Dr. Shanteria Dixon is very passionate about her work, and it was a pleasure interviewing her. Through her many words of encouragement and support that she provides other young girls in being able to do what they want when they grow up, her achievements and dedication to the medical field help her shine among her fellow colleagues.
"I think I have adjusted my goal over the years," she said. "Initially, I wanted to save the world and help everyone from this community have a better life, but I think at this point, being realistic, if even one or two girls are able to hear my story or see my path in life, to grow up in poverty and still make it, I think at the other end—that will be enough for me."
–Dr. Shanteria Dixon
Q: Dr. Shanteria Dixon, tell me a little bit about yourself. What made you want to get into the medical field?
A: Thanks for having me today. I have a bit of a different story. I was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, but I was born in Peoria, Illinois, a small town outside Chicago. But growing up here, I was the youngest of eight. When I was younger, three of us were in the house, but my mom had eight kids. So big family, a lot of really great family support. But what really changed my life is I got hit by a car when I was 13. I was crossing Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, a street in our city. And a drunk driver hit me, and I became a trauma patient. So it was kind of my first introduction to the healthcare field. The surgeon who operated on my legs that night his name was Dr. Richard Wiener.
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I broke my pelvis in both legs, so they said I spent about eight hours in surgery. But this experience, having to learn how to walk again and being a patient, kind of going through it, really opened my eyes to the difference you can have in healthcare. So I wrote him a letter asking if I could shadow him in the operating room and his office. And he actually called me back on the phone, which was pretty amazing. So I thought I was like 13 or 14 at the time, and I had this big orthopedic surgeon who is the most humble, most genuine, amazingly competent person; call me on my phone and ask, you know, if I was interested in volunteering with him.
So that was really the big thing of it all.
I started shadowing him in his office. He gave me a job in his office. Then I would go to the operating room with him and just watch him put phones back together from horrific car accidents and, you know, phone replacements or joint replacements, things like that. So that was pretty influential in my quest to become a doctor. I also started shadowing the trauma surgeon that works in that department. So that's how I got interested in medicine and how this journey took off.
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Q: So when you asked to shadow a doctor, at that point, were you anywhere near doing anything in the medical field, or was it just kind of like, I want to learn how to do this stuff?
A: Not at all. Well, I wouldn't say no direction. I love math and science, but I absolutely had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. In hindsight, I probably would've ended up in law enforcement. My sister's a police officer, and her husband, my brother. So very law enforcement, heavy family. And I knew I wanted to do something with the community and help people. We come from a very service-oriented family. My mom was a nurse's aide and always wanted to be a nurse. I have a sister who's a nurse and a sister who's a teacher. So very kind of service giving back oriented type family. I had never met a woman, a female doctor, or a black doctor. I didn't even think it was a possibility for me. So it was definitely not on my radar before this accident.
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Q: So I saw you volunteered at a Good Samaritan Medical Center, part of the Palm Beach Health Network when you decided to volunteer and give your time and things like that. Was there any specific reason you chose this place, or did you just kind of have a list of places and were looking to see who would accept you? How did that go?
A: Yeah, so how that one is, I actually wanted to volunteer at St. Mary’s Medical Center, part of the Palm Beach Health Network. This place is where I had my surgery and was a patient; I wanted to volunteer in the emergency department and the trauma center because that was my experience there. But I was too young. I think I was only about 15 or 16 at the time. And the two hospitals are kind of sister hospitals, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center, also part of the Palm Beach Health Network. So they said, you can start at Good Samaritan Medical Center and then once you get older, you can move over to St. Mary’s Medical Center. So I started volunteering at Good Samaritan Medical Center because it was also closer to my school. And it was through this program. So I volunteered at the medical records department doing basic clerical duties and things like that. But they had this amazing library that looked like something from Hogwarts.
So it was very fancy and had all these beautiful things, but I could just go in and get anatomy books, make little flashcards, and study stuff on my own outside of my schoolwork. And I absolutely loved that. So I fell in love with it there and eventually ended up going, I think, also doing some clerical volunteer work and risk management when the manager from the medical records department left. And then, when I was old enough, I went to St. Mary's and started volunteering on their pediatric general medical floor and then the pediatric emergency department. And then when I was even older, I think it was like 17 or 18, I was able to switch over to the adult ed, and that was awesome because it was kind of full circle coming back to where I was once a patient and also feeling that I was old enough and mature enough to be in that space.
