Featured photo Aisha Harris, MD, Family medicine physician photos by Plain Air Photography
Written by Jameca Patrick-Singleton
Dr. Aisha Harris, MD was born and raised in Flint, MI spending most of her formative years in Flint Community Schools before transferring and graduating from Carman Ainsworth High School. She describes being involved in several activities as a child, everything from Girls Scouts to sports and science activities.
“When I was in middle school or high school, one of my aunts was always trying to get me involved in science activities; so I did a lot of camp Kettering summer programs” she stated.
It’s the time that she spent participating in these camps at Flint’s Kettering University that sparked her interest in science and engineering. This spark, in collaboration with encouragement from her loved ones landed her at the University of Michigan where she earned a full ride scholarship and studied chemical engineering. She had dreams of one day working in health technology and pharmaceuticals. However, spending a summer in New Orleans where she volunteered for a program that provided patient care for people living with HIV and AIDS changed her goals and the trajectory of her career forever.
“I was working with the people who had HIV and AIDS, and I was able to understand their stories and the stigma that surrounds the disease,” said Harris. “Also caring for them in this beautiful home on their best and worst days was really an eye-opening experience for me. I came back to Michigan for my senior year knowing that I wanted to go to medical school. I wanted to care for people.”
This revelation resulted in Harris enrolling in Georgetown medical school where she eventually settled on specializing in family medicine.
“I initially thought that I wanted to be a pediatrician, but I learned about family medicine and all of the community things that family medicine doctors are able to do. It was the non-clinical parts like public health, working with the community and all of these things that we don’t think about when it comes to health care-like addressing social determinants of health and health disparities-that I wanted to be able to incorporate in my work. I wanted that because I grew up in a place where people had barriers to healthcare and so many other things in life. Part of my motivation for becoming a doctor was to be a resource for people who look like me who want to improve their health, but don’t always trust the system around them.”
Being a resource to people who she relate to and who relate to her is also her reason for moving back to Flint where she is currently employed as a family medicine physician at a local clinic.
“I’m home; I live in Flint; I work in Flint; my family is in Flint. It’s great for both me and my patients. They know that the person that is taking care of them is existing in the same community that they’re existing in. I see my patients all over the community-at the grocery store, at the movies, downtown. The health disparities that exist and the gap that I am filling by caring for people from my hometown are very motivating for me.”
Harris has even launched a website called FlintHealthHub.com to help people be more involved in their healthcare.
“It’s a site where people can get information and resources about health care issues that matter to them from a number of providers.”
The significance of people a Black female doctor is not lost on Harris.
“I never had a Black doctor of any gender until I was in medical school. There’s definitely a different level of comfort that comes with it. I always try to make sure that my patients feel comfortable with me. I often don’t wear my white coat because I need to connect with my patients and help them understand that we are all trying to do better together. I am your doctors and I want you to live a pain free healthy life. I want you to understand your healthcare. Being from Flint helps me to build a rapport with my patients. They know that I understand some of the things that they’ve been through. It makes a difference when you’re from Flint.”
