'Stellar' FAMU alumna's path to being Vanderbilt's first Black woman neurosurgery resident

From as early as 11 years old, Florida A&M University alumna and Tallahassee native Tamia Potter always knew she wanted to be a neurosurgeon.

Recently matching at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee for her medical residency is what turned that dream into a reality.

But what made the achievement surreal for her was when she found out she also made history by becoming the first Black woman to be a neurosurgery resident in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's 148-year establishment.

“At first, I couldn't believe it,” Potter, 26, told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I felt like I just won the lottery and didn't believe that I actually won.”

Potter, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from FAMU in 2018 while on a pre-med track. She currently attends Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine and is undergoing one research extension year after having been at the university’s medical school for four years.

Match Day for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)’s Main Residency Match was on March 17 and is always on the third Friday of March each year. Ceremonies occur at medical schools across the country for students to find out where they matched for their residency.

“It got to a point where I was so relieved because the process was finally over, but I was so happy at the same time because I got to match at a place that I picked as my number one choice,” Potter added.

The video revealing her match result has gone viral on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, receiving nearly 800,000 views when initially posted on Instagram.

Potter has also been featured on CNN, Fox News and ABC News in the days following the accomplishment — something she was not expecting.

“I thought that I was just going to match and go home,” Potter said. “I didn't know that it was going to catch that much attraction, so the fact that it did was crazy.”

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Currently, there are 33 Black female neurosurgeons in the U.S., according to a report from The American Society of Black Neurosurgeons.

Potter was informed of the historic tie to her neurosurgeon residency match at Vanderbilt while on a phone call with her new program director after the results were revealed.

“In general, being Black in neurosurgery is a very rare thing,” Potter said. “I never really heard anybody talking about a Black woman training at Vanderbilt, so that's why I thought to ask. Now, I hold a responsibility to make sure that this goes all the way to the end, and it means the world to me.”

FAMU alumna Tamia Potter’s background

Prior to attending FAMU, Potter was a student at Wakulla High School and became a Certified Nursing Assistant through the school’s Medical Academy program — an early start to her journey in the medical field that contributed to her recent accomplishments.

While at FAMU, Potter became a member of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Her parents — Monique Potter and Tim Potter — and grandparents as well as her cousins and siblings also attended the HBCU (historically Black college or university).

“My experience at FAMU was amazing, and it felt like a family," Potter said. "Just having people that look like me be in the same class as me and teaching me was an amazing experience.”

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‘It doesn’t surprise me’

One of Potter’s significant supporters who she met at her alma mater is former FAMU Professor Tanganyika “Tangy” Wilder.

Wilder, who taught at FAMU from 2014 to 2022, had Potter as a student in her anatomy and physiology classes. She says Potter was one of her top students, and she would trust her with her life.

“It doesn't surprise me. I knew that she would get her top choice because they would be crazy to not accept her,” Wilder said, referring to Vanderbilt.

Wilder is currently the co-owner of CTW Broadcasting, a video production company, and the founder of Skolier Institute Summer Camp in Tallahassee. She says she looks forward to more of Potter’s groundbreaking moments.

“Tamia has a superior level of internal motivation, and she cares very deeply about people and their success. With all of that considered, I think that just translates into the kind of doctor that they would like to nurture.”

Potter says being a Black individual while navigating a space that most Black women don't reach has been the toughest challenge for her.

Despite the difficulties, she has supporters rooting for her along the way.

Another major supporter of Tamia is Dr. Edweana Robinson, who specializes in internal medicine. A 1981 graduate of Case Western Reserve, Robinson has been mentoring Tamia for the past five years.

"There's no way that she wasn't going to get it because she's stellar and she's a star, so I wasn't surprised about that,” said Robinson, 69, referring to the Vanderbilt match. “What I was really surprised about was that she is the first African American female to get that job. That's such an honor, and she's up to the challenge. She's so smart, and I know she's going to do great.”

Potter graduates from Case Western Reserve University on May 21 and will be moving to Tennessee to start her seven-year residency at Vanderbilt on July 1. She says she is "absolutely" thinking about returning to Tallahassee to practice afterward.

“I didn't really see anything else for myself to do besides being a neurosurgeon, and I think the people around me saw the same thing — which is why they push me and choose to support me,” Potter said.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU alumna makes history at Vanderbilt after residency match