Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Susan Edionwe.
Dr. Edionwe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a Nigerian American and also an Otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat) and a fellowship trained sinus and skull base surgeon. My story started when I was a child less than the age of ten. My parents immigrated to America just before I was born and were strong believers in education. My mother was the Valedictorian of her high school and college in Nigeria with a Master’s degree and my father a Ph.D. A strong education was second only to loving Jesus as the most important thing my parents wanted and expected from us to achieve. My Mom was the strongest driving factor behind this as she wanted us to achieve an education and financial freedom, so we could blaze our own trail as women. So, because of her, our second home was the local library growing up. She wanted us to learn how to conquer the world one book at a time.
We did not have a lot growing up. With five children, sometimes making ends meet was a long feat. But what we did have, undoubtedly thanks to my Mom, was our dreams of a bright future (and Jesus… can’t forget about that!), I decided I wanted to be a doctor in middle school along with my older sister. From then until college, my singular focus was to get into medical school. The day I did, I exhaled for the first time in what seemed like a decade.
Medical school at UTMB Galveston was the easiest and best part of my medical career. I made life-long friends. I learned so much about medicine and about myself. It was in medical school that I realized I was the type of person that wanted to heal with my hands. I wanted to be a head and neck surgeon (ENT). I graduated from medical school full of ambition. Thereafter, things were more challenging. Not because of the set of skills I needed to learn, but rather because of the challenge of being in a world that felt like it wasn’t meant for me.
My first year of residency, I was the only female in my program. My five years in training, I was the only black female in my program. That came with its own unique set of challenges. Sometimes, I felt invisible. Sometimes, I felt underestimated. Many times, I felt alone. If the only residency was like Grey’s Anatomy. I could have amused myself with my very own Mr. McSteamy to pass the time (yum!) Regardless, I never doubted the voice in my head that told me I belonged there. Finishing residency was the second time I felt like I exhaled from what felt like the depths of my soul in my life.
I completed my fellowship in sinus and skull base surgery and that was a brief but great experience. I am now on the third leg of my medical career, private practice. This is the beast that no one really prepares you for. It hasn’t been perfect. There have been some missteps like my first job out of practice (yikes) but some successes too; most importantly, I am making it my personal mission to define myself as a damn good sinus surgeon (brushing shoulders off).
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I eluded to, residency was one of the most challenging times in my career. Not because of the education, but because of the dynamics, I endured as a black female surgeon. I bounced between feeling out of place to outright invisible. This was a challenge for me especially for someone used to being noticed for my accomplishments.
I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley. A minority among minorities. I was constantly recognized for my hard work and was never made to feel different or out of place. But in residency, it felt like no matter how hard I worked, I was still invisible. It felt like there was a ceiling everywhere I turned. I remember speaking to some other minority (black and/or female) residents about this and kept hearing “you have to work twice as hard to look half as good.” That made me angry. Look good to who? Why should my worth be defined by others?
Residency taught me a valuable lesson. Not everyone will like you. That is ok. Not everyone will respect you (no matter how hard you work for it) and that is ok (well it’s not but you get my drift). But, NO ONE’s opinion of you is worth more than your own. Feel this forever in your core and let no amount of intimidation shake this from you. I knew my skills and my worth. I invested in myself. I made moves in residency to forge opportunities for myself. I also learned to hold my head up high even when I didn’t always feel it inside. I owed it to the truth of myself, my worth, and my character to walk into a room with my head high. I earned that right and I never forgot it. While I couldn’t control the thoughts and feelings of others, I could control my own. For young women forging a career in a field where you are the minority, just remember it IS your right to be there. Make sure you remember that.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I currently practice at Allergy & ENT Associates in Sugar Land, TX. I am a sinus specialist and sinus surgeon and I LOVE IT. I see patients in clinic three times a week and operate twice a week. I call myself a sinus surgery savant. I become one with diseased sinuses and surgically restore them to health. People don’t realize how significantly sinus disease impacts your life. From chronic fatigue to sleep issues, chronic sinus disease can hijack so much of your time, energy and quality of life. The best part of my job is the moment when a frustrated patient smiles again. I have a Patch Adams-esque approach. It sounds corny, but it really makes my day to make a difference and to make my patients laugh or smile. While I am a doctor by day, I am a radio show host by night. I love educating – whether it is in a clinic or on my radio show “Medicine for the People” on Afrovibes Radio Houston (www.afrovibesradio.com). On my radio show, I talk about general medical topics and it is a way for me to share what I know with the masses. It is something I am very proud of.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Know your self-worth and don’t let anyone else question it. That is my foundation (besides Jesus… Amen!) When you know your self-worth, you won’t allow someone else’s foolishness to reflect on your self-esteem and your outlook on yourself or your life. Through my journey, I found that many people act out of their own insecurities often times in unbecoming ways. Thus, people in your path may try to intimidate you or disparage you. Knowing your worth is how you keep people like this from winning power over your life.
Contact Info:
- Address: Allergy & ENT Associates
1201 Creekway Drive
Sugar Land, TX 77478 - Website: https://www.aentassociates.com/providers/susan-edionwe-m-d/
- Phone: 2813250258
- Email: sedionwemd@gmail.com, sedionwe@aentassociates.com
- Instagram: the_dr_susan_edionwe
- Other: http://www.afrovibesradio.com/medicine-for-the-people
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
