Meet Shauna Higgins MD | Board-Certified Dermatologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shauna Higgins MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shauna, we’d love to hear more about what you do and why you chose to work within a private practice startup environment?
I am the medical director of a single clinic within a private practice start-up, but the motivation to work in this setting vs another larger institution was based on several factors. These included the flexibility to create a fresh and modern practice in alignment with my values and the values of my colleagues.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I practice a combination of medical, cosmetic, and procedural dermatology in Downtown, Los Angeles. I absolutely love what I do because of the actual content and because of the people I have the opportunity to engage with on a daily basis. I love connecting with people and I think what sets our clinic apart is our emphasis on connection and community. We focus on creating a diverse staff, in addition to a warm, welcoming, modern, clean space where you feel seen and heard. It fills my heart to the brim when I hear feedback from patients letting us know that we achieved that for them because it’s so important to me.

Getting here, however, was far from easy. Being a minority in healthcare comes with its own set of challenges, but then also choosing to pursue one of the most competitive specialities adds an entirely different layer of difficulty. Throughout the challenges of my journey, however, I’ve learned that the best things in life take time and intention. As long as you continue to listen to your heart in regards to what excites and fulfills you and you also put the right work ethic behind it, you can’t go wrong.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love playing tour guide in LA and have a few places that I would take most people.

There are a TON of good places to eat so based on their favorite food, we’d definitely take a culinary tour of LA.
I’d take them to my favorite beach, which is El Matador State Beach in Malibu. Just driving up PCH is honestly a very LA and peaceful experience.
We’d go on some nice hikes with great views.
We’d go to Wasteland for some thrift shopping. This is my absolute FAVORITE consignment story in LA. They always have such great, unique pieces and the music is always so good. It’s just a whole vibe.
We’d also just explore Melrose and the Fairfax district, which I love for all the streetwear.
We’d explore the beach towns like Santa Monica and the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s extremely tough to pick a singular person to whom I’d like to dedicate this shout out. My success is because of my village. My parents, Yvonne and Leon Higgins, and my sister, ShaVonne Higgins have unwaveringly supported me in so many ways throughout this journey. My friends have all supported me in their own ways and tolerated my absence from so many social gatherings and some more important life events because I “had to study.” My mentor, Dr. Ashley Wysong, truly took me under her wing and guided and championed me in a way I’ve never seen anyone before her do. My success was deeply personal to her and for that, I can never thank her enough.

Instagram: @dr.shauna.higgins

Twitter: @dr.shauna.higgins