Amber Hardeman
Leveling the Playing Field
Golf has a way of revealing character, and we like to think the game is reciprocally strengthened when attracting individuals of integrity and passion. Dr. Amber Hardeman didn’t immediately love golf at age 9, but it eventually won her over as she discovered, through The First Tee of Dallas, how the game promotes leadership, camaraderie and mentoring. Hardeman uses these attributes as a resident physician in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics at Tulane School of Medicine, working with patients in hospitals and intensive-care units throughout New Orleans, including those suffering from COVID-19. Hardeman, 29, hopes to make a difference combating tragic disparities in healthcare outcomes for people with income, cultural or educational disadvantages by developing more personal connections. It comes down to a willingness to learn, she says, “accepting people where they are in their lives” while “understanding how to get simple messages across” about treatments. Though golf has taken a back seat to her job, it is still very much a part of her (she helped revive a defunct First Tee program in Birmingham, Ala., while earning a master’s degree). Because golf’s expectations of honesty and the rules of the game don’t discriminate, it can serve as a model for health equity. “Golf is a level playing field,” she says, “regardless of how much money or status someone has.” It also helps her stay sharp. “Medicine is an incredibly taxing field—you have to keep your head in the game no matter what’s thrown your way.” That mental discipline, in turn, makes a difference in the lives of her patients. —Derek Duncan