Name: Lamar Greene
Year: Junior
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Extracurricular Activities: Resident Advisor, MORE Mentor, Student Intern in the Office of Health Promotion, Executive Director of the Resource and Insurance Navigator Group
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Tameka: How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
Lamar: A caring, radical change agent
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T: What sparked your interest in healthcare? How have you explored this interest while at Emory?
L: I was sparked by healthcare because of my experience working in the system and as someone who relied on the system previously. I interned at cardiovascular disease lab, dedicated to the early detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, while I was in high school. During my second summer, my grandmother had to have heart surgery. I kept questioning how it got to this point because I had been learning that cardiovascular diseases were preventable. I felt as though the medical system failed my grandmother, which made me want to change it for the better.
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T: What was your reaction upon hearing that you were named one of the 59 Truman Scholars?
L: It felt very unreal. There was nothing that I had done at Emory that felt exceptional. I feel as though everything that I have worked to improve and change throughout my Emory career was necessary and needed to happen.
T:Â What are your goals for after you graduate?
L: I am still undecided. I am leaning towards taking some time to work before entering graduate school for community health research, but I am unsure.
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T: Is there anything you’d like to share with other students interested in studying healthcare and the disparities that exist?
L: I think that everyone should understand that health disparities work is crucial because the medical system is designed to exclude marginalized populations. Any changes made to the medical system without that in mind will worsen disparities and continue to leave vulnerable populations behind, which is why disparities work is where we should start to question and make improvements.