I would go on the weekends, Friday nights, and Saturday nights, whenever there were holidays and I was off from school. It was pretty amazing because, as you know, as a high school student, you don't think that you're able to be in these spaces with these doctors and nurses. But I formed a lot of really good friendships and bonds. Even some of the nurses there now were there when I was in high school, and it's pretty serendipitous that they can see me as a doctor and saw me as this little high school kid there.
I realize this all happened in those high school years, which is quite amazing. I didn't even think they let high schoolers do that kind of stuff.
Unfortunately, post-COVID, I think it is a little stricter, but this was back in 1997, so things were a little different. You still go through the same training, you know, HIPPA, making sure you're compliant with patient information and keeping all that private. And they were pretty good about asking patients, are you okay if a volunteer shadows; so it's not just sprung on all the patients. I spent a lot of time there, and I would go to the operating room with Dr. Robert Borrego, who's been the trauma director for many years, I believe over 30 years. And he would quiz me on different surgical cases. It was amazing being a high school student and having the surgeon ask me questions about anatomy and physiology while doing it. That really sparked my love for being in the hospital and medicine.
Q: What school did you end up going to? Because, like I said, you've done all this stuff while you're in high school, so what school kind of sparked your interest to further your knowledge in the medical field?
A: When I was in high school, I went to Palm Beach Gardens High School. It was a medical magnet program. And I could get my foot in the door there because of all the volunteer work I did. As an undergraduate, I went to the University of Florida. Florida Bright FIS was a great scholarship for Florida residents. So I come from a family background with not a lot of financial support, and I was able to take advantage of that Florida Bright feature scholarship. I went to the University of Florida for undergrad and grad school. I went to Emory to get my master's in public health. And then medical school, I was also grateful to get a scholarship to Cleveland Clinic LER College of Medicine at Case Western. So I went up to Ohio for a bit, and now we're back in Florida.
Q: First, what kind of things did you learn while volunteering? And then those things you learned while you were volunteering, do you think helped you get through medical school a lot smoother than maybe if you hadn't done these things?
A: Oh, for sure. So you have to understand I was a complete nerd. So I used to go to the library; I would go rent the anatomy physiology books that I didn't even understand half the words. I would have to have a dictionary next to me and look up some words because I didn't know them. But I was able to get through quite a bit of anatomy. I knew all the bones, a lot of the ligaments, and tissues; I knew everything about the heart and the lungs. So when I did get to medical school, that part was definitely a lot easier, anatomy and physiology. So much so after my first couple years in medical school, I was able to actually be a teacher in our cadaver lab for the younger medical students.
Typically, the younger medical students were taught by surgical residents. Still, they would let us, those of us who were interested in surgery in those fields, we could go and do the cadaver lab the day before and then stay there and teach some of the medical students when they came in. So it definitely, helped me with my medical education. I would make flashcards and quiz myself and had a whole syllabus of self-learning that I did. In hindsight, I probably should have spent that time hanging out with my friends and making a little bit more of those memories. But I loved it, and it was just so enjoyable to me that it worked out. That may not be fun for everyone, but that was fun.
So that part of it helped for sure. And then, like I said, I met many new people. All the nurses and the doctors, many of them have been lifelong friends. The trauma surgeon director is still a very close family friend. He came to my wedding, he and his wife came to my wedding, and even he supported me on my journey to get into medicine, wrote me recommendation letters and things like that. So the bonds I made while volunteering doesn't have to be just for that small short period of time; you can take those relationships with you throughout, especially in medicine. You know, it's a small world and a lot of people, everyone knows everybody in certain fields, and you never know how those people can be in your corner and be supportive of you.
And then lastly, I think it just furthered a lot of opportunities. There are some programs where you have to have a certain amount of volunteer hours. Still, I think volunteering in a place or in a space that you're passionate about and enjoy that furthers your education is great. It's a win-win for everyone because you can use those opportunities. So you don't always start in the same space you want, but if you don't keep going, you can't get there. I had to move up in the ranks and go from, like, medical records to the pediatric floor. Still, I eventually made it to where I really wanted to be: the adult emergency department and the trauma center. I was lucky enough to still enjoy the journey and learn something in every space I was in.
Q: I know you mentioned previously that you hadn't seen any Black women in the medical field and stuff like that. So along your journey, did you start seeing more of them?
