Dr. Dale Okorodudu, MD, is the Founder of Black Men in White Coats. He is also the author of How to Raise a Doctor, the author of PreMed Mondays, the President and Founder of DiverseMedicine Inc., and the Founder of PreMed STAR. He is a practicing Pulmonary & Critical Care Physician. Dr. Dale, as most like to call him, was raised in League City, Texas just outside of Houston, then moved to Columbia, Missouri where he earned both his Undergraduate and Medical Degrees from the University of Missouri. Following his stint in the Midwest, he completed his Internal Medicine Residency training at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, then moved to Dallas, Texas where he completed his Pulmonary & Critical Care training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Dale often tells the story of a memorable trip he had while in college. One Friday, he boarded his usual holiday evening flight from St. Louis, Missouri to Houston, Texas. An older, somewhat affluent woman took a seat next to him on the airplane. For the duration of that two hour flight, this woman berated Dr. Dale, telling him how poorly he dressed, how dumb he sounded when spoke, and how he would never be successful if he continued to carry himself in the manner which he did. Little did she know that the young black man in a hoodie and sweats was on his way to becoming a medical doctor, and that all of her expectations of him would fall short. Since that day, Dr. Dale has sought to inspire and mentor young black men pursuing careers in medicine. “People don’t expect you to be successful,” he tells them, “but I’m expecting the unexpected!”
Dr. Dale attributes great portions of his successes to his mentors. The impact that they have had on his life is one he desires to have on the life of others. Since his undergraduate years, Dr. Dale has mentored across the gamut from high risk youth to physicians in training. When asked what the most important quality for a mentor to have is, Dr. Dale answers, “There are two qualities needed; the ability to listen and the ability to be resourceful. Often times, if you let someone speak long enough, eventually, he or she will answer the question without you ever saying a word. If they don’t, then it’s your turn to speak. Regarding being resourceful, a lot of people think mentoring is all about being knowledgeable. That’s a fallacy. I’d rather have someone on my team who knows how to find the right people or things necessary to get a job done, than someone who tries to know it all alone.”
In 2011, with a team of superb physicians, Dr. Dale founded DiverseMedicine Inc. His belief was (and remains) that an abundant number of highly qualified minority and economically disadvantaged students were having their medical career dreams crushed simply because they had nobody to show them how to do it. While there are numerous effective mentoring organizations across the nation, DiverseMedicine set out to develop an innovative social network mentoring model. “The younger generations do not communicate the same way we did prior to social networking. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and one of the originators of it all, Black Planet; these are what they know now. If we want to reach them, we need to communicate like they do. Not to mention, mentoring via this model is much more efficient than traditional models. If we are serious about increasing diversity in the field of medicine, during the current Facebook era, this is how to do it.”
In 2013, Dr. Dale released the first Black Men In White Coats video as a means to further discussions pertaining to the fact that fewer and fewer black men were applying to medical school. This complex and multifaceted problem is one which he believes affects more than the black community, it affects our nation in its entirety. “Black men are extremely intelligent, extremely savvy, extremely innovative, and can be strong leaders when given the opportunity. This is a population with phenomenal potential that is being underutilized. We have to, and we can, do a better job of mobilizing black men for the betterment of society. The fallacies pertaining to our depiction as promoted by media to the public should be rejected. We as black male physician must represent our fields with integrity and pride in order to establish a strong legacy for our sons. When they thrive, we all thrive.”
Dr. Dale is grateful to his parents for instilling a sense of personal responsibility within him. He specifically thanks his mother for teaching him patience and encouraging him to hone a gift of curiosity and problem solving. This talent has proven useful beyond his patients’ bedsides as he addresses various societal challenges via innovation. He identifies his dad as the greatest mentor in his life and credits his work ethic to him. Dr. Dale also has three older siblings, all of whom have played integral roles in his successes to date. He describes his wife as “The one who my soul loves, a Proverbs 31/Titus 2 woman” and together they are raising three wonderful children. When asked why he is so passionate about mentoring, Dr. Dale responds, “I firmly believe that to whom God has given much, much shall be required of. I’ve been given much, so it’s very easy for me to know what I am called to do. Give it all back.”