Life and Career Through Dr. Mesha’s Lens

Early inspirations

How did Medicine make its way into your life?

I was very young when I started saying I wanted to be a lawyer, a doctor, and an engineer. My parents never dissuaded me from anything I said I wanted to do. Even though they knew that, realistically, I could not be in all three professions, they always encouraged me. 

As I got older, in middle school, I realised that I loved studying the human body and people and helping people. As the oldest of twelve children, I naturally developed a heart for helping others.

Was there a defining moment - human, incident, or circumstance, that made you go - Okay, THIS is what I’m going to do!

As I became more interested in science and started watching a lot of the Medical Discovery Channel, I knew I wanted to go into medicine—forget about law and engineering! I took a high school human behavior class and fell in love with the brain. I love everything about the brain, from the medical to the psychiatric side. It's just fascinating. So, here I am.

Overcoming Obstacles with Kindness 

Conquering obstacles is inevitable in the pursuit of excellence. What are the obstacles you had to confront, and how did you work through them? 

100 percent! This needs to be talked about. Being a woman in medicine, especially a woman of color, definitely has its trials and tribulations. When I said I wanted to be a doctor, my parents were always encouraging and supportive. But when I went outside my home, I received a lot of feedback and much resistance: "Oh, are you sure?" "Oh, don't you want to do something else?" "Oh, you know, you would make a great teacher.” I would say the negativity only got worse with time and continues even today at times.

For example, when introducing myself, I may say, “I'm Dr. So-and-so, and I do so-and-so." Sometimes, the person listening suddenly becomes lost, confused, and doesn't hear me correctly. And they say, "Wait, what did you say you were? You're a nurse?” And I'm like, no, I definitely said physician. And I definitely said neurovascular.

But then you get to the point where you don't make it your internal problem. You brush it off and continue to be that confident, ‘different’ person. Honestly, now I am at the point where I like it when people underestimate me. I like it because I can show back what I’ve learned. “They” never thought you could be the one to do it, and then you're doing it and really good at it. You blow their minds. Actions speak for themselves. 

Thus, this has made me an advocate for women and women of color, mainly because I know how it is.

“I like it when people underestimate me.
So that I can show back what I’ve learned.”

That brings me to the next question.. have you faced racism in the workplace? If yes, how do you deal with it?

Systemic racism very much exists today.  It colors my experience. It colors the experience of everyone I know who looks like me. These are things that I want to bring to the attention of others and let colleagues who work alongside me understand. These issues exist and should be addressed, but we must be intentional in doing so.  Otherwise, we will never see or address them. That is one of the reasons I started Black Neurointerventionalists and Their Allies (BNAA), the first affinity group for our national society (Society of Neurointerventional Surgery). The goal was to discuss issues Black Americans face during their neurointerventional careers and health care disparities. For example, the non-white population in the United States suffers an increased frequency of strokes. Still, they are less likely to be offered life-saving procedures as frequently as the white population is offered. 

You also are so vocally supportive of women in the field..

There are so many issues that women face in science. Therefore, I will always be an uplifter, supporter, and cheerleader for my fellow women because we are amazing. And that's all we need—that positive voice. So, when it comes to me, I am a champion. I am an advocate. I will always try to empower and uplift my fellow sisters because our struggle is real. 

“I will always be an uplifter, supporter, cheerleader of my fellow women because we are amazing.”

Game-changers in Neurointervention

What developments do you look forward to in pediatric stroke and interventions?

Pediatric neurointervention is in the early stages of being recognized as a separate field and is growing exponentially. I look forward to its continued development as a field. I see a bright future, as I often discuss various topics with nuances we still need to learn or are trying to understand. The pediatric neuroendovascular realm is about figuring out why and how things form. It is an essential field of focus because it helps us better understand neuroendovascular disease and improve treatments, even for adults. 

What does the future hold? 

Of course, the future is genetics. This way, we can learn more about how certain people are built and understand their circuitry and plumbing. The more we understand genes, the more we can combat vascular diseases, whether head and neck or intracranial vascular malformations. We must understand how to treat diseases that behave like tumors. The key is probably with tumor-fighting agents. 

And so, that is the future, really understanding genetics. 

Legacy and lessons

One advice you would want to give to your younger self?

Drawing from something recently my life coach taught me, she said, “Ask yourself - What would your wiser self tell your inner critic?” 

We all have an inner critic who dictates to our minds what we are and how we are doing more and louder than anyone else. That inner critic can be very harsh, unforgiving, and lack grace. So, I would tell my younger self to tell my inner critic to calm down and be more relaxed and forgiving of myself because you're not supposed to be perfect. Something my current self learns more and more each day. 

I believe in God, so I remind myself that I am not God and that I will never be. I am only tasked with doing my best; as long as I do my best, I don't need to worry about anything else.

“ I would probably tell my younger self to tell my inner critic to calm down and be more relaxed and forgiving of myself.”

 What's your North Star? What would your legacy be?

Honestly, my North Star is love. I am a huge believer that loving and loving others is the best gift you can give yourself and you can give others.

I intentionally want to make people feel special. I want my legacy to be that those who encountered me experienced the feeling of being special and the joy that comes with that because Dr. Martinez or Mesha intentionally let them know they are special. For lack of better words, I want people to feel I ‘loved them.’ That's what I want to give to the world before I go. Love, that's my North Star.

Reflecting on today

Did you ever imagine yourself in the city of Goa, India, delivering an enthralling talk on pediatric neurointerventions at any point of your life? Tell us about the direction and strength of this inspiring Mesha vector- force!

I'm so privileged to be here. I never imagined I would have much to say to others they didn't already know. Nonetheless, my talks aim to teach things that are common, misunderstood, or that people don't think about in a certain way. Those aims have brought me to Goa, and I am so happy they did!