Meet Isaiah Cochran

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Cochran.  

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story started with being adopted when I was 18 months of age by my single mother. Growing up in an African American household, I was always instructed to always do my best and try 10 times harder period. I was also always informed to pay it forward to others. That is why through school I knew that I wanted to do something to really help people. I decided to go to college and study premedical studies, and then I ended up going to medical school. Throughout this time, I became involved in a few organizations, namely the American Medical student association. Through this organization, I learned how to not only think about patient care in a different way but also to use my voice to advocate for my patients. Through my undergraduate studies and my medical school studies, and continue to move up the ranks within AMSA. After I graduated from medical school in 2019, I took a year off between medical school and residency and served as the American Medical student association president. It was during this time that I got to see firsthand the level and agree that politics plays in everyday life. I decided to become a family medicine physician because I knew that this would give me so many medical conditions. I knew that through the work that I had done, that one day, I would run for office. I have seen so many different things, and this has really bolstered me, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, to want to step forward and make a difference. In this nation, we need equity and equality in every regard. Whether it is for people of color, the LGBTQIA community, and so many more. 

I am originally from Ohio, and one thing that I really enjoy about living in Orlando is the breadth of diversity. I moved to Orlando with my partner, who is a designer at Universal Studios Orlando. We plan on being here for a very long time. I am also happy to note that when I finish my third year of residency in June of 2023, I will be working at advent health as a part of the family medicine residency serving as medical director of their underserved clinic. I have always had a passion to help the underserved, and this is a dream come true for me. I have also always had a passion to make things better for everyone. Topics that I have worked on fervently drug pricing, gun violence, and so much more. Access to health care for everyone, as well as affordable education or other topics that I have continued to work on. Through my time in Florida, I have continued to be a staunch advocate, and I see this persisting throughout my career. I must also add that being in Florida has opened my eyes to how wonderful it is to be in the endless summer. I have made lots of friends here, and there’s a failure about this place that is quite unlike anywhere else in the United States. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road for me. As anyone who has been through higher education, especially as a person of color and as a member of the LGBTQIA community, there are always times when you feel like you do not belong. As I mentioned at the beginning, you were always told to work 10 times as hard as your white counterparts in a black community just to be seen as equal to them. To add to that, being a member of the LGBTQ community complicates this. Then on top of this, partaking in the field of medicine which is a white dominant field, it can be intimidating. There are fewer black men in medicine now than there were entering back in the late 70s; this is from a study from the double AAMC. However, now I can say that I am grateful for the experiences that I’ve had come with because I know they allowed me to help many other people who may be in a similar situation as me. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a third-year family medicine resident. As I mentioned above, I will be serving as a medical director at advent health’s underserved clinic, working with the residency programs at Advent Health. I believe what sets me apart from my counterparts is my background in terms of being an African American male who also identifies as LGBTQA plus. However, I think that my work in advocacy over the last 10 years has shown that I’m willing to go above and beyond to make a difference in my patient’s lives; period there is no way that you can just focus on the patient in front of you anymore comma you have to make sure the system supports everybody. I recently received an award from the American Academy of family physicians, being honored for excellence in graduate medical education period this essentially means that I have been working very hard for all of my patients inside and outside of the clinic. 

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe that my tenacity, resilience, and want to help so many people genuinely mean it is why I have been so successful thus far. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaiahtrailblazin/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MdCochran