Her Story
About Imani
I've been an athlete all my life, and when I was in middle school playing basketball, I landed on someone else's foot as I came down and fractured my ankle. Going through the rehabilitation process and the surgery, I knew that I wanted to do that for athletes in the future because they had such an influential aspect on my life. After doing some deep diving on orthopedics, sports medicine, and biomechanics, I knew that I wanted to do foot and ankle surgery because foot and ankle injuries are just so prevalent, especially right now. I completed 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of podiatric medicine at medical school, and I'm now starting my first year of a 3-year surgical residency in podiatry. Matching into my number one surgical residency was that big 'you made it, Imani' moment. All the hard work and determination, long nights, tears, sweat, and hours that people didn't see that I put in definitely all paid off when I opened that envelope and saw that I matched into my dream surgical residency. The fact that I was going to be able to come back home to Indianapolis after chasing my dreams far away for so long, and come back to the hospital where I actually shadowed a doctor to even get into podiatry school, was a complete 360 moment. I'm really blessed for it. My hope is to either get hired on at a hospital or have one of my mentors give me one of their practices that I can implement into my own. The end goal is to be a sports medicine physician. I really would love to be a team podiatrist for an athletic team, whether that be collegiate or on the professional level, and then have my own practice where I can have them come in for routine check-ins and have surgeries planned out at a surgical suite.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Imani
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would definitely say my family and my faith, and my unwillingness to quit when things became difficult. Throughout the journey, of course, I had setbacks, and I had to learn that those setbacks did not define my outcomes. They really just provided more opportunity for growth, resilience, and self-discovery. Most of my valuable lessons that I learned throughout my journey have come from challenges that initially felt discouraging but also definitely pushed me to work harder and become a better version of myself. The sacrifices that my family made really just motivated me to keep moving forward, even during difficult times. Their unwavering support just was a constant reminder of why I even started this journey, so I definitely owe it all back to them.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Really just to believe in yourself, especially when you may be the only one doing so, or it feels like you're the only one doing so. There's gonna be moments where you question your abilities or feel like you have to work harder to prove yourself, but not to let the self-doubt limit what you're capable of achieving. Trust in the preparation that you put in, embrace the challenges, and remember that your perspective and experiences are valuable. I would also encourage them to lead with compassion and authenticity. A lot of people feel pressured, especially in medicine, to fit a certain aesthetic or mold, but some of the most impactful physicians are those who just remain true to who they are, and are caring and empathetic, and really listen to their patients.
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