A: So I did, and I was speaking with a couple of my mentees a couple of days ago about how I think the first time I saw a black female physician was during grad school. And that was 2006, I believe, in Atlanta. I was amazed because West Palm Beach is much different than it was in the late nineties and two thousand. And I don't know if it was just the space I was in because I didn't see too many doctors, period unless I was volunteering at the hospital or going to the hospital. So, it could have just been that I wasn't in the right spaces, but I definitely didn't appreciate it as much until I moved to Atlanta. And then also, when I went to Cleveland, being such a medical oasis; I saw many Black female doctors there.
But you know, I can't speak for everybody's experience. I have quite a few black female friends who are doctors and plenty of nurses. So I know we have similar experiences, but it's very fulfilling. It's fulfilling to be in a space where you're not expected to be, but also a space where you can have a voice and represent a different community that sometimes is disenfranchised and not heard. And that some of the decisions aren't made with them in consideration. So that feels very fulfilling. But I mean, it can be exhausting being in a space where you're sometimes the only female or the only person of color. But I think with it comes much responsibility knowing that it is a privilege and that there are plenty of women and girls who would give almost anything to be able to be a Black female doctor.
So I think it's an honor. I tell the nurses all the time it's an honor and a privilege to care for people. And I love my job. It's a mantra that some days it's more trying to refocus myself. Still, I tell them I truly do mean it, and I say it even when I'm not trying to refocus myself. When we keep that at the forethought of the mind, all the exhaustion that comes with trying to convince people that certain issues matter, it kind of fades to the wayside, and it just gives me more strength to keep going, you know?
Q: Do you ever feel like you struggle with proving to people you know what you're doing and sometimes them not taking you seriously enough? Have you dealt with a lot of that? Or with everything that you did to prepare to be here, do you feel like it didn't matter as much?
A: No, for sure. I feel like some days are a struggle. I feel that all of the failures, the stumbling blocks, the pressure, and how hard I had to work to get here helped make me stronger in dealing with certain situations. I basically just focus on how it is humbling. It's humbling to be in this spot. And I try to ensure that even if someone is approaching me in a manner that is not as warm as I would like, you know, it's not always necessarily malicious and intense; it's sometimes just secondary to bias or experience. I would just give you an example, and maybe that'll make sense. I walked into a room with my white coat with my name, and the patient was like, oh, okay, someone's here to change the garbage.
That took me back a little bit, and I was like, okay, I don't mind changing your garbage if you need me to, but I am the doctor, and I'm here to take care of you. You know? So it was; I don't think he meant it badly or maliciously. I think it was just a bias that, seeing me in that space, he was not accustomed to having a Black female walk in as a doctor. So it's just I have to take a deep breath and take a moment and realize that I still have to be professional and ensure my heart is still in a good place. I know that my intention and job is to care for this person regardless. But sometimes it is; it's challenging, and you have to refocus yourself. I definitely think being in medical school is not easy. Residency is not easy. So that prepares you for situations like this. You know, when you have to just think through your response to certain difficult situations. We are thankfully credentialed and know what we're doing. So it makes it not as daunting, I guess, as it seems.
Q: I also saw that you are a Leading Emergency Physician. So what was the journey to becoming that?
A: So that was definitely a journey. I took the scenic route because I did undergrad. I did the university of Florida and studied Spanish. My initial intention was to go straight to medical school. However, I did not study properly for the MCAT the first time. I was very accustomed to just math and science always coming very easy. Like even AP classes, things I didn't have to study as much, I would just review them and do really well. So I took that same approach to the MCAT for the first time. Did not do well at all. So I had to take a step back, regroup, and refocus. Then I realized I actually really needed a study course to teach me how to learn to take this test.
It doesn't necessarily translate into how much medical, how much scientific and mathematical knowledge you have. You have to learn that test-taking skill, which I don't think I had because I had done so well without acquiring it over the years. So I retook the MCAT while I was doing grad school. I was already planning on getting a master's anyway. Still, now I figured I'd just get a master's before medical school instead of during medical school, which many people do as well.
So I studied for the MCAT and took a prince interview course that helped me do amazingly well compared to what I did before. So with that score increase, that wasn't super common to have that much of a jump into different scores. That was a determining factor in helping me get a scholarship at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western. And also, the fact that I had my master's in public health and I had a lot of research experience, those things kind of helped me get that in. That was very humbling because I was not used to failing.
