Shannon Dowler, MD, CPE, FAAFP

Even before becoming a family physician, Shannon Dowler, MD, CPE, FAAFP, married her high school sweetheart over 30 years ago. They live in a deeply rural part of the Appalachian Mountains with barn cats, rescue dogs and barnyard chickens, and have raised two phenomenal sons who are busy defining their adult selves, one a nursing student and the other studying law. 

From the local health department to a federally qualified health center to leading a regional nonprofit health system, she has steadfastly maintained a teaching faculty appointment, prioritizing precepting and mentoring students and residents. While traditional family medicine has been a large part of her journey, she has also accrued over 20 years’ focused experience in the STD clinic, resulting in several music videos, countless sex ed talks and most recently a book, all with the goal of vanquishing STIs. 

The last five years took a turn that was simultaneously the best and hardest thing in her professional life. Dr. Dowler journeyed into the belly of policy and political intrigue as a public servant, accepting the role as CMO of North Carolina Medicaid, a $30 billion program responsible for 3 million lives. She joined the department at a massive inflection point of transitioning to managed care. Only six months in the role, her public service shifted into even higher gear with COVID. After rapidly transforming telehealth and creating primary care infrastructure payments, she next led state-wide equity-focused interventions for COVID testing and vaccines, and finally culminated state service guiding North Carolina into Medicaid Expansion at the end of 2023. 

Being an AAFP leader has been a career-long dream. After following the traditional path as NCAFP chapter president, serving on an AAFP commission and as representative to ACOG, having attended countless ALFs, NCCLs and CODs, public service disrupted the traditional journey to AAFP leadership. The nominating process change by the COD has signaled that there is now space at the table for leaders like Dr. Dowler, who didn’t check all the historical boxes in the expected order but have arrived, nonetheless, eager to contribute to the unwavering future of family medicine.