A Summer of National Recognition and Impact
MedReimagined: Empowering Scholars, Transforming Healthcare - A Summer of National Recognition and Impact
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Baltimore, August 25, 2023] – MedReimagined, an innovative education-of-healthcare startup, has experienced remarkable success and garnered national recognition during its first summer of national operations. This transformative program identifies middle and high school students from communities facing the greatest health disparities and nurtures their aspirations to become future physicians from middle school through medical school.
The impact of MedReimagined has been profound, positively influencing the lives of over 300 scholars in Baltimore, Maryland, and Wichita, Kansas. Alongside this achievement, the program has secured extremely generous monetary and non-monetary support from visionary foundations, known for their innovative approaches to venture philanthropy. Finally, MedReimagined Inc. and its two co-founders have been named semifinalists for the prestigious Black Ambition Prize, a highly competitive national startup competition aimed at empowering aspiring Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs and bridging the wealth and opportunity gaps arising from limited access to capital and resources.
Rising 5th and 6th graders in Baltimore dissecting a sheep’s heart and identifying the various structures is always a highlight of scholars learning the cardiovascular system. There is the perfect mix of pride in knowing, curiosity about what they don’t know, and grossness that keeps them engaged and excited. We love it!
7th and 8th grade scholars from Wichita, Kansas proudly present posters to Medreimagined cofounder Dr. Damien Myers via zoom. Poster presentations cover the physiology (anatomy and function) and common pathologies (diseases and maladies) of the cardiovascular system.
Chicago Beyond, a philanthropic investor in ventures, leaders, and learning, quickly recognized the synergy between MedReimagined's core mission and Chicago Beyond’s justice-oriented "Whole Philanthropy" approach. Dr. Damien Myers, MedReimagined's cofounder and CEO, expressed his gratitude, noting that Chicago Beyond's values perfectly aligned with MedReimagined’s focus on addressing interrelated and unjust education and healthcare outcomes in marginalized communities.
MedReimagined's focus on uplifting healthcare leaders from communities long experiencing health injustice by helping their scholars overcome a medical-professional preparation process itself marred in injustice resonated with New Schools' renewed focus on equity and excellence in education innovation. MedReimagined co-founder, Khalid Smith, praised New Schools' intentional focus on centering racial equity and investing in leaders of color. "We similarly believe that there is enough for everyone," said Smith. "Focusing on worthy students from communities with the greatest health disparities and greatest barriers in achieving their aspirations makes the overall doctor community stronger and helps address the increasing need for healthcare leaders overall."
As veteran entrepreneurs deeply rooted in Baltimore's startup community, MedReimagined's cofounders have been making a difference for over a decade. This is the second consecutive year that MedReimagined has been recognized as a semifinalist for the Black Ambition Prize, founded by artist, entrepreneur, and producer Pharrell Williams. Reflecting on the recognition, MedReimagined cofounder Khalid Smith stated, "Black Ambition is as much a community as a competition. This year, we’re excited to return with more concrete evidence of the company's potential for national growth and impact."
Dr. Myers emphasized that this is just the beginning of MedReimagined's journey. The recognitions will fuel the expansion of the program's summer and after-school camps, STEM-in-a-box offerings, and middle and high school biomedical science curricula. He added “Our unwavering goal is to address the need for 55,000 missing Black doctors that can make a transformative impact on healthcare outcomes in underserved communities.”
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Khalid Smith
Cofounder and Chief Innovation Officer
Khalid@Medreimagined.com
443-840-9969
About MedReimagined:
MedReimagined Inc. is a presidential award-winning education-of-healthcare startup with a mission to save lives by reimagining a more diverse and inclusive future in medicine. We instill belief in students from communities with the greatest health disparities that they are scholars and scientists. Our advanced biomedical science and public health curriculum, supported by a continuum of Black medical professionals and co-conspirators, prepares worthy scholars to impact their communities beginning in middle school and extending through medical school and beyond.
