Northwestern doctor's career inspired by mother's HIV work

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Dr. Constants Adams watched her mother run a home for women battling HIV and drug addiction in the early 90s in Detroit. That inspired her to become a doctor.

"She created a place where she could serve a community that was in need that was pretty much being ignored by the system at that point and time," said Dr. Adams, who just wrapped up her residency at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women's Hospital.

Dr. Adams not only shares her mother's passion for helping people, they also have the same name. Ms. Constants Adams said she founded Aware and Serene after losing friends to AIDS.

"It was very much starting to affect people in the African American community, and people were definitely dying from it," Ms. Adams said.

Ms. Adams used some of her own money to run the facility. And, as a single mother, she said she had no choice but to bring her daughter with her while she was working with the residents.

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Dr. Adams said during that time, she learned a valuable lesson that she carries with her as an OB-GYN.

"People know when you care about them and when you're invested in them and you want to see them do better and when you want to help them do better," Dr. Adams said.

Ms. Adams said the country has come a long way since the first documented cases of AIDS 40 years ago. And she's proud that her work motivated her daughter to pursue a career to serve people in need.

"She has fulfilled her place through identifying how she could effectively impact not only a population, but people in general," Ms. Adams said.

Dr. Adams said she has accepted a job at Northwestern OB/GYN Consultants.

"I'm excited to get started actually working as an attending physician and actually seeing this dream come to fruition," she said.