Reno doctor advocates for equality in medicine through social media

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - You might recognize her from the Ted Talk stage, or from videos on Tik Tok.

But when she’s not sharing her medical knowledge, Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell is dressed in scrubs at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Reno.

“You can deliver healthcare whether it’s acute, chronic or preventative, outside of the traditional norms,” said Dr. Curry-Winchell, the Director of Urgent Care at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

After work, Dr. Curry-Winchell spends her time creating videos on a variety of medical topics.

“It has brought me so much joy.”

Some of her most popular content focuses on racial inequalities in medicine.

“When you really look at race being a social construct, meaning it’s not biological or genetic, why are we treating people, as far as giving healthcare, based on the color of their skin?” Dr. Curry-Winchell said.

She also highlights how Black women are disproportionately affected by these practices.

“Black women are dying at three times the rate of white women in childbirth,” Dr. Curry-Winchell explained.

Dr. BCW, as she goes by on Tik Tok, dives into these disparities by explaining racially based medical algorithms in a Ted Talk she gave in Reno last year.

While she loves sharing her medical knowledge, and helping patients advocate for themselves, it’s also about paving the way for the next generation of Black female physicians.

“Every time a little girl of color can see me, whether it’s in the clinic or on television or on social media, that plants the seed that [says] ‘I can do this’, that ‘this is possible’,” Dr. Curry-Winchell said.

Dr. BCW says her late father, a veteran of three wars who was dedicated to helping others, is her inspiration.

“He always said to me, ‘Bayo, the world is bigger than you, what can you do to give back each day?’” she said.

Dr. Curry-Winchell will give another Ted Talk on February 18th at Rutgers University in New York.

Copyright 2023 KOLO. All rights reserved.