2008 Humanism in Medicine Award
Yolanda Wimberly, M.D.
Morehouse School of Medicine
To her young patients, she is "Auntie Yolanda"; to her students,
she is a sister-figure; and to the Atlanta community, she is a tireless
champion for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
She is Yolanda Wimberly, and her unique ability to connect with
teenagers about the most sensitive and personal of health care issues
has earned her the high regard of parents, guardians, and also her
students. As a physician, activist, mentor, and educator, Dr. Wimberly
consistently demonstrates how communication is the art of medicine.
Hired under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faculty
expansion grant in STD medicine, Dr. Wimberly is assistant professor
of clinical pediatrics and program director of the Community Pediatric
Residency Program at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). Additionally,
she serves as medical director of MSM's Center of Excellence for
Sexual Health (the first such center in the country).
It might be said that the secret to Dr. Wimberly's success working
with teens and their families is that there are no secrets. While
she makes it clear to adolescents that parents or guardians will
be kept informed, patients know she is their physician. They
also know she is a ready and compassionate listener who will take
the time to address personal issues like sexual activity, life stressors,
and depression.
In fact, as coworkers observe, "What other physicians
may see as an awkward situation, such as telling a young woman she
has gonorrhea, Dr. Wimberly uses as an educational experience."
Dr. Wimberly's outstanding skills as communicator and listener
make her a role model to aspiring pediatricians, who learn to treat
patients as they would their own family. In frequent dialogue with
students, Dr. Wimberly often finds unique opportunities for them;
in one case convincing the organizers of a conference to sponsor
two students whom she knew wanted to attend.
The very model of community service and physician activism, Dr.
Wimberly created new community service opportunities soon after
arriving at MSM. By establishing adolescent clinics at existing
health systems, like Grady Health System and Clark Atlanta University,
Dr. Wimberly reformed MSM's curriculum, increasing the time students
spend in clinics during the pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology
clerkships. She also spends considerable time at the Fulton County
Department of Health and Wellness STD Clinic and DeKalb County's
Teen Health Center each month caring for patients and educating
the young physicians who treat them. In addition, as a faculty trainer
for Physicians for Reproductive Choice, a group advocating medical
knowledge, access to quality care, and freedom in reproductive health
decisions, Dr. Wimberly also helps underserved patients and shares
her knowledge with rural doctors.
Using a hands-on approach to public education, Dr. Wimberly also
opens her home to meetings, collaborating with students to make
posters and create skits for discussion groups and health fairs,
which she leads to promote disease awareness and parent-teen communication.
As one fourth-year student observes, Dr. Wimberly "even goes out
of her way to pick up a student or drop off needed supplies."
A chemistry major at the University of Memphis, Dr. Wimberly later
earned her M.D. degree from Meharry Medical College and an M.S.
degree in epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati. She completed
her residency in pediatrics at Children's Memorial Medical Center
in Chicago.
About the Humanism
in Medicine Award
The Humanism in Medicine Award, sponsored by Pfizer Inc., honors
a medical school faculty physician who is a caring and compassionate
mentor and a practitioner of patient-centered care.
Find out more about the Humanism
in Medicine Award.
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