Interviewing Dr. Sheldon Riklon: COVID-19 and the Marshallese Community

Dr. Sheldon Riklon is a Marshallese family medicine physician based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is one of the founders of the Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force to address the needs of the disproportionately affected Marshallese community. In this interview, Dr. Riklon discusses the influences that led to him becoming a family medicine physician, and combatting the misinformation and disinformation about COVID to the Marshallese community.

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Keywords: Marshallese, family physician, Micronesian, Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force, Marshallese Radio Health Program

Index

00:00:30 Journey to becoming a Marshallese family physician

00:04:08 Adjustments in Hawaii

00:07:08 Discrimination as a Marshallese medical student

00:11:38 Influence to enter medicine

00:16:44 Being one of two Marshallese physicians, choosing family medicine

00:21:53 Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force

00:31:14 Losses during COVID, social distancing

00:39:57 Addressing structural racism and language access