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50 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com Alissa Shulman, MD Chief of the Surgery, Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Sovereign Plastic Surgery S he may turn a few heads with her shocking pink stripe painted in her cropped brunette hair, but being different and creative is nothing new for Dr. Alissa Shulman, 48. A self-described rebel, she always saw things differently growing up, especially when it came to her creative side and love of medicine. Drawing by age two and sewing by age four, she also loved to make her own clothes. Shulman credits her mother with not only encouraging her artistry, but also showing her girls could do anything they wanted – even become doctors. at perspective served Shulman well through her medical career. She devised her own path to medical school while attending undergraduate school, crafting a new dual-major that embraced her love of art and anatomy. After completing her residency, she joined a thriving plastic surgery practice in the Midwest that would ultimately become a life-changing decision for her. As the go-to reconstructive breast surgeon in Sarasota since 2008, Shulman is a vocal and visible advocate for breast cancer awareness with her pink hair. is year, Shulman has even more reason to stand out in the male dominated plastic surgery field. She's the first woman to be named as Chief of the Surgery Department and Section Chief of Plastic Surgery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. She's also taking on a larger role in the medical community, serving as President of the Sarasota County Medical Society and on the board of direction for the Florida State Society of Plastic Surgery. Despite her busy schedule she credits multitasking and her staff scheduling to allow her to spend her time with her husband, Bill Edwards, and two daughters, Ayla and Mallory. Here, in her own words, Shulman describes how she was able to thrive in the boys' network of medicine and how some hard lessons helped her build a successful practice in Sarasota. You found your love of medicine through art and sculpture. How did that happen? I wanted to go into medicine since I was four-years old. My art, drawing and sculpting started with my original first drawing at age two. According to my mom, I was drawing recognizable pictures at two or two-and-a-half. When I was four, I told my mom I wanted to be a nurse. She goes, "Well, why don't you want to be a doctor?" I said, "Well girls are nurses and boys are doctors." I was already thinking that. She said to me, "No, you can be whatever you want." As a child you enjoyed the tactile experience of working with your hands. How did that lead to medicine? My dad drew. You can kind of see that back there, but my mom cultivated it. She was always By Katherine Ferrara Johnson Continued on page 52

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