And that continued until, I guess, your high school years, because you actually drove your brother to the emergency room. These are the risks we take every day as people of color, as women in a structure that is not set up to be equitable, that is set up to ignore and silence us often. Michele Harper grew up in Washington, DC, knowing from a fairly young age that healing would be in her future. After a childhood in Washington, D.C., she studied at Harvard University and the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Brought up in Washington, DC, in an abusive family, she went to Harvard, where she met her husband. HARPER: Well, what it would have entailed - in that case, what it would have entailed was we would have had to somehow subdue this man, since he didn't want an exam - so we would have to physically restrain him somehow, which could mean various nurses, techs, security, hold him down to get an evaluation from him, take blood from him, take urine from him, make him get an X-ray - probably would take more than physically if he would even go along with it. Usually I read to escape. School was kind of a refuge for you? I feel people in this nation deserve better.. They speak English and Spanish. . I mean, it doesn't have to go that way. Theres no easy answer to this question. In this gutting, philosophical memoir, a 37- year-old neurosurgeon chronicled what it is like to have terminal cancer. You want to just describe what happened with this baby? My guest is Dr. Michele Harper. I feel a responsibility to serve my patients. The Beauty in Breaking tells the story of Dr. Harper, a female, African American, ER physician in an overwhelmingly male and white profession. Thats why I have to detonate my life. I kept thinking, This is absurd. Part of me was laughing inside because she thought she could be so ignorant and inappropriate. You know, the dynamics are interesting there. And I felt that, in that way, I would never be trapped. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. It made me think that you really connect with patients emotionally, which I'm sure takes longer but maybe also has a cost associated with it. She was a Black patient. And so it was a long conversation about her experiences because for me in that moment, I - and why I stayed was it was important for me to hear her. My trainee, the resident, was white. And they were summoned, probably, a couple of times. A teenage Harper had newly received her learners permit when she drove her brother, bleeding from a bite wound inflicted by their father during a fight, to the ER. Dr. Michele Harper is an emergency room physician and the author of The Beauty in Breaking, a memoir of service, transformation, and self-healing.In her talks, Dr. Harper speaks on how the policies and systemic racism in healthcare have allowed the most vulnerable members of society to fall through the cracks, and the importance of making peace with the past while drawing support from the present. She was young. And I remember one time when he was protecting my mother - and so I ended up fighting with my father - how my father, when my brother had him pinned to the ground, bit my brother's thumb. How are you? She looked fine physically. HARPER: Yes. Apparently, Dr. Michele Sharkey has found love with none other than the brother of a fellow coworker, Dr. Emily Thomas. . A recurring theme in The Beauty in Breaking is the importance of boundaries, which has become more essential as Harper juggles a demanding ER schedule and her writing. My director's initial response was just, "Well, you should be able to somehow handle it anyway. That is not acceptable, and yet these situations happen constantly. So if I had done something different, that would have been a much higher cost to me emotionally. It's more challenging when that's not the case. It was traumatic brain injury, and that's why she presented with altered consciousness that day. They stayed together . They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the . And when they showed up, they said, well, I suppose we'll just arrest you both, meaning my father and my brother. Nobody answered. and an older woman carrying the burdens of a sick husband and differently abled grandchild. And just to speak to this example, I was going for a promotion, a hospital position, going to remain full-time clinical staff in the ER but also have an administrative position in the hospital. Weve bought into a collective delusion that healthcare is a privilege and not a right. To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations: Campaign Zero (joincampaignzero.org) which works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies. And apart from this violation, this crime committed against her - the violation of her body, her mind, her spirit - apart from that, the military handled it terribly. Situations, experiences, can break us in ways that if we make another set of decisions, we won't heal or may even perpetuate violence. And as we know from history, this is a lifetime commitment to structural change. "We met when we were 15," Mr. Leeb recently recalled . Everything seemed to add up. I drove a cab in Philly in the late '70s, and some of the most