Dr. Richard Ferguson | From Frontline Care to Community Health and Welfare

Dr. Richard A. Ferguson MD, MBA
Utahn since 2010
Chief medical officer for Health Choice Utah, founder of Black Physicians of Utah

I grew up as a lower-middle class kid in Washington D.C. and was the first in my family to go to college. I always had a strong interest in the sciences that grew to eventually being a strong interest in genetics. My father was a shop foreman for Washington D.C. Public Works. My mother was a paralegal at the time. Education was important to her. I started to get more interested in clinical research, even as a sophomore in high school, leading me to the University of Pittsburgh, and then the University of Northwestern for the PhD route. But then I had the loss of my grandmother, and my motivation shifted to what could I do that could be more preventative care and that drew me to pursue medicine.

While I was pursuing my medical degree, I decided to join the military. There was a call shortage of doctors in Operation Iraqi Freedom at the time. That was my most formidable and rewarding experience as a doctor, which was taking care of our soldiers. When I finished my service, I finished my residency at the University of Utah. My goal is really to start a fellowship for Black doctors in the state. I’m often the first Black physician that many, many children, students and adults have met in Utah.

That’s why I decided to start Black Physicians of Utah. We do quite a bit of health education and awareness, mentor-mentee pairing, and advocacy work. We bring attention to issues that are affecting not only African Americans, but other underrepresented groups in Utah, particularly when it comes to health disparities. We need everyone in this work