In this episode, Dr. Karriem Watson reveals how losing close family members to cancer and chronic disease fueled his mission to address health disparities and lead groundbreaking research with the NIH All of Us Program.
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Karriem’s journey began in a small town on the western side of Michigan, where the realities of health inequity were not just abstract concepts, but daily life. At just six and a half years old, Karriem lost his birth mother to complications from breast cancer.
The memory of seeing his mother, bandaged after a double mastectomy, preparing for church, left an indelible mark on his young mind. The town lacked access to advanced medical centers and cutting-edge treatments, and while primary care was strong, the absence of specialized care shaped his understanding of the gaps in the healthcare system.
After his mother’s passing, Karriem’s father remarried, and the family faced another battle with breast cancer – this time with his new mother. Through these experiences, his father, though never formally trained, became the family’s patient navigator, learning to advocate and make informed decisions.
Back when Karriem was deep into his biology premed studies at Michigan, life threw him a curveball he never saw coming.
One day, his phone rang – his dad on the line, voice heavy, sharing that he’d been diagnosed with colon cancer. Suddenly, all those lectures and labs felt a little less important compared to what was happening at home. Trying to keep up with classes while worrying about his dad wasn’t easy. This wasn’t the first time illness had hit his family, but facing it as a young adult made everything feel more real.
Watching his father deal with cancer, diabetes, and pain over the years left a mark on Karriem. It pushed him to look beyond textbooks and think about the bigger picture – why some families, like his, seemed to face more health challenges than others. That realization stuck with him, quietly shaping the path he’d choose long after graduation.
From the start, Karriem was set on becoming a physician. He followed the premed track, driven by a desire to help others and inspired by his own family’s health struggles. The sciences fascinated him, and he envisioned a future in clinical practice, making a direct impact on patients’ lives.
However, life had other plans. A sports injury in high school forced Karriem to let go of his dream of a football scholarship, redirecting him toward academics. Later, as he moved closer to medical school, another unexpected turn appeared. The traditional path to becoming a doctor no longer seemed possible, and he found himself at a crossroads, needing to rethink his future.
Instead of seeing this as a setback, Karriem embraced the opportunity to explore research. He was introduced to the world of clinical trials and began to understand the power of research to address health disparities on a larger scale. This new direction allowed him to combine his personal experiences with a broader mission – improving health outcomes for entire communities.
“Myth and misinformation is not going to cure you… You want someone who is trained, who is practicing evidence based standard of care and intentional medicine to treat your loved one or to treat you.”Click To TweetFor Karriem, the shift from medical school to research wasn’t just a change in career plans; it was a calling.
Research became a way to honor his family’s legacy and to tackle the systemic issues he had witnessed growing up. It offered him a platform to create lasting change, far beyond what he had initially imagined as a future physician.
When Karriem speaks to students, he doesn’t just talk about medicine as a career—he paints a picture of a much larger mission.
He wants future doctors and researchers to realize that their work can ripple out far beyond the exam room or the lab. It’s about being part of a team that tackles real-world problems, from food deserts to health misinformation, and everything in between.
Karriem believes that what sets great healthcare professionals apart isn’t just their knowledge, but their heart. He urges students to bring their full selves to the table – compassion, creativity, and even a bit of entrepreneurial spirit. In his eyes, the future of medicine belongs to those who are willing to think differently and care deeply, not just about diseases, but about the people and communities behind them.
He doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges ahead, but he’s quick to remind students that their presence and passion are needed now more than ever. Whether it’s through research, advocacy, or simply listening to a patient’s story, Karriem encourages students to find their own way to make a difference. He sees them as the linchpins in movements that can change the face of healthcare for generations to come.
There’s no doubt that medicine today has its fair share of challenges. People don’t always trust doctors or science the way they used to, especially with so much misinformation floating around online. It can be tough for future doctors to know if their patients will believe them or if they’ll have to fight against rumors and doubts.
On top of that, there are real issues like people not having access to healthy food, reliable transportation, or even legal help – things that can make it hard for them to follow medical advice, no matter how much they want to.
But it’s not all bad news – there are some really exciting things happening, too. Technology is changing the game, with tools like artificial intelligence and big research projects making it possible to give patients care that’s more personal and precise than ever before. Students, even in high school, can get involved in real research and help make discoveries that could change lives.
Karriem sees a future where new kinds of medical jobs pop up, and where being creative and caring is just as important as knowing the science.
If you’re open to new ideas and willing to look at the bigger picture, there’s a real chance to make a difference in medicine today.
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a game-changer in healthcare, and Karriem is genuinely excited about what this means for the future. He points out that AI and machine learning can help us predict disease risks, personalize treatments, and make sense of huge amounts of health data in ways that were never possible before.
But he’s also clear that the power of AI depends on the people behind it – if the data going in isn’t good or if the coders don’t understand the full picture of patients’ lives, the results won’t be helpful.
“There are some fears and concerns about artificial intelligence – AI and machine learning, but we have an opportunity to train up and engage a workforce. We need medical students learning how to code.”Click To TweetKarriem believes it’s important for medical students, high schoolers, and even people in the community to learn how to code and work with data. By doing this, they can help make sure that AI tools are built with real-world understanding and compassion. In his view, the future of healthcare will rely on teams who know both medicine and technology, using data not just to treat diseases, but to understand and support the whole person.
Karriem is especially enthusiastic about the NIH All of Us Research Program, which he describes as a game-changer for both medicine and medical education. The program is building a massive, diverse database by collecting health information from over a million people, with the goal of making medicine more personalized and precise.
Karriem points out that this isn’t just for established researchers – medical students, undergraduates, and even high schoolers can get involved and use the data for their own projects.
He believes that programs like this will help future doctors understand how genetics and other factors influence health, and will open up new opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research that can truly make a difference.
Karriem makes it clear that having a diverse group of doctors isn’t just a nice idea – it’s essential for better healthcare. He points out that when the people providing care reflect the backgrounds and experiences of the patients they serve, everyone benefits.
This means being intentional about recruiting students from underrepresented communities and making sure they have the support they need to succeed in medical school and beyond.
He also believes that medical training should go beyond the classroom. By giving students more chances to work in community clinics, shelters, and even in other countries, they can better understand the real challenges people face.
Karriem believes that increasing diversity in medicine is about changing the system so that future doctors are prepared to care for all kinds of people, not just those who look or live like they do.
“We have to have an intentionality making sure that the same populations that we’re treating are reflected in the physicians treating those populations.”Click To TweetKarriem’s closing message to students is both heartfelt and inspiring. He reminds future healthcare professionals that their presence, passion, and willingness to learn truly matter – not just for their own careers, but for the lives they’ll touch.
He encourages them to be creative, compassionate, and open to new ideas, because the future of medicine needs more than just knowledge; it needs heart and vision.
“We need you… Bring your creativity. Bring your compassion to this and bring your entrepreneurial spirit to it as well. Because we need all of that. We need storytellers in medicine.”Click To Tweet
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