Our Founder
Alana Dixson, MD, PhD is 4th generation (yon-sei) Japanese-American by way of Hawaii and Portland, OR and Louisiana Creole/Florida Seminole. She started MDCrashPad conceptually more than 25 years ago when she was just a little tadpole, trying to navigate the waters of medical training. She was always the provider of the couch to surf on, or the shoulder to lean on, for other tadpoles. Not everyone in medicine comes from wealth or legacies of many generations of physicians and surgeons. Many of us need to create a medical family to get through.
Dr. Dixson learned from her own experiences as a multi-racial woman, navigating research, business and clinical experiences as the first in her family to do so that when diversity, equity and inclusion are championed health care providers and patients thrive.
Starting with pre-med classes at Yale and Harvard, medical school at University of Southern California and a PhD at California Institute of Technology, and then transitioning to General Sugery internship and partially completed Neurosurgery & Anesthesiology residencies, Dr. Dixson has seen a lot.
Unfortunately, personal challenges interrupted her training. They also built a bedrock foundation of passion for equity and honesty in how medical trainees and patients are treated, as well as community building through MDCrashPad. Dr. Dixson continues in clinical medicine and tech. She became an entrepreneur when she tried to sell her first dolls and lemonades as a kid and has played supportive and founder roles in several ventures since.
Outside of medicine, Alana enjoys living in mega cities, fitness, dancing in the rain, forest bathing in nature and growing with her family. She is also an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and she welcomes all to the community of Saints--no matter who you are or what you believe.
MDCrashPad lilly pad logo why a frog...and a dragonfly?
Elegant, but informal. We are a community for medical professionals and students, nurses and tech entrepreneurs who relocate from place to place, sometimes for years at a time, but usually only temporarily. Our goal is to create a community both online and in real life to help make these frequent transitions go smoothly. We offer housing solutions, mentorship, immigration and contract consulting, and a place to just be.
Our logo elements lean into a Japanese aesthetic: simple, elegant, and powerful. Nature is central. The colors green, blue, red and white should be used to create beauty, power, serenity and safety.
The lily pad symbolizes all the crash pads you'll have in your career journey, but also the “MDCrashPad community” that we hope you'll call home.
We use the frog (kaeru 蛙) because in Japanese culture frogs represent prosperity, renewal, and messengers from kami-sama (神さま) or the gods. Whatever your beliefs, as healers we bring blessings and protection to those we serve. Hence, the lucky frog with a stethoscope around her neck to symbolize medical professionals and trainees. Kaeru (帰る) also means "to return"--we hope you'll return home prosperous, heavy laden with the knowledge and skills to care for those you love most.
Finally, we used the dragonfly (tombo とんぽ) to borrow their symbolism of good fortune and protection. Moreover, dragonflies are agile, forward moving with power and resolve, they are avid and deft hunters--"victory insects" as it were (kachi-mushi 勝ち虫). In our training and practice, as MDs (and our allies) we show enduring commitment to medicine and our communities, overcoming obstacles and achieving lofty goals, victoriously, to serve as healers.
Contact
Get in touch with us anytime.
Or come visit us in New York City!
Phone
info@mdcrashpad.com
+1-917-994-9900
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