The road to medical school was extremely humbling because of that failure. I was never really like a cocky kind of conceited person. However, it still took me down a couple of pegs to realize that it's not a guarantee that you will get into medical school or do well on an MCAT. That was a very hard thing I had to do, especially making that detour to grad school before going to medical school. But once I got there, it was pretty awe-inspiring, just seeing how the doctors make such a difference in patients' lives.
I had quite a few amazing mentors because I started out wanting to do trauma surgery, and I was going to do the general surgery route. I did a lot of things and shadowed many general surgeons; I created a general surgery interest group through the Cleveland Clinic, and we even had a pager where we would get paged when a transplant was happening. So as a first and second-year, third-year medical student, you can go with a transplant team to harvest organs and bring 'em back and do that. It was amazing to see how many lives were saved just by people dedicating their lives to education and learning how to fix these medical problems. I thankfully never got that God complex you get when you see you have that influence. Still, it is amazing that humans have been given the ability to help each other dramatically through surgery, medicines, and different procedures.
And then, towards the end of that journey when I became a doctor, I think it's just been unreal. It just really doesn't seem real. Even my medical school graduation, I'm like looking around. I can't believe this is actually my life. Even today, I sometimes have to pinch myself, and it's just to think about how I have achieved more than my wildest dreams through God's grace. When I go do a shift, and I have a really good shift, it feels like second nature, the tasks that we have to do. I know how to intubate people, probably in my sleep. I can put you on a brain machine, do different procedures, things that we do that actually save lives, and help people because of great training and because I take very much pride in doing a good job. That's what I love.
I love when people are sick, and I can make them not sick, or when they're actively dying or dead, we can bring them back. Like, I love those moments. Not all everybody does, and I totally understand it because it's probably not the most normal thing to enjoy. But for me, it just makes me feel very happy and accomplished, and it makes me feel like I'm actually doing something that matters with this short life I've been blessed with.
Once I step back and think about it naturally, I can't tell you why particularly, but I think it probably has to do with the accident. However, even before that, I still kind of had an adrenaline-junky kind of personality where I like things to be exciting. It's really interesting because, during those situations, I'm not necessarily stressed. I actually feel it's more like a calm feeling. It's what I imagine pilots feel like when they're taking off and landing. It is probably the most stressful and dangerous flight time, but for them, it's probably just beautiful and calm because they know what they're doing. They've been trained to do this, and that's probably the most enjoyable part, enjoyable part of that, the flight for them.
And I think that's how it's for medicine when people are really sick, and I know what to do, and I know how to help them; that's the most enjoyable part for me. And then seeing them improve is the icing for that part. I take it very hard when I lose patience, especially if I think there was anything I could have possibly done to change the situation. I know that I'm not God, none of us are God, but you know, he uses us in certain situations to intervene to help people when it's just not their time to go. Those are the cases that I really appreciate, and I try to force myself to remember that when we do lose patients because you can't save everyone, you know? But every case is just a great learning opportunity. So I try to make sure the cases that are really hard, especially with kids and people that are unexpectedly dying really early, I make sure that I learn something from it so that next time I'm faced with a situation, we can do it even better.
Q: I can see your passion for it, so that's great. So, you're also an Advisory Board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County. And you run their mentorship program. What is it like being a board member and then also taking the role of running the mentorship program?
A: So, I am one of the advisory board members for the FLORENCE DE GEORGE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF WEST PALM BEACH off Pinewood Avenue. We have a lot of centers in West Palm Beach, I think about 17. And this is just one center. So this center, last year, we started a young girl's mentoring program where we usually brought speakers into the center once or twice a month. We had CEOs of hospitals, therapists, entrepreneurs, and police officers, just talking about their different medical paths in their fields. And I think it was a successful program, but the girls' interest seemed to wane just a little bit toward the end. And I get it; they were sitting in a big, open room, with people just speaking to them.
So this year, I aim to make it more interactive and take the program offsite. So our first session was at Good Samaritan Medical Center. We have a few other things planned around for the remaining of the semester, but I really just want to expose them to different careers and vocations that they may or may not have been exposed to before, just to show them that there are options and to really get them excited about something. I think that helped me, knowing that my end goal was to be a doctor early on. I told you before that I didn't think I was going to be a doctor, but I knew I would try and work my hardest. I didn't know if I would end up doing something else at some point along the way, but I made sure that that was my end goal.
