Life and Work with Dr. Latania Booker

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always aspired to be a physician. I naturally excelled in math and science and had an affinity for critical thinking and problem-solving. I have always been very active in athletics and in my community. I did a little bit of everything as a kid. I started swimming when I was seven, cheering at age 10, played basketball and volleyball in middle school and competed in powerlifting in high school. I was also active in civic and leadership organizations, drama and I even played the saxophone. To this day, athletics and civic engagement are still a huge part of my life.

I graduated from Central Senior High school, ranked number 4 in my class, and moved to Atlanta, GA where I studied biology at Spelman College. There are few words to describe my undergraduate experience. It was better than amazing! At Spelman College, I was surrounded by phenomenal young women from all parts of the US and abroad and all walks of life. They taught me to believe in myself, go after my passion, stand up to injustice and fight for what I believe in. I get goosebumps just thinking about how powerful that experience was.

I graduated from Spelman in summer 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and was accepted to UTMB Galveston Medical School. Shortly after graduation, I married my best friend and high school sweetheart in an intimate and charming ceremony at Danforth Chapel. Danforth is a small chapel on the campus of Morehouse College where Morehouse and Spelman couples are allowed to marry.

Little did we know, we were about to embark on a roller coaster that was life starting with the birth of our first son. When I learned that I was pregnant, I took a deferment and started medical school one year later so that I could focus on delivering a healthy baby and give my son a strong start to life.

I started medical school at UTMB in Galveston in fall 2005 alongside an incredibly diverse and supportive group of students. Being a wife and mother, I did not have an excess of time so I had to adhere to a very strict study schedule. I graduated from medical school in 2009 and started my residency training in internal medicine at The Houston Methodist Hospital.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say, that my life was smooth sailing until medical school. Two years into medical school, I suffered the loss of five family members within a one year period. Included in that number was my father who died unexpectedly from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. His untimely death occurred while I was studying for the most important exam of my life, USMLE Step I. This exam carries a large amount of weight in determining what medical specialty you will practice for the rest of your life. Forced to deal with the rigors of medical school and the deaths of several close family members, I started running in an effort to manage stress and anxiety. Running helped me to remain focused on my studies and as a result, I was able to score in the top 2 percentile on my USMLE Step I exam as well as cope with the death of my father in a mature and healthy way.

During my 3rd year of medical school, I had my second son. My pregnancy was quite uneventful but I had prolonged labor and my delivery was complicated by hemorrhage. Thankfully, I was able to recover without incident and my son did not suffer any complications.

In spite of my challenges, I was able to successfully navigate medical school, complete my degree and get accepted into the residency program of my choice. I credit my parents, my husband and my mother-in-law for all of their support throughout my training because, without them, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome so many challenges and become the physician that I am today.

After the experiences that I have had, I would tell young women starting their journey to remain steadfast and focused on their vision. You will undoubtedly have challenges, but if you remain diligent and take steps daily toward your goals, you will be successful. I would also say embrace the challenges and mistakes, learn from them and use those experiences to grow. Hardships build character and make you a stronger, better person.

Please tell us about your work.
I am board certified in Internal Medicine and I am currently practicing as a hospitalist. A hospitalist is a physician who works strictly in the hospital and specializes in caring for acutely ill patients. I am kind of like a primary care doctor for adults, but I only work in the hospital. I coordinate hospital care by ordering tests, medications, procedures and consulting specialists as needed. The best part of my job is the immediate gratification of making a diagnosis and starting treatments that put patients on the road to recovery. I manage acute illnesses such as pneumonia, heart attacks, strokes, PE blood clots, and complications associated with organ transplants and cancers. I enjoy solving puzzles and have a passion for understanding how the body works so a cognitive medical specialty, such as Internal Medicine, best suits me.

I am known as the “night doctor” because I only work at night. I care for patients overnight and allow the “day doctors” to limit overnight call and avoid working long hours. In a sense, I serve other doctors and patients at the same time.

I am most proud of the fact that, as a practicing physician, I don’t stick to tradition and norms. When I became a night hospitalist, I was the first of my kind at my hospital. I am continuing to evolve and educate myself so that I can create a medical practice that focuses on functional wellness and health maintenance in an effort to prevent disease as opposed to treating disease after it has already manifested. I believe that I am educated so that I am equipped to educate others, I am fit to motivate others to live healthy, active lives and I am successful so that I might inspire and empower others to be the best version of themselves.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
With respect to the field of medicine, the gender pay gap is still present and the field is still dominated by males. I have heard male doctors say so many negative things about female physicians like “we don’t want women in this specialty because women like to have babies” and “women ruin medicine.” While women are making a positive mark and slowly changing the landscape, the medical field is still riddled with gender biases which can sometimes hinder female growth. That said, female physicians are some of the strongest women I know and we never back down from a challenge.