Kai Simmons, Class of 2021

In celebration of Black History Month, this month’s narratives are dedicated to highlighting the voices of students who identify as black. Each story is unique, intimate, and powerful. Readers, please come open-minded and ready to engage with the following stories. More importantly, be ready to interface with an intimate space and allow yourself to step inside someone else’s life. The following is the narrative of Kai Simmons, a second-year medical student at KUMC. Enjoy.

Note: The third interview question is credited to the NYT article “The 36 Questions that Lead to Love.” The interview has been condensed for length and clarity.

The Meaning of Medicine

The beauty of medicine is that it is so expansive in meaning it cannot be captured by one single definition. As the age old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this post, we explore the meaning of medicine as defined and interpreted by four medical students. This is part one of a series entitled The Meaning of Medicine.