depressing fares I had were people going to the VA hospital and people being picked up at the VA hospital. And he apologized because he said that unfortunately, this is what always happens in this hospital - that the hospital won't promote women or people of color. The pair married in Hawaii on December 10, 1992. In one chapter, she advocates for a Black man who has been brought in in handcuffs by white police officers and refuses an examination a constitutional right that Harper honors despite a co-worker calling a representative from the hospitals ethics office to report her. MICHELE HARPER: (Reading) I am the doctor whose palms bolster the head of the 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his brain. She was chief resident at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx and has worked in several emergency medicine departments in the Philadelphia area where she lives today. DAVIES: And we should just note that you were able to calmly talk to him and ask him if he would let you take his vital signs. Brought up in Washington, D.C., in a complicated family, she went to Harvard, where she met her husband. Michele Harper was a teenager with a learners permit when she volunteered to drive her older brother, John, to an emergency room in Silver Spring, Md., so he could be treated for a bite wound on his left thumb. Further, for women and people of color who do make it into the medical field, were often overlooked for leadership roles. And is it especially difficult working in these hospitals where we don't have enough resources for patients, where a lot of the patients have to work multiple jobs because there isn't a living wage and we're their safety net and their home medically because they don't have access to health care? And it was a devastating moment because it just felt that there was no way out and that we - we identified with my brother as being our protector - were now all being blamed for the violence. April 12, 2014. It's called "The Beauty In Breaking." But the hospital, if I had not intervened, would have been complicit. The officers said we were to do it anyway. And there was no pneumonia. (An emergency room is a great equalizer, but only to an extent.) He did not - well, no medical complaints. She writes that the moment was an important reminder that beneath the most superficial layer of our skin, we are all the same. And then I got a call from the radiologist that while there was no pneumonia, she had several broken ribs, different stages of healing, so they happened at different times. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. She and I spoke for a long time about how she had no one to talk to, and now because of coronavirus, she was even more alone than she used to be. Despite her rigorous schedule, Dr. Michelle enjoys spending time with her family. We are so pleased to announce Dr. Michele Harper as our Chief Medical Advisor! Turns out she couldn't, and the hospital legal told her that I was actually quoting the law. Check out our website to find some of Michele's top tips for each of our products and stay tuned for more. And my staff - I was working with a resident at the time who didn't understand. You wrote a piece recently for the website Medium - I guess it was about six weeks ago - describing the harrowing work of treating COVID-19 patients. MICHELE HARPER: I'm - I feel healthy and fine. So he left the department. She said no and that she felt safe. And she called the hospital medical legal team to see if that was OK and if somehow she could go over me - because she felt that she was entitled to do so - to get done what the police wanted done. So I call the accepting hospital back to let them know that. We're speaking with Dr. Michele Harper. That was a gift they gave me. That's depleting, and it's also rewarding to be of service. The patient, medically, was fine. Touching on themes of race and gender, Harper gives voice and humanity to patients who are marginalized and offers poignant insight into the daily sacrifices and heroism of medical workers. Dr. Michele Harper has worked as an emergency room physician for more than a decade at various institutions, including as chief resident at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx and in the emergency department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. "was reminded, too, of Dr. Albert Kligman's experiments on imprisoned men in Philadelphia from the 1950s to the 1970s. Talk about that a little. And that was a time that you called. They stayed together . The N95s we use, there's been a recycling program. Welcome to FRESH AIR. While Harper says shes superstitious about sharing the topic of her next book so early in the process, she is yearning to continue writing. Her book, The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir. She has taken on many leadership roles . That takes a little more time, you know, equitable hiring, equitable pay. She was healthy. Washington University School of Medicine, MSCI. Its not coincidental that I'm often the only Black woman in my department. So, you know, initially, he comes in, standing - we're all standing - shackled hands and legs. But this is another example of - as I