In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Mavis Britwum, a first-generation pediatrician and passionate social justice activist, as well as a proud member of the Any Day Negotiator program.

Dr. Mavis shares her journey as a first-gen physician, including the highs and lows that shaped her path. She talks about the importance of mindset in professional growth and how she has embraced her thick New York skin to make it to where she is today.

Tune in to hear how learning to negotiate and self advocate immediately out of residency has set her up for success and to hear some real examples of how it’s done!

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Dr. Mavis Britwum (Bri-CHOOM) is an activist and physician with a passion for social justice, truth and reconciliation, and uplifting the voices and experiences of vulnerable populations. She is a recent graduate from the Pediatrics Residency program at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and will be starting her career as a primary care Pediatrician in Pittsburgh. Her special interests include breastfeeding medicine, Bioethics, and tackling racism in medicine.

She is a proud first generation Ghanaian-American with deep roots "on both sides of the Hudson"- originally from The Bronx, NY and later moved to North Jersey with her family. She is a Bronx girl at heart with Jersey swag, but growing up in both environments provided a rich cultural experience which helped shape her into the woman she is today.

Dr. Britwum earned her B.A. in English with a minor in African-American Studies from The College of New Jersey. She later earned her Master's in Biomedicine from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, a university nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. She learned from the Mennonites their values of faith, peacebuilding, and social justice. This led her to pursue a year-long opportunity in Washington D.C. where she sharpened her advocacy skills and became a lobbyist on Capitol Hill supporting bills to end mass incarceration and poverty in the United States.

Her mission is to inspire and motivate the next generation of physicians from diverse social, economic, and environmental backgrounds to succeed in the field of medicine.

In this episode of The Blk Doctor Collective Podcast, we’re diving deep into the art of salary negotiation for medical professionals—because it’s more than just numbers!

I’m diving into why you shouldn’t rely solely on MGMA data (which is trash IMO) and why negotiating your salary is an absolute must + why salary transparency is key!

Tune in to hear real-life examples and actionable advice. This episode will help you break free from limiting salary beliefs and maybe even give you a little confidence boost to own your worth!

Get ready for a powerful episode with our special guest, Dr. Tolson Odunsi, an incredible OB/GYN physician with a journey that’s nothing short of inspiring. From dreaming of being a doctor at just three years old, to overcoming academic hurdles, and facing the unimaginable—becoming a young widow during her intern year—Dr. Odunsi’s story is all about upholding her purpose in spite of pain.

We’ll talk about how she navigated medical exams, coped with grief, and found joy and fulfillment in her career. Plus, she’s got some major wisdom to share on mentoring women of color in medicine. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one!

Tune in for an inspiring story of perseverance, dedication, and finding your true purpose—even in the face of life’s biggest challenges.

Dr. Tosin Odunsi is an obstetrics and gynecology physician. She received her bachelor degree from Cornell University, Masters in Public Health from Thomas Jefferson University, PA, medical degree from Meharry Medical College, TN and completed residency at Danbury Hospital, CT.

Unfortunately, during her intern year of residency, she became a young widow. This was a life-altering event that prompted Dr. Odunsi to turn her pain into purpose as a self-described “life motivator.”

Continuing her commitment to women’s health, Dr. Odunsi underwent fellowship training in Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery in Gynecology and Reproductive Surgery at Nezhat Medical Center and Northside Hospital, GA.

Dr. Odunsi has practiced in many states across the country, including Washington, Georgia, Florida, and currently, Illinois. This diverse breadth of professional experience has given her an idea of what OBGYN care could, and should look like for patients. She is passionate about equitable healthcare, building trusting patient-provider relationships, and improving processes that support continuity of care.

Dr. Odunsi is deeply committed to the promotion of diversity in medicine and finds joy in mentoring women of color in medical training. When she is not in the hospital, she enjoys listening and dancing to Afrobeats and exploring whatever city she is in.

In this episode, I am continuing the conversation from last week and talking specifically about strategic questions you need to answer before you accept a position.

It's about knowing what you want and making sure you get it—right from the job search stage.

We'll dive into how to navigate those tricky conversations about salary, benefits, and even workplace vibes. With real-life examples and some seriously actionable advice, you'll learn how to set yourself up for long-term job happiness and a sustainable career.

Tune in to learn how to harness your problem-solving skills to find the right fit, so you can feel prepared and confident in your next career move.

This episode is all about flipping the script and owning your power in the interview process by asking the right questions! This is the ONLY way to assess if this will be the right job for you.

I get it, we've all been there—so eager to land the job that nothing else seems to matter. You want to say the right things, wear the perfect outfit, and not ruffle any feathers just so they’ll choose you, right?

Wrong!

When you skip out on asking key questions, you miss out on the chance to assess whether this job is the right fit for you. Plus, by showing genuine interest and being thoughtful, you leave a lasting impression on your interviewer.

So, tune in for some real-life examples of questions you should ask to help you confidently choose your dream job. Get ready to own your next interview!

I’m baaaaaack!! After a month off of podcasting, I am back and rejuvenated. We are kicking off Season 4 of The BLK Doctor Collective Podcast with my favorite way to start each season, sharing a little bit more about my journey and what discoveries I’ve made along the way.

In this episode, I share how self advocating has transformed my experience in the medical industry and actually allowed me to continue a career after thinking I’d quit forever. Tune in to hear my humble beginnings in negotiation and listen to the process of how I was able to change my life (yes it's this dramatic…), by learning the importance of contracts and boundaries.

I'm also giving you hints about whats coming in the rest of season 4, and it includes you!

Season 4 is going to be good y’all, see you in the next episode!

Welcome to the last episode of season 3! In this episode, I talk about what overcoming burnout and rediscovering joy in medicine looked like for me. Hint: it includes setting boundaries, self advocating, and negotiating smartly for myself and my clients.

Tune in to learn about what options exist for you when you start asking the right questions and asking for what you want. There is a strategy for making your medical career sustainable. Together we can get you the career you actually want.

As I take August off, use this time to catch up on old episodes, and I'll be back in action in September. Happy summering.

See you soon!

We as physicians often still follow archaic notions of how medicine should be practiced.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard an older attending say how we don’t have it as bad as they did, and that we just need to push through it and work…I would never work again. I could be a lady of leisure.

Tune in to this week's episode to hear why these practices are not applicable in your medical careers or in today's economy and culture, and why you need to change your goalposts.