Is There a Black Doctor in the House?
Dr. Tweedy takes an engaging look at the small percentage of black physicians in the U.S. and examines the implications for both doctors and patients.

Doing the Right Thing
Dr. Tweedy weaves together research findings, clinical experience, and personal narrative into a provocative survey of the leading causes of death and disability among black people.

“Why Dr. Damon Tweedy wants to destigmatize mental illness in the U.S.”

Duke University School of Medicine Keynote Speaker Damon Tweedy

“Race and Health — A Persistent American Dilemma”

“Medical Schools Have Historically Been Wrong on Race”

“Duke Medical Center archives the work of the Hospital’s first African American surgeon”

“A black psychiatrist reflects on race in medicine, and being mistaken for a fix-it man”

“Why America Needs More Black Doctors”

“‘Being black can be bad for your health'”

“‘Black Man in a White Coat’: New Memoir Takes on Race and Medicine”

“Damon Tweedy headlines NIEHS Diversity Speaker Series”

Learn more about Dr. Tweedy on his damontweedy and follow him on Twitter.

“Hearing Dr. Tweedy speak was less of a lecture and more of an open invitation to engage in a meaningful conversation with a passionate caregiver. Dr. Tweedy’s personal stories prompted a ton of reflection on compassion, mental health, patient-centered care, and our own identity-related biases. These insights are invaluable as we return to our clinical settings, better equipped to care with and for our patients.”

“Dr. Damon Tweedy delivered a lecture and gave interviews that were very well received by listeners. Dr. Tweedy was the epitome of gracious and professional, despite a long day of travel and audience interactions. He had prepared slides that presented scientific data of relevance to his topic, and blended a traditional academic lecture with case material arising from his own experiences and practice—most also documented in his book. All in all, this was a most positive and memorable experience for our students and constituents.”

“We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Tweedy to the University of Chicago campus as a Bowman Society Lecturer. His talk moved seamlessly back and forth between his personal experiences as an African-American physician and the overall experiences of African-American patients in a health care system that has not overcome longstanding disparities of access, care, and outcomes… The issues that Dr. Tweedy raised challenged and inspired us to consider what medical schools can do to ensure better care for all Americans, including but certainly not limited to expanding the diversity of the physician workforce.”

“Dr. Tweedy left many of the Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) students, faculty and staff motivated to walk into their journeys with eyes open. His words were uplifting, inspiring and insightful. The delivery and style of his life experiences were brilliant and well received. Substantive information with relevance!”

“It was a delight and an honor to have Dr. Damon Tweedy come speak to us at Seattle Children’s Hospital. A warm, intelligent presence, Dr. Tweedy took the time to ask us how he could best serve our staff and residents and knocked our Black History Month event out of the park! It’s obvious he really wants to engage with his audience and tailored his presentation, sharing great anecdotes and answering questions. During a short roundtable discussion about inequities in healthcare, he was interested in our work and we all walked away from the afternoon reflecting on the role we all have in reducing them. I highly recommend reading his book and seizing the chance to talk with him about it!”

“In his notably gracious and humble style, Damon Tweedy thoughtfully invites his audiences to consider the broader implications of his personal experiences with race and medicine. It was truly a pleasure to have Dr. Tweedy as the keynote speaker for our MLK celebration. Our medical students were especially thrilled to meet him!”

“An audience of nearly 200 faculty, students, and members of the community were captivated by Dr. Damon Tweedy’s reflections on his life and career in the medical profession. They were especially intrigued by his discussions as to how race, class, and gender issues significantly impacted medical care and practice. Dr. Tweedy’s lived experiences brought the subject matter to life and made it real for the audience, especially the students who were considering careers in the health professions.”

“Dr. Tweedy was a hit. We had a long line for his book signing. I know he was supposed to sign books for one hour but he stayed until all the books were signed. The students were doubled excited to learn he had been a member of SNMA when he was a med student at Duke.”

“He was well received on campus, especially with staff and faculty from the College of Medicine. He was very humble and easy to work with.”

“It was a pleasure to hear Dr. Tweedy speak at the National AHEC Organization’s 2016 national conference. As Dr. Tweedy shared his personal experiences of being one of very few African-Americans in his medical school class at Duke University in the 1990s, he touched on many broad social issues facing health care currently and problems that AHECs everywhere are working on: the stagnant growth in the diversity of health professionals; the disparity in health care outcomes and access to care for minority populations; an educational system that fails to create opportunities for all students regardless of race or socioeconomic status. I found Dr. Tweedy’s talk to be rather moving and a call to action, despite being stated with a gentle manner, and I know that the nearly 500 conference attendees found his keynote address to be one of the highlights of the weeklong conference.”

“Fantastic! Dr. Tweedy was engaging, took into consideration his target market, and was well organized. Loved his closing remarks and his advice to our medical students. He was approachable and easy to work with. Our students, faculty and staff enjoyed his lecture, question and answer, and book signing.”

Praise for Facing the Unseen

“A charged, earnest argument for relaxing the distinction between body and mind in the treatment of both.”

“With both empathy and expertise, Damon Tweedy demonstrates why mental health cannot be siloed away from the rest of healthcare. Facing the Unseen is a rallying cry to reimagine how we care for patients, for centering mental health within ‘regular’ medical care. A unified approach to care will not only address the urgent needs of patients, it will also help ease the burden on overstretched primary-care clinicians. Absolutely timely!”

“Brimming with insight and rare empathy, Damon Tweedy has written an essential book for this time of national and global mental health crisis. Facing the Unseen reads like a good novel while offering a much-needed corrective to our current systems of medical training and healthcare.”