Clarke Shead

Academic Interests: Psychology major and Chemistry and African and African American Studies minors

Hi! My name is Clarke Shead and I am a junior at Duke University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry and African and African American Studies. I chose psychology because of my desire to understand human behavior. Our thoughts and behaviors make up a large part of who we are and how we view one another, and I knew when going into the health field, understanding people could help me both cure and care for a patient. Before my sophomore year, I was set on going into dentistry and becoming an orthodontist. Growing up and having oral issues, I was able to connect with my dentist and orthodontist in more ways than I was connecting with my physicians. Orthodontics allowed me to smile without guilt or embarrassment and I wanted to give that gift of confidence to others. However, after shadowing and exploring dentistry I wasn’t as passionate as I thought I’d be. I knew I couldn’t go into a career without passion and motivation to perform at my best. When I began hearing about the high maternal mortality of African American women during childbirth, I knew this was something of immediate relevancy and concern for my community that struck passion in me. As a black woman who never knew a black doctor growing up, I know how important both representation and personal connection was in the health field. Hearing about disparities in not just obstetrics and gynaecology but in almost all fields of health care motivated me to look into the medical field. My passion lies in serving others to the best of my ability and I stand by the motto to look at a person holistically. Through programs like Reimagine Medicine hosted by the Kenan Center of Ethics and shadowing providers, I've gained an understanding of how medicine ties in both my passions and motto into something I want to pursue. At Duke, I serve as an admissions ambassador through tour guiding and on the leadership board for the Black Student Alliance as the Chief of Staff. I am also a Resident's Assistant and aim to build a community amongst my residents through fun activities and volunteering events. I've enjoyed my past experience of research through Bass Connections looking at the teaching styles of STEM courses in order to find solutions to the lack of retention of underrepresented students in the STEM field. Currently, I am a research assistant at Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equality researching health disparities amongst African Americans. In my free time, I enjoy working at the Duke Team Store, volunteering with Femmes as a mentor for girls in STEM, and trying out new restaurants. I'm always excited to hang out with my friends and relax while watching some of my favorite shows on Netflix or finding some new music to play on the piano! After Duke, I plan to take a gap year to gain clinical experience through becoming an EMT and travelling before heading to medical school.