It definitely affirmed my interest in pursuing more formal training in behavioral economics and decision sciences.

Just finished reading, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence” by Jens Ludwig and it was a very good read.

This also means that employer sponsored plans are going to increase. Maybe not by as much, but this will mean fewer young healthy people on insurers books and all the inevitable knock on impacts

Growing up, getting into undergrad seemed like the biggest hurdle as a first-gen student…now I’m gearing up to start medical school in a few weeks. I’m overflowing with gratitude for all the people who helped me get to where I am.

God is so good. All glory to the most high for carrying me.

Today I reviewed a paper for an academic journal. Please stop using “health literacy” as an excuse for why people don’t take up an intervention. It isn’t that they “don’t know better”, it’s that they have their reasons that are valid and it’s your job to figure out what those reasons are…

Planting seeds in uncertain times: Holding the line on health equity in HIV Oni J. Blackstock, MD, MHS, outlines key practices and strategies to continue the work of health equity in HIV in the next installment of the new Health Equity Series.

🌱 "During uncertain times, like the current moment, we can either retreat or move forward and plant seeds of change. This moment calls on us to plant seeds."

🌱 Honored to share my blog post in @idsainfo.bsky.social's #HealthEquity Series where I outline key practices and strategies...

I’m a proud product of public schools (k-12) & I made it through college because of Pell grants. What is happening under this administration is the true definition of structural violence.

Why am I not seeing Beyoncé right now?😭

It’s wrong that on-time rent payments don’t go on credit scores, yet apartments can deny people a lease based on that very credit score.

Credit scores did not exist the way we know them today until 1989.

Not only can we do better, we must.

My study buddy from the post-bacc program got her white coat today and I’m so damn proud. In the face of so much uncertainty ahead, it is exciting to see other advocates entering the field of medicine.

This is what the work is about. Every damn day.

Sometimes you don't survive whole, you just survive in part.

But the grandeur of life is that attempt. It’s not about that solution. It’s about being as fearless as one can—and behaving as beautifully as one can—under completely impossible circumstances.

~ Toni Morrison

I went on my 4th run this week & It’s getting a little easier to keep going each day.

Can’t wait to join this organization in the coming months. Gun violence is a major public health issue, particularly among young Black men, and I hope we see a solution in my lifetime.

Sitting down and alchemizing all my feelings into fuel for the work that lies ahead. They want us beaten down & hopeless & I refuse to succumb to the disease of apathy.

This level of chaos and cruelty is not sustainable. Something is gonna give. It literally has to.

The Big, Ugly, Amoral Bill has passed the House. Still, we hold onto hope. The predicted premature deaths, the families left hungry & uninsured; these are not a foregone conclusion. We can & must invest in strategies that are already working & find new ways to support one another/our communities...

If Penn paid PILOTS, there would be more funds available to support the needs of everyday Philadelphians.

I’m officially a Midwest diva 💃🏾

No why am I on this plane and they just announced they fixing something before takeoff…girl what?!

I have two middle names, Tyrone & Jimmy, in honor of both my grandfathers. As a kid, I hated having 5 names but now I realize the gift of legacy. What a blessing it is to carry them all with me.

My Pop Pop made sure that before my flight I came to pick up more dress shirts from his closet. The pride in his eyes when he knew I’d wear his clothes to med school is the best gift that I’ll cherish forever.

"The only constant is change." — Heraclitus

God has been giving me so many signs that I’m where I’m meant to be. I’m giving this next chapter 1000% of myself in honor of the village that’s pushing me forward.

My mentor gave me advice today that changed my entire mood and nullified so many of my fears. She reminded me to remain kind even when the world is tryna make me be “hard” & “ready to fight.”

I needed to hear it. Thankful for the people who hold me accountable & to a standard.

My mentor & I go see a live Jazz show together every few months and it’s genuinely become my favorite thing to do.

On the contrary, these roadblocks are making me sharp like a sword refined for the impending battles ahead. I’m grateful for those who have left me an example: Martin, Malcolm, Toni, Frederick, James, Nina…and my ancestors, Stonewall, Quillar, and Ananias. Thank you.

I’m reminding myself that the barriers I’ve faced, and have yet to face, do not have to make me smooth like a stone that’s been run down by circumstance.

Lately, everything I’ve “studied” since going to college in 2014 has been hitting closer and closer to home. Being Black, Queer, first-gen, etc has granted me a perspective I’ll never take for granted.