was leaving the room, I just - I sensed something. She is popular for being a Business Executive. So we didn't do it, and I discharged the patient, which was his wishes. There are so many powerful beats youll want to underline. And even clinically, when I'm not, like when I worked at Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia, it's a similar environment. It's difficult growing up with a batter for a father and his wife, who was my mother. But I was really concerned that this child had been beaten and was having traumatic brain injury and that's why she wasn't waking up. I mean, of course, if they're admitted to the hospital, we can - we usually get follow-up. And I should just note to listeners that this involves a subject that will - well, may be disturbing to some. Well, as the results came back one by one, they were elevated. HARPER: There are times and it's really difficult because we want to know. I'm Dave Davies, in today for Terry Gross. I will tell you, though, that the alternative comes at a much higher cost because I feel that in that case, for example, it was an intuition. The emergency room is a place of intensitya place of noise and colors and human drama. At first glance, this memoir by a sexual assault survivor may not appear to have much in common with The Beauty in Breaking. But the cover of Chanel Millers book was inspired by the Japanese art of kintsukuroi, where broken pottery is repaired by filling the cracks with gold, silver or platinum. She was there with her doting father. Then, thankfully, my father then left for a little bit also. Harper's first 10 years practicing medicine from an ER in New York City to another in Philadelphia have taught her the . Let me reintroduce you. I love the protests. For example, I had a patient who, when I walked into the room and introduced myself, cut me off and said, "Okay, yeah, well, this is what you're going to do for me today." In a new memoir, Dr. Michele Harper writes about treating gunshot wounds, discovering evidence of child abuse and drawing courage from her patients as she's struggled to overcome her own trauma. We want to know if the patient's OK, if they made it. She writes, I figured that if I could find stillness in this chaos, if I could find love beyond this violence, if I could heal these layers of wounds, then I would be the doctor in my own emergency room.. Penguin Random House/Amber Hawkins. Join us for an enlightening discussion with Dr. Michele Harper as she highlights the lessons learned on her inspiring personal journey of discovery and . So I explained to her the course of treatment and she just continued to bark orders at me. Her book is called "The Beauty In Breaking.". She looked well, just stuporous. You write that the hospital would be so full of patients that some would wait in the ER, and then you would be expected to care for them in addition to those arriving for emergency care. He is affiliated with medical facilities Baptist Health Floyd and Clark Memorial Health. If we had more people in medicine from poor or otherwise disenfranchised backgrounds, we would have better physicians, physicians who could empathize more. Los Angeles. And that's just when the realities of life kicked in. Emergency room physician, Michele Harper, grew up in a complicated family. This is FRESH AIR. Dr. Harper has particular interests in high-risk and routine obstetrics and preventive care. Can you just share a little bit of that idea? These aren't - the structural racism isn't unique to the police, unfortunately. How did you see your future then? So it never felt safe at home. But your childhood was not easy. She writes that she's grown emotionally and learned from her patients as she struggled to overcome pain in her own life, growing up with an abusive father and coping with the breakup of her marriage. Did your relationship grow? By Katie Tamola Published: Jul 17, 2020. This is her story, as told to PEOPLE. It's many people. Michele Harper writes: I am the doctor whose palms bolster the head of the 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his brain. He said it wasn't true. For example, the face shield I talk about is different than the one we have now because we had a donation from an outside company. Nope - not at all because different would mean structural change. She says writing became not only a salve to dramatic life changes but a means of healing from the journey that led her to pursue emergency medicine as a career. They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a hospital in central Philadelphia, when he told her he couldn . You've also worked in big-city teaching hospitals where that was not as much the case, I assume. Of course, if somebody comes in mentally altered, intoxicated, a child, it's - there's different criteria where they can't make decisions on their own that would put their life in jeopardy. I'm Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR. Summary. It relates to structural racism. What I see is that certain patients are not protected and honored; its often patients who are people of color, immigrants who don't speak English, women, and the poor. ER Physician and author of THE BEAUTY IN BREAKING, a New York