these career conversations. Can you share with us how ⁓ these interviews helped you grow as a leader or as a communicator? speaker-3: I feel like I was not only able to pick up some soft skills when speaking to people in higher positions or speaking to people I would hopefully want to connect with, but I also learned how to ask the right questions, the one that matters and the one that will get you maybe closer to where you were before. speaker-0: I love that, Jamiyah. Thank you for sharing that. And then we're going to end right here with Charles. Same question. You've done a handful of these interviews, these career conversations. How have you grown more confident in ⁓ growing your network and communicating or your leadership? speaker-3: I feel like this has helped me professionally grow my network in a sense of being professional when meeting people in higher positions like Jamiyah said. And it's also helped me build my network. I connected with a lot of people before they interviewed myself on LinkedIn. So I think this is a great networking opportunity every time I come to these gigs. speaker-1: reading. speaker-0: Yes, it sharpens your skills and you are getting active there on LinkedIn. We're all stars. I appreciate that. Dr. Parker, have a couple of minutes, another one or two minutes here. Final words of wisdom or encouragement to share with our students from Freire Tech. speaker-2: ⁓ Find your true north, whatever that is, right? You know, ⁓ a sense of values and purpose that you are compromising about. Don't be fool-hearted because you can always learn something new from someone else, from other perspectives. So find that balance. ⁓ Surround yourself with like-minded people. speaker-1: Right? Have. on yet. again. speaker-2: not necessarily on the same career path, but people who want to elevate themselves and their communities, ⁓ who are energetic and serious about making an impact because each and every one of you is needed. again, who you hang around often defines your outcome and sharpens iron. My friends in high school, I've talked about one of them, there's a core group that I'm still very close to. They're CEOs and engineers and dentists and doctors, know, all of that. But more important, they're good people. So be a good person. And again, just find your true north. if there's anything that I do, ⁓ please don't hesitate to reach out. And as you meet with success, don't get too busy such that you can't reach back and help someone else out along the way. It's very important. speaker-1: and all. If this can do. and speaker-0: That gives me chills, Dr. Parker, just that specific reminder. And then also Iron Sharpen's Iron, we love that. You've been listening to Access Co-Leaders with our co-hosts from Freire Tech, including Jamiyah, Kieran, Charles, and Hope, and their instructor, Mr. Henley, with our incredible guest, Dr. Calvin Parker III from ⁓ Wood Home Gastrology Associates. We appreciate your time. We'll see you next time. speaker-1: and speaker-0: We need to stop recording. Hold on, guys.