KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Shoshana Hallowell, MD is a resident of Detroit, Michigan. She has dedicated her life to helping other through her passion of medicine. Dr. Hallowell is a board certified minimally invasive and robotic surgeon. She practices at Ascension St. John Hospital Detroit where she treats, manages, and cures conditions ranging from hernias to cancers. 

She has been involved in volunteer work since the age of 15 as a patient aid volunteer at her local hospital emergency department. In high school she served as a camp counselor at Camp Boggy Creek, an organization that provides camping experiences to children with medical conditions or disabilities. She continued her volunteer work through college and medical school as a mentor at the United Cerebral Palsy Center and a child life aid at Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. During medical school she spent a summer in Ecuador for two months on a medical mission trip treating women and children in underserved areas. 

She has continued her passion for service into surgical residency and fellowships by becoming a mentor in the Association of Women Surgeons to encourage young women and show them the possibility of success as a woman in the male dominated field of general surgery. Shoshana was the only woman and only minority in her graduating surgical residency class and won the program’s most prestigious award, the Donald Kaminski Award, for her dedication to teaching and medical education. 

As a practicing surgeon she continues her volunteer work by mentoring young aspiring medical students and residents as Clinical Faculty Member.

Shoshana married her husband, Richard Hallowell, in 2020 who is a Michigan Native. She enjoys being a step-mother to their two athletic and enthusiastic five and eight year old boys, Richard and Giovanni. Her hobbies include playing the saxophone & clarinet, photography, running, and traveling the world to learn about new cultures. Her most recent experiences involve exploring the archaeological tombs of Egypt, camping in the rainforest of Peru, and exploring the vast architectural spectacles of the city of Dubai.

Dr. Hallowell is a breast cancer survivor herself who recently battled cancer last year. She reports that experience has made her a better surgeon because she can now empathize with her patients on a deeper level. She has been involved in promoting breast cancer awareness even before her own diagnosis by providing educational presentations in her local community churches and taking part in our own Detroit Susan B Komen 5K Race where she took second place. Her experience as a breast cancer patient has changed her life perspective, reminding her to not take anything for granted and to do more things that will challenge her and are out of her comfort zone. Dr. Hallowell also holds the Title of Mrs. Detroit 2022-2023 and will be competing for Mrs. Michigan in 2023.