Dr. Channa Blakely’s interest in surgery came at an early age due to her family’s medical history. Blakely grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and would spend her time watching hospital shows on television. The story plots she was watching on the screen ended up unfolding in her life through family tragedy. Her grandmother passed away from complications of diabetes when she was a teenager. Blakely would also observe her aunt, a dialysis patient, with a history of strokes, recover from the episodes she had. Blakely strived to get into a surgical specialty to ensure people would get the proper care they needed before the worst would come.

“I wanted to be a doctor since the age of five and never said anything else in life,” said Blakely. “When my grandmother died, it was a big turning point in my life. Thinking about her was motivation to keep striving to achieve my dream and make her proud.”

Blakely used her experiences to propel her through her medical career to get to where she is today. She notes that her older sister was also one of the driving forces supporting her through her journey, saying her sister was there for her at every step of the way.

It was not until Blakely was in medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) that she attended a Society of Black Academic Surgeons conference in Columbus, Ohio, where she found her answer in vascular surgery as her destiny.

“Up until I went to medical school, I had never heard of vascular surgery,” said Blakely. “To be enlightened about a specialty that fit perfectly with my ideal patient interests was amazing to me, making me evermore persistent in trying to get there.”

Blakely graduated from PCOM in 2019 and matched into vascular surgery in Galveston, Texas. She is finishing up her residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Blakely admits that when she encounters patients that look like her, she sees an implicit look of trust in their eyes and an understanding between them. She strives to build connections with all her patients but sees the importance of her role as an African American woman in a surgical specialty.

“I find that my patients express their pride and the comfort of me having a similar background to them. They often look at me for reassurance,” said Blakely.

Blakely grew up knowing the importance of Black History Month while in predominantly Black schools in New York. From a young age, she learned about the different ways that African Americans impacted American life from its beginning and stressed the importance of shedding light on passing down black history to others.

“I am proud to be a Black American. I take pride in all that I’ve been through, the good and the bad, and know that it’s just paving the way to where I am going,” said Blakely.

Dr. Blakely's profile was created in collaboration with the Voices of Vascular Series. Join the SVS and SVS Foundation as we honor celebratory months by sharing facts, highlighting SVS members and more. Visit the Voices of Vascular page to learn more.