Walking the Walk: CI MED Professor Champions Diversity and Equitable Health Care

When Dr. Apryl Martin joined Carle Health as a pediatric anesthesiologist, she brought with her deeply held convictions about what health care should look like. Five years later, she is making the most of new opportunities to share her vision of excellent and equitable patient care for all with the next generation of physician-innovators.

In addition to her roles as a clinical assistant professor and a clerkship director at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Martin serves as a mentor to CI MED students through the Carle Ambassador Program. We asked her about her approach to medical practice and nurturing the next generation of physicians. 

CI MED: What attracted you to the practice of pediatric anesthesiology, and what is your favorite part of your work? 

Apryl Martin:  I am in awe of children. After I had my first child (just before my M4 year of medical school), I realized that I love children and wanted to have a career centered around helping them. My patients are my favorite part of my work. I am often amazed by their courage, resilience, and honesty. They inspire me to be at my best because they count on me in their most vulnerable moments.   They challenge me; they keep me on my toes. There is little room for complacency in pediatric anesthesia.

CI MED: You’ve been heavily involved in mentoring CI MED students in addition to being a practicing physician. What impact do you hope to make by serving as a mentor?

Apryl Martin:  Solid relationships with mentors have been crucial to my success. If I look at any period of growth in my career, I can trace it back to conversations or advice that I received from a mentor. But often, finding a mentor can be challenging as we progress in our education and careers. That is why initiatives such as the Carle Ambassador Program are so important. (The Carle Ambassador Program matches Carle faculty with first-year medical students to introduce them to Carle Health resources and the Champaign-Urbana communities). As the faculty lead for the Carle Ambassador Program, a clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology, and an SNMA board member, I have the opportunity to mentor many students. I hope to inspire the next generation of physicians to know that all it takes is one person to change the lives of others. Carle Illinois medical students are equipped with the education, technology, and skillsets to become changemakers in patients' lives, communities, and the medical profession.

CI MED: Both at Carle Health and here at CI MED with the Black Physicians of Carle group, you have been a leader in diversity, inclusion, and equitable care efforts. What is the biggest challenge now in this effort, and how can medical schools like Carle Illinois change the narrative?

Apryl Martin:  Diversity, inclusion, and equitable care have finally become a global topic of discussion. Gone are the days when we tolerate exclusion based on a person's skin color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The catalyst for the current DEI movement quickly ignited three and a half years ago. However, it can flicker or even fan out if we do not keep DEI efforts at the forefront of our personal, professional, and organizational missions. The biggest challenge facing DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts today is moving from awareness to action. Medical schools, including Carle Illinois, must move forward with intentionality to accomplish this. We must actively engage those who ignore or resist change. We must empower and equip our students and faculty with the support and resources to challenge and remove social constructs that lead to potentially harmful and biased medical care.

CI MED: What changes do you see in medicine and medical education in prioritizing diversity among health care professionals, particularly physicians, and toward more equitable care?

Apryl Martin:  To provide the highest quality of care to ALL patients, healthcare professionals (particularly physicians) must commit to addressing the root causes of inequitable care in much the same way that we handle any other medical problem. We must get comfortable with identifying the problem (systemic racism and discrimination), controlling contributing factors (unconscious bias), and utilizing appropriate interventions to improve outcomes (e.g., change). Altering our perceptions, behaviors, and how we view our patients and practice medicine is essential to undoing hundreds of years of harm and providing more equitable care. Medical students have played a crucial role in the health equity movement, leading early efforts to stop using inaccurate and unvalidated race-based corrections inserted into diagnostic algorithms and removing unnecessary race identifiers from medical notes.    

CI MED: You were recently recognized as a Carle Rising Star Physician for your work in all these areas, in addition to being a caring, compassionate physician. What does this recognition mean to you, and what are you most proud of in your work?

Apryl Martin:  I am honored to have received the Carle Rising Star Physician recognition. It feels good to have my efforts and hard work recognized. It is empowering to know that I work at a place where one person can impact widespread change by simply making a commitment and following it through to the end. The accomplishment I am probably most proud of is a committee I established in my second year of practice at Carle, the Perioperative Pediatric Improvement (PPI) Committee. PPI evolved from a grassroots idea to a multidisciplinary work group that improved the perioperative experience for pediatric patients and families.

But ultimately, receiving the Carle Rising Star Physician recognition means I have much work ahead of me. I see it as an unspoken pledge to continue progressively refining my skills and providing impeccable service to my patients, CI Med students, and the Carle Health organization.

CI MED: What role do you foresee for CI MED and its students in the future of health care?

Apryl Martin:  The novel medical education experience at Carle Illinois College of Medicine gives our students unique skill sets. They will graduate as physician innovators with the knowledge and expertise to emerge as medicine, industry, research, and medical education leaders. They may create new solutions that someday help us practice medicine with more inclusiveness and less bias.