Erica Ogwumike

About

Nigerian American physician, dermatologist-in-training, content creator, and Olympic basketball player also known online as Erica The MD and known for documenting life in medical school and residency while also being a world-class athlete and becoming one of the highly recognizable doctor creators on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

Before fame

She initially gained national recognition through basketball. She attended Rice University where she became one of the most decorated players in school history. She was drafted into the WNBA in April 2020. She had been preparing for medicine since her sophomore year of college and had been accepted to eight medical schools in 2020 as well. She ultimately chose to begin medical school at UT Southwestern and became part of the Class of 2024. She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021 while enrolled in medical school. She began sharing content online on social media in late 2020.

Trivia

She graduated from UT Southwestern in 2024 and received an Award for Excellence in Dermatology. She was selected 26th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. Her draft rights were then traded to the Minnesota Lynx, but she did not go on to play a regular-season WNBA game as she went to medical school instead.

Family life

She was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is the youngest of four sisters in a Nigerian American family. She and all three of her sisters have played basketball.

Associated with

Her older sisters Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike are professional basketball players.