Celebrating Black History Month with Dr. Kimberly Fields

In celebration of Black History Month, we are spotlighting a handful of our Black physicians who have chosen to share their healthcare journeys with us.

Dr. Kimberly D. Fields is an OB/GYN at Women’s Healthcare of Opelika. In addition to sharing her story, Dr. Fields provides insight on the importance of preventative care for people of color, as well as the challenges and disparities they face when it comes to healthcare.

Dr. Fields earned her B.S in Social and Behavioral Sciences from The University of Alabama in 1995 and her medical degree from Meharry Medical College in 2002. She completed her residency training in OB/GYN at Tulane University in 2006.

On the motivating factor to becoming a physician:

I have always known that I wanted to help people and serve humanity in some way. As a child, I had plans of becoming a teacher, or a nurse, or a dentist. I figured out that I wanted to become a physician at the age of 13. I was inspired by one of my mother's friends, who was a pediatrician. I loved children, even as a child myself, and thought that I too would become a pediatrician. After beginning my clinical rotations in medical school, I fell in love with obstetrics. I still assumed that I would pursue pediatrics, but I soon discovered that my true passion was in delivering babies, so I changed course.

On who inspired or pushed you the most:

My parents motivated me and pushed me the most, but not in the way that one might expect. My parents never put any undue pressure on me to pursue any particular career path or field of study. What my parents did do was expect me and my siblings to do our best in whatever we chose to do with our lives. My parents never gave me any indication that I could not do anything that I set my mind to do. So, with that kind of unconditional support and encouragement, I pursued my passion and found what I believe to be my calling in life.

On healthcare challenges for African Americans:

Because we, as African Americans, are at increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and almost any other imaginable diagnosis, I most certainly believe that there are measures that we can take to mitigate these risks. I often talk to patients about modifiable risks. Since we cannot change our age, race, gender or genetics, we have to focus on the things that we can change. Certain metrics within our control are diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, preventive health measures and education, among others. We need to shift from a reactive model of self-care to a proactive approach. It is crucial to be aware of your family history and the conditions that plague our community. Awareness alone, however, is useless. We have to take an aggressive stance to fight against these conditions, and not simply accept them as an inevitable inheritance from our ancestors. Sensible diets with portion control, regular moderate exercise, limiting alcohol intake, discontinuing tobacco use, annual and regularly scheduled screenings, as well as mental health care are all paramount in decreasing the disparity in healthcare for people of color. African Americans, as well as all patients, should find providers who they trust and can collaborate with on issues of health. I encourage patients to take an active role in their health care. Patients should arm themselves with knowledge about their specific conditions so that they can advocate for themselves and help work toward favorable outcomes. My final piece of advice would be to overcome the fear of the unknown and get checked out. Often, patients will recoil at the thought of doing self-exams, or undergoing screening tests, because they don't want to know if there is anything bad going on. I remind patients, that in many instances, early detection means early cure or a much more manageable course for chronic illnesses. I use the old adage that ‘knowledge is power’!