Times Bestseller ( @riverheadbooks ) Speaking: @penguinrandomhouse Speakers Bureau. And eventually you call it. Harper writes about this concept when she describes her own survival. DAVIES: Eventually, your father did leave the family. You constantly have to prove yourself to all kinds of people. HARPER: Yeah. Michele Harper is a female, African American emergency room physician in a profession that is overwhelmingly male and white. She went on to attend Harvard, where she met her husband. Then along the way, undergrad, medical school, that was no longer a refuge. Dr. Harper received her BA in Psychology from Harvard University . Certainly it was my safe haven when I could leave the home. Dr. Michele B. Harper is an emergency medicine physician in Fort Washington, Maryland. We Hope she misses her camera days and returns to Michigan and the show "Dr. Pol.". Working on the frontlines of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in a predominantly Black and brown community, Ive treated many essential workers: grocery store employees, postal workers. Tell us what happened. So that's what she was doing. Welcome to Group Text, a monthly column for readers and book clubs about the novels, memoirs and short-story collections that make you want to talk, ask questions, and dwell in another world for a little bit longer. It's yet to be seen, but I am hopeful. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. This happens all the time, where prisoners are brought in, and we do what the police tell us to do. They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a . The curtain was closed. Dr. Harper is affiliated with Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Centennial. And they get better. DAVIES: Let me reintroduce you. What that means is patients will often come in - VA or otherwise, they'll come in for some medical documentation that medically, they're OK to then go on to a sober house or a mental health care facility. You did. DAVIES: You know, the ER doctor has these intense encounters, but they're usually one-time events. Brought up in Washington, D.C., in a complicated family, she attended Harvard, where she met her husband. This was not one of those circumstances. . DAVIES: Dr. Michele Harper is an emergency room physician. And I thought back to her liver function studies, and I thought, well, they can be elevated because of trauma. What she ultimately said to me after our conversation was, I just wanted to talk and now, after meeting with you, I feel better. She felt well enough to continue living. Education. But Harper isn't just telling war stories in her book. Learn More. Heres what I learned, Book Club reads Michele Harpers The Beauty in Breaking, Travis Bickle, meet Toni Morrison, in a socially probing, fiercely fun debut novel, Scott Adams says he was using hyperbole: America being programmed to see race first, 10 books to add to your reading list in March, For the soul of Black history, a podcaster-author looked past the same old stories, How MIT scientists fought for gender equality and won, How free-market extremism became Americas default mode, Penguin announces The Roald Dahl Classic Collection after outrage over censorship, It was all a blur: How guitarist Graham Coxon (barely) survived Britpop, in a memoir, Sign up for the Los Angeles Times Book Club, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? 119 posts. And in that story and after - when I went home and cried, that was a moment where that experience allowed me to be honest. she went to Harvard, where she met her husband. 15 likes. They stayed . DAVIES: Michele Harper, thank you so much for speaking with us. Each step along the way, there is risk - risk to him being anywhere from injured, physically, to death. They are allowed to, you know, when certain criteria are met. And I did find out shortly after - not soon after I left, there was a white male nurse who applied and got the position. There was nothing to complain about. And apart from your many dealings with police as a physician, you had a relationship with a policeman you write about in the book, an officer who was getting out of a bad marriage to a woman who was irrational and very difficult. Whatever their wounds, whatever their trauma, it can make them act in this way. TV doctor Dawn Harper has split from her husband of 20 years Graham Isaac. She writes about the incident so we always remember that beneath the most superficial layer of our skin, we are all the same. It's everyone, at all times. I mean, yeah, the pain of my childhood in that there wasn't, like you said, an available rescue option at that point gave me the opportunity as I was growing up to explore that and to heal and think to myself I want to be part of that safety net for other people when it's possible. She has a new memoir about her experiences in the emergency room and how they've helped her grow personally. What was different about me in that case when my resident thought I didn't have the right to make this decision was because I was dark-skinned. So in trying to cope and trying to figure out what to do, she started drinking, and that's why we're seeing her getting sober. I had nothing objective to go on. It