From the Hospital to the Kitchen, Dr. Nevin Uses Her Talent December 13, 2021

Dr. Nevin may be known in the D.C. medical community as a veteran OB/GYN and current president of the Medical Society of D.C. but what her colleagues and patients may be surprised to learn is that she is a seasoned traveler with an affinity for French and Spanish cuisine and has a recipe for Coq-au-vin that is worth sharing. 

“We enjoy traveling to Europe and look forward to returning there soon,” she says of her family’s fondness of Europe. Until then, they have plans for a New Year’s trip to Mexico to bask in the warm southern sun.

Dr. Nevin earned her way into the medical field with hard work and dedication. “I went straight through from college through residency and never took any gap years,” she said of her transition from undergraduate school to medical school and on to residency. While studying at Johns Hopkins she worked fulltime as a Research Assistant in the School of Public Health. She then joined the Navy for four years and was stationed at Portsmouth before returning to D.C. 

There were no physicians in her family, but early on she knew it was something she wanted to pursue. “I had done a few things in middle school and high school that put me on a path to medicine,” she recalled. Among her pre-college pursuits was participating in college-level math and science programs through a gifted and talented program. This experience provided great exposure and introduction to the field of medicine. Dr. Nevin excelled at the course work required to become a physician.

The specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology interested her more than she expected it to. “It was in my third year of medical school when I was introduced to the specialty of OB/GYN during my rotations. I wanted to practice what I had learned in the surgical field but also wanted to deliver babies and see patients with continuity,” she said. 

Today, some of Dr. Nevin’s new patients were the babies she delivered. “I now have three generations of women in families that are among my patients. I like the family approach this specialty has afforded me,” she added. Dr. Nevin is proud to help women maintain health and wellness throughout every stage of life. 

While Dr. Nevin has many stories to share, she prefers not to. “The stories that stick with you are usually more dramatic. What I like to remember are the times I helped a woman through an experience that she feared and then developing a relationship with that patient over the next 10 to 15 years. It’s the relationships that develop that stand out most to me,” she said.  

Dr. Nevin joined Georgetown University Hospital, which ironically is the same hospital where she was born, in February 2020, and one month later, COVID lockdowns occurred. “I left private practice to join Georgetown just prior to the advent of COVID. This timing was unforeseen as subsequently private practices were hit hard because of the shutdown. I wasn’t yet familiar enough with the hospital to have changes required by COVID affect my routine,” she said. “I seem to have weathered the COVID lockdown storm well and was happy to be in a large hospital where everyone has worked so hard together,” she added.

For Dr. Nevin, there is one thin silver lining to come out of COVID in her field: Telehealth. 

“It was discussed for years and then went from 0 to 100% in a matter of months. Medicine doesn’t move that quickly, but it happened,” she said. With emergency measures disappearing that permit doctors to practice across state lines, the topic of tri-state licensure will be an upcoming issue in the D.C. medical community. “There needs to be a solution for that,” she said of the time required to obtain three state licenses to treat patients via Telehealth.

Currently the president of MSDC, Dr. Nevin only joined the organization five years ago. “I was looking to become more involved. I didn’t want to only be a member. It’s been wonderful to get involved with things at an advocacy level for both the physician and patient communities,” she said about being a whitecoat advocate.

For new physicians, Dr. Nevin thinks MSDC has a lot to offer. “There are so many aspects to this organization from support services and resources to advocacy and more collegiate groups like Women in Medicine and Early Career Physicians. For physicians just beginning their career, or new to D.C., it’s wonderful to be in a supportive environment.”

This busy physician still prioritizes family and her time away from the hospital. The first weekend in December she and her family pulled out their holiday decorations and enjoyed the Scottish Christmas Walk in Alexandria that brings Scottish Clans, Scottish bagpipes and drums, Scottish dancer, Scottish dogs and more to Alexandria.

Dr. Nevin, her husband, and their two Shih Tzus took a break from holiday decorating to enjoy the local scene.