Florida A&M Alumna made History as Vanderbilt’s first Black Female Neurosurgeon Resident

 By Wynton Jackson

(Source: ClutchPoints)

      HBCUs are all too familiar with students who break barriers and rewrite history. This year, Marie Fowler became the oldest student to graduate from Howard University after receiving her doctorate in Divinity at 83 years of age. Last year, around the same time, Florida A&M graduate Tamia Potter became the first Black woman to gain entry into Vanderbilt University’s College of Medicine and Department of Neurological Surgery. No Black woman had ever been accepted as a neurosurgery resident in the college’s 148-year history.

Potter, a 2018 graduate from Florida A&M, grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. She had been interested in medicine from a young age, earning her Certified Nursing Assistant license in high school and working at a nursing home at 17 years old. After she received a chemistry degree with a minor in biology, Potter attended Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine. She graduated from Case Western in 2023 and soon found out which residency program she matched with.

“Match Day,” which takes place in mid-to-late March, is a day where graduating medical students learn if they have been accepted for a residency program. Depending on the school and the program, Match Day can be an especially harrowing and anxiety-filled experience. Vanderbilt is known for a particularly strict acceptance rate, likely landing around just four percent. In 2021, Vanderbilt College of Medicine accepted 96 students out of 7,410 applications, according to Shemmassian Academic Consulting. Therefore, Potter’s resume and academic transcript must have been one of the best in the country.

“I have started residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in neurological surgery and can’t wait to see what the next seven years have in store,” she said.

Potter entered a field that desperately needs more representation. Just 5.7% of physicians in the nation are Black, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Further more, a 2019 report found only 33 Black women neurosurgeons. Despite the layers of obstacles, Potter knew what she wanted and worked hard to reach her top-ranked school.

“As a child, watching my mom, a nurse, care for patients – I was always questioning why the body works the way it does,” she told The Daily, Case Western’s newspaper. “I knew [then] I wanted to learn and understand how the brain and nervous system worked; I wanted to be a neurosurgeon.”

This year, Florida A&M had Potter return as a guest speaker for its STEM Day on April 13.

“I firmly believe that STEM week is not just an event; it’s a vital cornerstone in our mission to cultivate innovation, critical thinking, and excellence in scientific disciplines for students in middle and high school,” said Florida A&M Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Allyson L. Watson.