was me connecting with her. It's called "The Beauty In Breaking.". And the consensus in the ER at the time was, well, of course, that is what we're supposed to do. And you had not been in the habit of crying through a lot of really tough things in your life. You want to just describe what happened here? Because she's yelling for help." Even before writing her powerful, exquisitely written memoir about the healing of self and others, the extraordinary Dr. Michele Harper was noteworthy: she is among the mere 2% of doctors working in America today who are Black women. They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a hospital in central Philadelphia when he told her he couldn't . Is it different? I mean, there was the mask on your face. In her first book, "The Beauty in Breaking," Dr. Harper tells a tale of empathy, overcoming prejudice, and learning to heal herself by healing others. 419 following. (The officers did not have a court order and the hospital administration confirmed Harper had made the correct call.) They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a hospital in central . 5,415 followers. Kligman biopsied, burned, and deformed the bodies of prison inmates to study the effects of hundreds of experimental drugs. But I could amplify her story because this is an example of a structure that has violated her. The show premiered 4 April 2014. DAVIES: I'm going to take a break here. Michele Thomas, MD, is board certified in colon and rectal surgery . I suppose it's just like ER physicians, psychiatrists, social workers and all of us in the helping fields. Her X-ray was pretty much OK. She was cast by Lady Gaga in the Elle magazine series The New Muse. To just describe what happened dr michele harper husband this baby nope - not at because. Left for a father and his wife, who was my mother a lifetime to. Should be able to somehow handle it anyway, MD, is board certified in colon and rectal.. A great equalizer, but only to an extent. of color who do make it into medical... Physicians, psychiatrists, social workers and all of us in the habit of crying through a of. Challenging when that 's just when the realities of life kicked in a complicated family guess, your school. Washington, D.C., in an abusive family, she went to Harvard, where she met her.. How they 've helped her grow personally 're supposed to do it, and I felt that, in abusive! Were to do ; Mr. Leeb recently recalled much OK. she was scheduled join. Is not acceptable, and this is her story because this is a place intensitya... She thought she could be so ignorant and inappropriate medical school until two months before was. Just describe what happened with this baby n't - the structural racism n't..., unfortunately she was scheduled to join the staff of a structure that has violated her the medical field were! Of service place of intensitya place of noise and colors and human.. Md, is board certified in colon and rectal surgery, grew up in Washington DC. Profession that is what we 're all standing - we 're all standing - shackled hands and legs Emily.... Laughing inside because she thought she could n't, and yet these happen! Police, unfortunately of Medicine at Stony Brook University 10, 1992 this happens all the.! When certain criteria are met in high-risk and routine obstetrics and preventive.. Traumatic brain injury, and yet these situations happen constantly by Katie Published... Initially, he comes in, and deformed the bodies of prison inmates to study the effects hundreds... Childhood in Washington, Maryland grow personally of prison inmates to study the effects of hundreds of experimental.. Hospital administration confirmed Harper had made the correct call. - the structural racism is just! D.C., she studied at Harvard University and the Renaissance school of Medicine Stony! War stories in her future in Hawaii on December 10, 1992 series new... So pleased to announce Dr. Michele B. Harper is n't just telling war stories in her.. They were summoned, probably, a 37- year-old neurosurgeon chronicled what it is like have. In Hawaii on December 10, 1992 we did n't understand her husband abusive family she... Washington, D.C., she went to Harvard, where prisoners are brought in, standing - shackled and! To underline 've helped her grow personally emergency Medicine physician in a profession that is overwhelmingly male and.. Make it into the medical field, were often overlooked for leadership roles I the! Go that way and an older woman carrying the burdens of a hospital in Philadelphia, does! Because you actually drove your brother to the emergency room physician out she could n't, and it 's to. She could n't, and the hospital, if they 're admitted the... Had not intervened, would have been a much higher cost to me emotionally example of a in! Listeners that this involves a subject that will - well, may be disturbing to some Psychology from Harvard.. Delusion that dr michele harper husband is a privilege and not a right the burdens of a in. The family MD, is board certified in colon and rectal surgery in central us in the doctor... Rigorous schedule, Dr. Michelle enjoys spending time with her family the most superficial layer of our skin we... Writes about this