Carol Shapiro, MD: A trailblazer dedicated to service
Shining a light on one of Sentara’s dedicated physicians during Women’s History Month
People throughout Northern Virginia may know Carol Shapiro, M.D., as the medical director of the Wound Healing Center at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge, Va., but many might not be aware of her deep roots in the medical community and her dedication to service.
For more than 50 years, Dr. Shapiro has been working on behalf of the health care needs of the people throughout the region and has been a trailblazer in the process.
Shapiro graduated from Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia (now Drexel University Medical School) in 1965, an era when female physicians were not as common as they fortunately are today. She has spoken about her years as a young physician where if she was walking down the hall with a male doctor, she was often addressed as “nurse” just by definition of being a woman.
In reflecting upon her choice of medical specialty, Shapiro shared, “Initially, I thought I would like the field of pediatrics, but I was too distressed seeing some very sick children in my third year in medical school. While on the surgical rotation, I realized that plastic surgery was a better field for me, and an elective rotation proved that this was where I wanted to be.”
Upon completion of her training in General and Plastic Surgery at Georgetown University in 1972, Shapiro established her private practice in Plastic Surgery in Woodbridge, noting “A plastic surgeon corrects and restores areas of the body whether the situation is congenital, birth defects, trauma or injury, aging, cosmetic, and even for weight loss. It is upbeat and usually very positive.”
Shapiro was practicing in Prince William County before any local community hospital had opened its doors. The county population was just 111,000. The nearest hospitals at that time were west in Manassas, north in Alexandria, or down south in Fredericksburg. Residents were traveling quite a distance to get hospital care. That was soon to change. As she was beginning her practice, construction on Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge was underway and opened its doors in November of 1972.
Shapiro seized the opportunity to be integral in the development of the health care community and she was an original member and the first woman on the medical staff of Potomac Hospital, which is now Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (SNVMC).
Always serving as an advocate for patients, she was quick to steer her colleagues and other provider organizations within the Prince William County medical community to best serve the increasingly diverse and growing population.
She accurately foresaw the future growth in Prince William County which is now home to nearly half a million residents, the second most populous county in Virginia.
She has served in countless medical staff leadership roles. Not only was she the first woman on the medical staff at Potomac Hospital, she was the first female president of the medical staff – a role she also served at Prince William Hospital in Manassas. She continues to serve as chair of the medical affairs committee at SNVMC.
Her commitment to her profession has also included leadership roles with the Prince William Medical Society, the Medical Society of Virginia where she served as the first woman president, and the American Medical Association, serving as the chair of the Virginia State Delegation from 2007 to 2016. She continues to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Potomac Health Foundation, which provides grant funding to support health initiatives in the Greater Prince William community, including those which address social determinants of health.
To increase her business acumen as a leader within the medical community, Shapiro returned to school in the nineties, earning a Master of Business Administration degree from George Mason University.
Yet, she is known for the ways her skills touch each patient she cares for in a personal way.
“Dr. Shapiro is that doctor who takes the time, without hesitation, to be there for her patients, listening to their concerns, needs, and worries, comforting them and providing the light of hope on their path to healing. Her dedication to providing seamless quality health management is exemplified by the time she dedicates in following up with the interdisciplinary team of health care professionals involved with each patient's treatment plan, always keeping the patient's overall health at the core,” said SNVMC President Jeff Joyner.
After decades in private practice, Shapiro transitioned her expertise to the outpatient Wound Healing Center that opened at SNVMC in 2009, where she currently serves as the Medical Director, continuing to provide patient consultations and treatment.
She promotes excellence among her team and is committed to professional development. In fact, Shapiro's staff family lunches together once a week, prompted by her belief that nurturing the team's engagement and camaraderie results in the warm, welcoming environment felt by everyone within the hospital and by the patients that enter Sentara Wound Healing Center.
Sharing her knowledge and expertise gained through five decades of practice continues to be of the utmost importance to Shapiro and she treasures the opportunity to help develop staff and advise colleagues.
Among her many contributions to advancing quality medical care, she championed the introduction of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services in eastern Prince William County. In speaking of HBOT, Shapiro remarked, “This therapy is not well known for wound care. Most folks think about it for athletes. We are using it successfully for complications of radiation therapy for cancer, diabetic foot ulcers, and skin flaps that have compromised blood supply. I anticipate that in the future there will be many more approved diagnoses for which HBOT will be ‘the answer.’”
A further illustration of her dedication to the community, Shapiro was integral in establishing the gang tattoo removal clinic in Prince William County, generously donating her time and expertise.
Only recently, she was honored with the 2024 Charles J. Colgan Visionary Award from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce during the chamber’s annual awards banquet on February 24. The award, named in memory of longtime state Senator Charles J. Colgan, celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions throughout their lives in service to the business community in Prince William County.
Her long and illustrious career is marked by her commitment to servant leadership, and she views her five decades of service as a privilege.
“Patients should know that most of us do our best for each person we care for and it’s important for a physician to communicate this with a patient. Mutual expectations get the best results,” said Shapiro.
