This week the Ruth Lilly Medical Library’s Black History Month Celebration spotlights Russell J. Ledet, M.D., Ph.D., MBA and the organization he co-founded and is currently president of: The 15 White Coats.
Started in Tulane, LA, in 2019, the 15 White Coats began with Ledet and a group of 14 other African American Tulane University Medical Students posing for an impactful photo of the 15 of them in their white coats on the porch of the Whitney Plantation, visually representing the message “We are truly our ancestors wildest dreams”.
The impact of their viral image led to The 15 White Coats becoming a 501c(3) with a larger mission: to promote cultural imagery in learning spaces, provide economic support to minorities aspiring to be physicians, and to promote culturally-appropriate literature access in learning spaces. From the 15whitecoats.org website, they are “A Black physician-led group of change makers who are helping the next generation of minority physician aspirants by providing visual inspiration and economic support with hopes of diversifying healthcare for marginalized communities”.
Dr. Ledet, who served in the Navy, obtained his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine and his PhD in Molecular Oncology at NYU, is also the first Black man to match into the IU Triple Board Program and the only Black man to match into Triple Board Residency in 2022. He will graduate from the IU Triple Board Program in 2027.
“Today, my prayer is that many more match today and the numbers keep growing,” Ledet wrote in a facebook post (March 15, 2023)
Much has been written on Russell and The 15 White Coats organization and we invite you to explore and learn more!
- Dr. Ledet’s IUSM profile
- The 15 White Coats website: the15whitecoats.org
- IU News: Bringing Diversity to the White Coat
