Dr. Carolyn Fitzpatrick (front row, fourth from left) stands among the 20-plus panel members who participated in the Black Professionals Day Feb. 23, 2023.
On Feb. 23, West Suburban Chief Medical Officer Carolyn Fitzpatrick, M.D., was honored to participate in Oak Park River Forest High School’s Black Professionals Day as a panel speaker.
“It was wonderful to go back to my alma mater to talk with students about their career interests. My goal was to encourage students to learn more about the field of medicine. We need more physicians of color to care for our community. It also was a great opportunity to talk about West Suburban and the care we offer right in their community,” said Dr. Fitzpatrick.
Taking place during Black History Month, the event brought together a panel of more than 20 Black professionals to speak with students about many different career options. Panel members included physicians, CEOs, entrepreneurs, small business owners, religious leaders, counselors, engineers, and marketing and sales professionals, to name a few.
Each panel member gave a brief introduction about themselves and a snapshot of their profession. Breakout sessions allowed students to meet one-on-one with professionals to learn about their career paths and interests.
During her session, Dr. Fitzpatrick shared her personal path to medicine, including her medical school and training experiences for students to get a feel for what it is like to pursue medicine.