My First Name is Doctor
By Shawna A. Flanagan, MD, FAAD Twenty plus years ago I decided to establish a practice that I could call my own. However, I soon realized that establishing myself as a female business owner and doctor in a male dominated industry would be no easy feat. Fast forward to 2020, I have established myself as a successful dermatologist and business owner. As my journey progressed, I somewhat foolishly believed that many of the gender specific roles placed on doctors in the past had dissipated. However, this notion quickly vanished when one of my younger female colleagues lamented that she was struggling to get her patients to address her by her preferred title, “Doctor”. Although I am not typically one to get hung up on the details, soon after she brought this issue to my attention I couldn’t help but notice thereafter every instance patients referred to me by my first name and not the title that I had worked so hard to gain. No matter how hard I tr...