According to Black News, Dr. Ashley Roxanne Peterson is just 24-years old and a medical doctor after starting medical school at 19-years old.
She is one of the newest graduates of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and started her Family Medicine residency at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA in July 2019.
She is the youngest Black Osteopathic doctor ever, in modern history. In an exclusive interview with Black News, the California native gave us insight about her years in undergrad, choosing her medical profession and her future endeavors.
On Being Young
Ashley shared that she has always been the youngest in her class, graduating high school at fifteen and then enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte at just fifteen years old as well. During her time there, she majored in Anthropology and was able to graduate in 4 years – with honors.
She says it has not always been easy being the youngest, as many people doubted her abilities based on her age alone.
Without even getting to know her, many people turned away. When asked if she would do it over again she quickly replied: “yes – of course”. She never felt as though she missed out from being younger but rather gain a different perspective from her other classmates.
Choosing Medicine
Ashley says her passion for medicine started from seeing her parents service to the military and education. From their examples, she knew that she wanted to help people for the rest of her life.
As a young girl, her passion for science began and by the time she graduated high school, she knew medicine was the career for her. Once in college, shadowing doctors, volunteering, and her classwork only furthered her previous interest in medicine.
Dr. Ashley Roxanne Best Advice
From her story of resilience, one thing that Ashley wants people to know is to never give up.
Even when times were hard during her medical school journey she relied on her family and friends’ support to achieve her dreams. Her best advice is “ if you fall nine times stand up ten”.
She also stated, “I went into medicine knowing that I want to help underserved and minority communities and I am continuing those passions as I continue into residency.
I chose my residency based on their mission statement, current leadership, and how they give back to the community.”
Morehouse School of Medicine’s Family Medicine mission statement states, “The mission of the MSM Family Medicine Residency is to train residents to become competent and excellent family physicians to serve underserved populations. Everything comes full circle – thus, never lose sight of why you started!”
What’s Next?
Looking forward, Ashley has big plans to use her education to help the communities around her. She has a special interest in global medicine, preventative medicine, minority health, media-driven health outcomes, and geriatrics.
Dr. Ashley Roxanne hopes to use these interests to build businesses that help patients and their families achieve their best health.
Read more about Dr. Roxanne here.
