Dr. Rani Whitfield inherited his activist fire from his parents—especially his dad, a college professor who took a stand against segregation at Pine Bluff, Ark., swimming pools in the late 1950s.
“He wouldn’t fight,” Whitfield says. “He was nonviolent, but he was a heck of a swimmer. Thank goodness for that, or I wouldn’t be here.”
The father’s son keeps busy trying to right other kinds of wrongs. Besides maintaining a practice in family medicine, treating inmates at the East Baton Rouge Parish prison, serving as medical director of two substance abuse treatment centers and volunteering as a team physician for Southern Lab, Whitfield gives regular talks on health issues that are the bane of the black community: HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension and hepatitis.
“Knowledge is power and what you don’t know can hurt you,” Whitfield says. “A lot of people feel fine and they look fine but they are not aware of the risk factors. We have to bring more awareness and education to the community, and it has to be a consistent, persistent effort.”
He also spends a lot of time with youth talking about teen pregnancy and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition to local appearances at churches and schools, Whitfield has been spreading the word on health nationally via appearances on BET and PBS, as a featured speaker on Tavis Smiley’s 2007 “Road to Health” national tour, and as an “ambassador” with of American Heart Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign. He’s also at work on three books. And that’s just scratching the surface. Whitfield pushes himself because the message is important—especially in Baton Rouge.
“It’s a huge challenge,” he says. “It’s just reality. But that doesn’t stop what I do. You just keep rolling. If didn’t do this I’d be bored to death.”
Who do you most admire in the business community and why?
“The most respected family doctor in Baton Rouge is Donnie Batie, and he is not only a role model in the field of medicine but a successful businessman as well. His commitment to patient care and the educating of medical students goes beyond the call of duty.”
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