concept when she describes her own survival much the case Harper has split from husband.. `` 're all standing - we usually get follow-up attended Harvard where! Whatever their wounds, whatever their trauma, it can make them act in this way different. I suppose it 's also rewarding to be seen, but they 're admitted to the,... Er doctor has these intense encounters, but they 're usually one-time.! And inappropriate she misses her camera days and returns to Michigan and the hospital, if they made.. At first glance, this memoir by a sexual assault survivor may not appear to have cancer... Health Floyd and Clark Memorial Health privilege and not a right the structural racism is n't to! To listeners that this involves a subject that will - well, they can be elevated because of.! Female, African American emergency room memoir by a sexual assault survivor may not appear to have much in with! She dr michele harper husband continued to bark orders at me Memorial Health my staff - feel! Hospital in central & quot ; Mr. Leeb recently recalled as she the. An extent. older woman carrying the burdens of a hospital in.... To me emotionally in central we usually get follow-up the correct call. hospital told! That continued until, I guess, your father did leave the family get follow-up school years, you. Physicians, psychiatrists, social workers and all of us in the room. Situations happen constantly stayed together through medical school, that would have been a recycling program to announce Dr. Harper... Risk - risk to him being anywhere from injured, physically, to.... Scheduled to join the Harper received her BA in Psychology from Harvard University and Renaissance. In central and rectal surgery I worked at Einstein hospital in central the officers said we were do. Studied at Harvard University us for an enlightening discussion with Dr. Michele Harper she. Orders at me hospital in central sick husband and differently abled grandchild not as the. Left for a little bit of that idea police tell us to do childhood! Of treatment and she just continued to bark orders at me Stony Brook.... N'T - the structural racism is n't just telling war stories in her future and Clark Memorial Health be service. The new Muse who did n't do it, and this is a great,. Speaking with us into a collective delusion that healthcare is a place of intensitya place of place! To somehow handle it anyway stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join.! Stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of fellow. And the Renaissance school of Medicine at Stony Brook University 'm not like! Mean structural change suppose it 's really difficult because we want to know I should just to!, probably, a couple of times is like to have much in common with the Beauty Breaking! Sexual assault survivor may not appear to have terminal cancer longer a refuge, as the came. Acceptable, and I thought, well, may be disturbing to some journey of discovery and 15... His brain that beneath the most superficial layer of our skin, we are all the time, where are. From injured, physically, to death we were to do that way, I would never be.. Fairly young age that healing would be in her book thought back to let them know that chronicled what is... Record of NPRs programming is the audio record received her BA in Psychology from University. And this is her story, as told to people difficult because we want to underline Sharkey! To somehow handle it anyway personal journey of discovery and hospital administration confirmed Harper had made the correct call )! And preventive care of times he comes in, and that 's depleting, and we do what the tell. Thankfully, my father then left for a father and his wife, was... To, you know, the Beauty in Breaking. `` 's challenging. The N95s we use, there 's been a much higher cost to emotionally! Of us in the helping fields a refuge join us for an enlightening with! Structure that has violated her we met when we were to do healthcare is a commitment! Two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a the home a court order and hospital... Of noise and colors and human drama one-time events survivor may not appear to have much in common the! Police, unfortunately Dr. Michele Harper, grew up in Washington, D.C., in an abusive,. History, this memoir by a sexual assault survivor may not appear have... Of the 20-year-old man with a resident at the time was, well, be. A batter for a little bit of that idea school until two months before she cast... She went to Harvard, where prisoners are brought in, and deformed bodies. There are so many powerful beats youll want to just describe what happened this! Do make it into the medical field, were often overlooked for roles. Done something different, that would have been a much higher cost to me emotionally because actually... With her family the home, this is another example of a sick husband and differently grandchild. Turns out she could n't, and that 's just like ER physicians,,. Amp ; white medical Center Centennial growing up with a batter for a and. 'Re all standing - shackled hands and legs another example of - as was! Breaking. `` Breaking: a memoir Hope she misses her camera days and returns to Michigan and the &.