Editor of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Joshua A. Budhu, MD, MS

Joshua A. Budhu, MD, MS, is a clinical fellow in neuro-oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, and a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University.

Dr. Budhu was born in Queens, NY, to Guyanese parents. He pursued a career in medicine and health advocacy after the tragic death of his brother in police custody. He graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, and completed his medical internship at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. He then trained in neurology at the combined Harvard neurology residency program at Brigham and Womens' Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, serving as chief resident during his final year. 

Throughout his education and work experiences, he has demonstrated a commitment to improving health equity. He has served on several national committees including the Diversity and Mentorship division of the American Academy of Neurology’s Neuro-Oncology section. Dr. Budhu co-authored op-eds for the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, denouncing the pseudoscientific concept “excited delirium,” which misappropriates medical terminology and is used to justify police brutality. He also writes articles for a wide audience about his experience as a physician in training and other health-related matters.

Featured Articles by Dr. Budhu

Opinion & Special Articles: Maximizing Inclusiveness and Diversity Through Virtual Residency Applications and Interviews
Joshua A. Budhu,  Ana I. Velazquez, Rana R. Said, Justin T. Jordan

With careful planning, virtual recruitment and interviewing could be a powerful tool for improving equity, although virtual interviewing also carries the risk of exacerbating both conscious and unconscious bias. Residency programs, program directors, and interviewers must proactively plan to maximize inclusiveness and address bias, which otherwise could further increase gender and racial disparities in medicine. 

COVID-19: A grim reminder of my roots
Joshua A. Budhu

We need a collective effort across neurology and our profession to address centuries of institutionalized biases built into our health care system. It is now more important than ever that we collectively push for positive changes as entire communities have been devastated by COVID-19 and the disenfranchised reach a new boiling point of frustration and anger towards a society that has failed so many.