Alumna Spotlight | Felicia Snead ’86, MD

Dr. Snead grew up in Harlem and attended St. Charles Borromeo School before becoming a Cathedralite. She was in the Choral for all four years of high school, and she always enjoyed her math and science classes. When she was a Junior, the Director of the Radiation Therapy Technology School at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center visited Cathedral and invited students to an open house; there, Felicia was exposed to medicine for the first time. At that point, she decided that she wanted to become a radiation technician; in fact, the Class of 1986 yearbook (pictured above) reveals this as her desired profession!

Felicia did become a radiation technician, completing a two-year program at Memorial Sloan Kettering to become qualified and then began working at MSK full time as a radiation therapy technologist. After two years, Felicia decided to challenge herself even more and investigated a career as a medical doctor. She completed her undergraduate at Manhattan College, attending classes part-time while working full-time. Some discouraged her from applying to medical school, telling her that “it takes forever” and “you’re always going to be in the hospital”; but Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx was a family-oriented medical school and was a great and supportive fit for Felicia, who was already married when she entered medical school. She had her first son while she was a medical student!

Since 2003, Felicia has practiced in the field of radiology. She enjoys working with cancer patients and seeing the technology change over the years, and she explained to the students that a career in radiology offers a good work-life balance: Dr. Snead works treating patients from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., five days a week. She currently practices in Pittsburgh and specializes in radiation oncology at St. Clair Hospital.

Dr. Snead graciously shared her journey with three Health classes: Global Issues in Healthcare (Grade 12), Major Health Problems (Grade 11), and Introduction to Health (Grade 9). She shared with the Juniors that “everyone’s role is so, so important; in the hospital, no one is unimportant.” To the freshmen, Dr. Snead emphasized that “anything hard is worth working hard for.” In the Junior class, one Medical Gateways Academy student who is currently undertaking her healthcare internship at a local hospital shared that “it's cool to see how the nurses can rely on each other without second guessing. It’s also cool to realize that the patients exist as people with full lives and families, but they have come to us because they’re suffering.”

The senior Medical Gateways Academy students hope to pursue careers in the healthcare field, and the students had many questions for Dr. Snead! Below are some of the highlights. 

Q: “What was your intern year like in residency?”
A: “No matter what, it’s going to be hard. I wanted to focus on being a good doctor so I could manage my patients well medically. In my first week of internship, I shaved my hair because I didn't have time for that!”

Q: “You had a full time job and part time study as an undergrad. How did you afford medical school?”
A: “My full time job paid for my undergrad, and I took out loans for med school. So what about loans? You’re investing in your future; you’ll pay it back. Where there’s a will there’s a way. And we are women of faith: so where there’s a will, He will make a way.”

Q: “Tell us more about what you do and the patients you see.”
A: “I’m a medical oncologist: a doctor who uses medicine to treat cancer. As a radiation oncologist, I kill cells on a DNA level to stop the cancer from growing back. A radiation therapy technologist, what I wanted to be when I was in high school, operates the machines. I see all my patients once a week and coordinate their care with other doctors as well. I have patients suffering from brain, head and neck, lung, prostate, colon cancer, and more.”

Q: “Do you have advice to prepare for the MCAT?”
A: “Just study! And don’t be afraid to study in groups; but change up the groups so the emphasis can be broader. If you aren’t happy with your score the first time, study more and take it again!”

Q: “Our AP Bio teacher makes us know everything. For med school, do you really have to know everything down to a T?”
A: *silent nod* “The human body is a real miracle. There are so many interconnected systems, and in order to understand their inner workings you have to know biology, and much more!!! There’s physiology, organic chemistry… But you have to take your studies one day, one test, and one course at a time. Rely on your faith that God will put you in a place to do your best work so you can serve the people around you.”

We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Snead for sharing her story, wisdom, and joy for life with current Cathedralites!