Dr. Ray Bignall: From Pilot to Pediatrician, and the significance of his HBCU experience on the physician he is today

O. N. Ray Bignall II, MD, FAAP, FASN is Assistant Chief Diversity and Health Equity Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He also serves as Director of Kidney Health Advocacy and Community Engagement for the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. A graduate of Howard University and Meharry Medical College, Dr. Bignall completed his general pediatrics residency, clinical fellowship in nephrology, and NIH post-doctoral research fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

In this episode Dr. Bignall unveils his inspiration for becoming a physician, while elaborating on the difficult decision to go against his families dream for him, in quest for his own happiness. He touches on the impact of his Jamaican roots, and the importance of being a health advocate in underserved communities. Dr. Bignall provides tangible examples of how we can make strides on improving diversity in health care, all while dropping Gems on how wears so many hats and manages to preserve a work life balance. This is an episode you don't want to miss, make sure you tune in to another Black Men in Medicine Podcast episode, bringing you nothing but the gems!