Dr. Judith Martin Cadore

Inspiration

I became a physician because I believe this is my calling.

Biography

"As one who personally experienced segregated health care," says Judith Martin Cadore, M.D., "I do not want any of my patients to ever have to wonder if they are receiving the best possible care, feel too intimidated to ask questions, or be denied proper care because of their ethnic or economic backgrounds." Dr. Cadore is a family practitioner in Bay City, Texas, where she was born and raised. "I provide hope and access for many who have lost faith in or been ignored by the medical community in my small town and the surrounding rural area. I have patients who drive fifty to a hundred miles to see a doctor they can talk with. Health care disparities are even more marked in rural areas. Eliminating this reality is, in part, my mission."

In 1976, when Judith Martin graduated as the first African American valedictorian from Bay City High School, she was denied the opportunity to give the traditional valedictory address and lead the class in the graduation ceremonies. Remembering this incident Dr. Cadore reflected that nonetheless, "no one could take away my scholarship to MIT." Attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a National Merit Scholar, Judith Cadore pursued a double major in both chemistry and creative writing. While there, she received the Bolt Prize for Poetry, Prose and Manuscript and was named the Eugene McDermott Scholar. Graduating from MIT in 1980, she remained in Boston to work as a research chemist for Water Associates while doing graduate work at Harvard University. In 1984 she returned to Texas to study medicine. Named a Kempner Scholar at the University of Texas, Dr. Cadore recalled her support system: "I guess for me, there was a lot of encouragement from the janitors and the cashiers, and they were very, very proud of you and they were looking at you." The memory of this "cheering section" remained a large influence as Dr. Cadore pursued her medical career.

Another part of Dr. Cadore's mission was her choice to leave behind academic medicine to better serve patients in private practice. Completing medical school in 1990, Dr. Cadore remained at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for her family practice residency and continued there as a clinical instructor and assistant community professor in the department of family medicine. Later, in 1998, she left her faculty position at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in order to pursue a private family practice. First working with an all-white, all-male practice in Texas City, Dr. Cadore later practiced with Dr. Edith Irby Jones in Houston and is now a solo practitioner in Bay City.

In addition to her medical practice, Dr. Cadore is the director of the "Sunshine Choir," a children's choir in the Third Ward area of Houston. She and her husband Michael, a professional chef and caterer she met in Boston, live in Houston with their three children.

Questions and Answers

What was my biggest obstacle?

I was always taught to believe that, with God's help, all things are possible. I believe the only person who can truly stop me is me. For example, when I graduated as the first black valedictorian of my high school class, I was denied the opportunity to give the traditional valedictory address and lead the class in the graduation ceremonies, yet no one could take away my scholarship to MIT.

How do I make a difference?

I provide hope and access for many who have lost faith in or been ignored by the medical community in my small town and surrounding rural area. I have patients who drive fifty to a hundred miles to see a doctor they can talk with. Health care disparities are even more marked in rural areas, and eliminating this reality is, in part, my mission. As one who personally experienced segregated health care, I do not want any of my patients to ever have to wonder if they are receiving the best possible care, feel too intimidated to ask questions, or be denied proper care because of their ethnic or economic backgrounds. I strive to treat everyone with excellence, dignity, and compassion.

Who was my mentor?

My grandmother, Mrs. Virginia Brown Gaskin, who encouraged me to achieve my dreams while remembering my roots. My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Martin (my mother is my business manager), and Dr. Edith Irby Jones.

How has my career evolved over time?

I truly enjoy being a physician and I'm constantly evolving in balancing career and family life. I feel wonderful knowing I can be a physician and still be me.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from National Library of Medicine. From the National Library of Medicine's exhibition Changing the Face of Medicine; as a work of the United States government, in the public domain. The physicians' portraits are not copied.

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