Rakiyah Jones, MD, DNP, MBA, MPH
Founder | Physician | Nurse | Veteran | Advocate
Hi, I’m Dr. kai—
A first-gen college grad, Army vet, dual-trained disruptor, and incoming Combined Internal Medicine & Pediatrics resident at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. I didn’t take the traditional path into medicine—because let’s be honest, the traditional path wasn’t built for folks like me. I forged my own.
This journey started in communities that were overlooked and underserved—and it’s personal. I’ve seen what happens when care is delayed, denied, or designed without us in mind. That’s why I’ve spent the last 15+ years as a nurse, nurse practitioner, and now physician working to rewrite that narrative.
I earned my MD from St. George’s University, a DNP and MS as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Columbia University, and my BSN from Rutgers-Newark (formerly UMDNJ). I’ve got a Palliative Care fellowship, a Post-Master’s in Acute Care from UPenn, and because sleep is optional, I also knocked out an MBA and MPH from Liberty University. Yes, at this point, my degrees need their own group chat—but every one of them sharpened the tools I use to build systems that actually serve people.
I’m board-certified as an FNP and served 13 years in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, where I learned how to lead under pressure—and how to pivot when lives are on the line.
I’ve opened my own practice (Kinfolk Health 360°), teach at an Ivy League, and led transgender health initiatives as Clinical Director at a major health system in NYC. I’ve cared for patients in the Bronx, Washington Heights, New Jersey and everywhere else the system pretends not to see.
In 2020, the University of Pennsylvania named me The Advocate in their Top 20 Next Generation Nursing Alumni. My work’s also been featured in The Columbia Magazine, spotlighting my push for inclusive, concierge-style care that meets people where they are—literally and figuratively.
And now? I’m the founder of UndergroundMD—where we turn healthcare underdogs into disruptors. Whether you’re thinking about med school, launching your own practice, or just tired of playing small in a system that doesn’t get you—we’ve got room for you here. This isn’t just coaching. This is strategy, mentorship, and movement-building rolled into one.
Because we don’t wait for doors to open—we knock them down, build our own and hold them open for the next one up.
My Approach
At UndergroundMD, we empower the next generation of diverse healthcare disruptors through mentorship, education, and unapologetic advocacy. We challenge outdated systems, amplify underrepresented voices, and equip clinicians with real-world tools to lead, heal, and transform their communities—from the ground up. This is medicine reimagined. Raw. Real. Revolutionary.
🔮Dream it
Reclaim the vision. Redefine the path.
Challenge traditional norms of medical education and leadership.
Reignite purpose for healthcare professionals left uninspired by the system.
Provide culturally grounded mentorship for marginalized future clinicians.
Spark innovation in how we see and practice medicine.
UndergroundMD empowers visionaries to dream boldly—beyond board scores and white coats. We nurture raw potential, build confidence in identity, and redefine what’s possible for those told they don’t belong. This is where purpose meets rebellion—and where futures are unapologetically reclaimed.
🔨Build it
Turn strategy into power. Execute with precision.
Offer tactical coaching on career moves, board prep, and clinical mastery.
Guide entrepreneurial clinicians in launching bold, community-based practices.
Provide blueprints for breaking cycles of burnout and gatekeeping.
Deliver tools to help disrupt, not just survive, the system.
UndergroundMD doesn’t just inspire—we build. Brick by brick, we equip clinicians to launch practices, brands, and movements that flip the script. We architect liberation through strategy, sweat, and sharp execution. Because dreaming isn’t enough—it's time to build what doesn’t yet exist.