I think that helped me when I had these failures and different stumbling blocks come up; it just helped propel me and push me to be like, this is the goal, and we still have to keep going there. That's what I hope to show these girls, you just have to have something to look forward to, and you have to have something to push forward to you. Even if you divert and go a different way, at least you're still on that road and moving forward instead of staying stagnant. I think you kind of get in trouble when you just stay stagnant, and years just go by, they add up, and before you know it, you haven't achieved anything you wanted to. Then regret sets in, and I just don't want them to have any regret. Because we have such short precious life on this earth, and no day is guaranteed. We really owe it to ourselves, our families, and our community to stay strong and diligent. Give it as much as possible to get where we need to go.
Q: How long is the mentorship program?
A: So we started in January, and we're going to go through June or July, and it'll probably take the summer off and start up again. Last year was a bit complicated with different things going on in my life and post many things going on with school. So it was hard to get it started up. My goal was to start it in September, but we ended up postponing it until January. But we'll go until June this year, and then we'll pick it back up in the fall.
Q: Is there a set curriculum for the mentorship program? I know you mentioned speakers, but what are they doing throughout the program? Just a little bit more detail.
A: These girls are in school; it's an afterschool program, so there's not a set curriculum. Last year we honed into our network. So I knew quite a few people, and we partnered with another local organization, and they knew a few people. As we're going down a list of different careers we've touched already, we didn't have as many Black entrepreneurs last year. So this year, I'm touching base with two local Black-owned businesses, one is an office, and one is a store. We're trying to take the girls there for them to see business ownership and small business ownership in the Black community. And then I'm hoping to get them to the airport to see a helicopter and a tour there for aviation because we wanted to do that last year. We didn't just have resources; now, we have that through networking.
We've also been invited to tour a new station, so we'll do some broadcasting and journalism, but I'm hoping to have a broad range of careers to show them. Since last year was more of lawyers and CEOs of the hospital, it was more of an administrative focus, and I'm trying to branch out and do a few other things. So there's not a set curriculum. We had a few set sessions, four or five sessions that we wanted to do: the hospital, the Black businesses, the airport, and then a mindfulness session at the beach. But all the other ones are more, so just going to try to network through the community and see who would be willing to host the girls and impart some of their knowledge to them.
We also had the girls give us some ideas of what fields they were interested in. So the very first session a year and a half ago, they wrote down a list. And so that actually has been what we are going off of. So it wasn't us dictating to the girls where they were going. They're actually giving us input along the way too.
Q: What kind of advice would you give to aspiring doctors or young girls? And what resources would you say are out there for them to succeed?
A: Where to begin? If they're interested in becoming a doctor or somewhere in a healthcare field, I would say the best resources are whatever is local to them. As a trauma patient, I reached out to the doctor who operated on my legs. And just reaching out, gaining that relationship and mentorship, you need to find a mentor because it's hard depending on where you are; you may not know anyone in the field that you want to go into in your family. It will make it difficult for you to open up some doors without knowing anyone. So you have to reach out to someone if you are interested.
Hey, can I shadow you? Can I hang out with you in the office? Can you help me? Can we meet for coffee and discuss your path and what you do? Those relationships really got me to where I am. So I think that is definitely the most beneficial thing. But also doing research too. When I was interested in surgery, I researched Black females who were trauma surgeons, and I would send emails. There was this trauma surgeon in Connecticut who responded back to me. I sent her an email, and we corresponded back and forth during medical school. Most people who enjoy what they're doing and care about people are willing to talk to you, even if they're really busy, and just give you some ideas on getting to where you're trying to go.
But I think just reaching out, establishing those relationships, and getting good mentorship early on are really important. And I think that's why this program is really important to me.
Q: Is there anything that maybe I didn't ask you about that you would like to ensure gets in the article?
A: Thank you so much. I appreciate your wanting to speak with me. That's also the surreal part. I'm just here. I don't know why people want to talk to me, so it's unreal.
Because you're doing great things.
I'm doing my job and trying to make this world a better place. I know that sounds really cliche, but it really is. I feel like there's so much more I could be doing. There are nonprofits I want to start, all the babies I want to save, and all the stray animals I want to save. I'm just doing the minimum that I can with the time I have. So I appreciate that you appreciate what I'm doing. That means a lot.
