Ramona Burress, Pharm.D, is a 42-year-old mother of three, community activist, health equity advocate, businesswoman, pharmacist, and metastatic breast cancer patient.
Burress talked to rolling out about her breast cancer journey and what helped her through the process.
Do you see the opportunity for representation to matter in your field right now?
There is definitely a shortage of Black, African American healthcare professionals. If I look at physicians, specifically, I think 5% is the percentage allocated for current practicing physicians who are Black, African American, or African descent, and that’s not good.
How were you able to use humor as a way to deal with your journey?
I took notes from some of the greatest comedians. If we look at “Martin,” Lord, I know every episode of “Martin.” If we look at so many of them, they all had issues, and they [used] humor to be their outlet. That’s what made them great comedians. I kind of took that lens and even as I was going through my breast cancer journey, I asked my oncologist, “Am I going to die?” She said, “You’re going to be okay.” I said, “Okay, well, I’m gonna get some new breasts.” I never had boobs. So hey, I’m going to be Dolly Parton now. But that was my way of dealing with the pain and it is definitely a band-aid.
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