Too bad she’s planning on going to law school.
Lightfoot, 22, a senior political science major at N.C. A&T State University, was busy at the control console of a $2.5 million dollar DaVinci Intuitive robotic surgical system Sunday afternoon at the college’s Student Center.
Lightfoot, of Atlanta, was one of several hundred students, ranging from middle school to college, who took part in the day-long Third Annual Youth White Coat Summit, an educational outreach effort sponsored by The Foundation for the Development of Minority Physicians and Cone Health.
In North Carolina, only 8 percent of practicing physicians identify as Black, while the race makes up 21 percent of the state’s population. Only 5.7 percent of the nation’s physicians are Black, by contrast.
In N.C., other minorities, including Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and multiracial individuals or American Indians make up 16 percent, 3 percent, and less than 1 percent, respectively, of physicians, according to N.C. Health Workforce.
Lightfoot reviewed a video of her success at maneuvering several of the DaVinci’s hinged robotic arms, each outfitted with tiny clamp-style instruments like fingers, used for grasping and moving rubber rings during practice exercises.
Each rubber ring rested on a tiny foam cone. A budding surgeon’s task? Using clamps to lift the bands off cones and moving them onto other cones.
“Wow,’’ Lightfoot said, marveling at how smoothly she manipulated the bands on her first attempt.
A host of medical doctors were on hand to coach and explain the robotic surgical machine and plenty of other medical technologies, including Jordan’s uncle, Dr. Harrell Lightfoot, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Cone Health.
The DaVinci machine’s precision and ability to work in tight spaces through tiny incisions makes it the modern workhorse for scores of minimally invasive procedures, Harrell Lightfoot said.
The term for the style of operations it performs is laparoscopic, meaning surgeries such as lung lobectomies to remove cancer, esophageal repairs, hiatal hernia fixes and numerous gynecological procedures can be done through keyhole incisions with the machine, the physician explains.
Gone are the days when patients had to contend with long incisions, extended healing times and heightened infection risk to wound sites, Harrell Lightfoot said, noting minimal cutting means sending patients home quicker than ever.
“For example, with lobectomies, we are keeping patients in the hospital from two-four days instead of seven-10 days,” he said.
Standing nearby, student Elikem Des-Amekudi listened intently. He will soon earn his Ph.D in computational data science and engineering at NC A&T and plans to continue studies in neuropsychiatry, he said.
“This event exposes me to machines like this. I’ve never seen the DaVinci in person, and seeing it makes me wonder if I want to do surgery,’’ Des-Amekudi said.
Sunday’s program was designed to open minds and doors for young people interested in pursuing careers in medicine and dentistry. Numerous labs and stations were set up for sampling in the Student Center where practitioners showed techniques and answered students’ questions.
In the Deese Ballroom, medical students and veteran physicians gave pointers to guests about how to prepare in high school and college for admission to medical school, the SAT and MCAT exams.
The MCAT, a famously difficult eight-hour medical school admissions test, requires months of study preparation — at least — said NC A&T alum and first-year medical student Colette Hanie, who attends Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem.
“It took me six or seven months to study for it,’’ Hanie said, “and it’s important to talk to other people who have already taken it, ask what worked for them.”
Test preparation courses can be expensive and hard to choose, so take advantage of free trials to refine your choices that way, Hanie said.
“Don’t underestimate the exam and study a lot outside of school,’’ she said.
Adrianne Mitchell, a fourth-year medical student at East Carolina’s Brody School of Medicine, encouraged wannabe docs and dentists to “be well-rounded’’ and find outlets for stress.
While an undergrad at NC A&T, Mitchell played intramural flag football, worked as a resident assistant and volunteered at Cone Health, she said.
Also, be ready for high volumes of new facts to learn, Hanie said.
In medical school, instructors present so much information at one time, “it’s like trying to drink water from a firehose,’’ Hanie said, echoing Mitchell’s reminder to find time for fun and stress release.
Jordan Harris, 19, a bioengineering student and NC A&T freshman, was wide-eyed watching the DaVinci demonstration.
“I’m very excited, and I think it’s amazing to be getting this kind of hands-on experience and to see people here doing this,’’ the Detroit native said. “You really don’t know what you can do until you see it,’’ said Harris, who plans to become a radiation oncologist.
The career choice has deep meaning for him, said Harris who watched his grandmother and her twin sister die from endometrial and lung cancer, respectively.
“I’m dedicating my profession to them,’’ Harris said.
Justin Frasier, a second-year junior at NC A&T, majoring in biology, wants a life in medicine because of his experiences dealing with family illnesses, too, he said.
“I’ve always been a very analytical student and a service-oriented person. So medicine and helping people through medicine seems like the right way to blend the two.’’
©2025 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