In thinking back on all that has been accomplished, Shapiro wisely pointed out that, “No one does it alone and I have enjoyed sharing my life’s work with my husband of 50 years Lt. Col. Donald E. Morgan along with my family, my son Donald Morgan and his wife Dee Dee, and my daughter Leslie Marie Morgan and grandson Stirling.”
For more than 50 years, Dr. Shapiro has been working on behalf of the health care needs of the people throughout the region and has been a trailblazer in the process.
Shapiro graduated from Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia (now Drexel University Medical School) in 1965, an era when female physicians were not as common as they fortunately are today. She has spoken about her years as a young physician where if she was walking down the hall with a male doctor, she was often addressed as “nurse” just by definition of being a woman.
In reflecting upon her choice of medical specialty, Shapiro shared, “Initially, I thought I would like the field of pediatrics, but I was too distressed seeing some very sick children in my third year in medical school. While on the surgical rotation, I realized that plastic surgery was a better field for me, and an elective rotation proved that this was where I wanted to be.”
Upon completion of her training in General and Plastic Surgery at Georgetown University in 1972, Shapiro established her private practice in Plastic Surgery in Woodbridge, noting “A plastic surgeon corrects and restores areas of the body whether the situation is congenital, birth defects, trauma or injury, aging, cosmetic, and even for weight loss. It is upbeat and usually very positive.”
Shapiro was practicing in Prince William County before any local community hospital had opened its doors. The county population was just 111,000. The nearest hospitals at that time were west in Manassas, north in Alexandria, or down south in Fredericksburg. Residents were traveling quite a distance to get hospital care. That was soon to change. As she was beginning her practice, construction on Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge was underway and opened its doors in November of 1972.
Shapiro seized the opportunity to be integral in the development of the health care community and she was an original member and the first woman on the medical staff of Potomac Hospital, which is now Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (SNVMC).
Always serving as an advocate for patients, she was quick to steer her colleagues and other provider organizations within the Prince William County medical community to best serve the increasingly diverse and growing population.
She accurately foresaw the future growth in Prince William County which is now home to nearly half a million residents, the second most populous county in Virginia.
She has served in countless medical staff leadership roles. Not only was she the first woman on the medical staff at Potomac Hospital, she was the first female president of the medical staff – a role she also served at Prince William Hospital in Manassas. She continues to serve as chair of the medical affairs committee at SNVMC.
Her commitment to her profession has also included leadership roles with the Prince William Medical Society, the Medical Society of Virginia where she served as the first woman president, and the American Medical Association, serving as the chair of the Virginia State Delegation from 2007 to 2016. She continues to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Potomac Health Foundation, which provides grant funding to support health initiatives in the Greater Prince William community, including those which address social determinants of health.
To increase her business acumen as a leader within the medical community, Shapiro returned to school in the nineties, earning a Master of Business Administration degree from George Mason University.
Yet, she is known for the ways her skills touch each patient she cares for in a personal way.
“Dr. Shapiro is that doctor who takes the time, without hesitation, to be there for her patients, listening to their concerns, needs, and worries, comforting them and providing the light of hope on their path to healing. Her dedication to providing seamless quality health management is exemplified by the time she dedicates in following up with the interdisciplinary team of health care professionals involved with each patient's treatment plan, always keeping the patient's overall health at the core,” said SNVMC President Jeff Joyner.
After decades in private practice, Shapiro transitioned her expertise to the outpatient Wound Healing Center that opened at SNVMC in 2009, where she currently serves as the Medical Director, continuing to provide patient consultations and treatment.
She promotes excellence among her team and is committed to professional development. In fact, Shapiro's staff family lunches together once a week, prompted by her belief that nurturing the team's engagement and camaraderie results in the warm, welcoming environment felt by everyone within the hospital and by the patients that enter Sentara Wound Healing Center.
Sharing her knowledge and expertise gained through five decades of practice continues to be of the utmost importance to Shapiro and she treasures the opportunity to help develop staff and advise colleagues.
Among her many contributions to advancing quality medical care, she championed the introduction of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services in eastern Prince William County. In speaking of HBOT, Shapiro remarked, “This therapy is not well known for wound care. Most folks think about it for athletes. We are using it successfully for complications of radiation therapy for cancer, diabetic foot ulcers, and skin flaps that have compromised blood supply. I anticipate that in the future there will be many more approved diagnoses for which HBOT will be ‘the answer.’”
A further illustration of her dedication to the community, Shapiro was integral in establishing the gang tattoo removal clinic in Prince William County, generously donating her time and expertise.
Only recently, she was honored with the 2024 Charles J. Colgan Visionary Award from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce during the chamber’s annual awards banquet on February 24. The award, named in memory of longtime state Senator Charles J. Colgan, celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions throughout their lives in service to the business community in Prince William County.
Her long and illustrious career is marked by her commitment to servant leadership, and she views her five decades of service as a privilege.
“Patients should know that most of us do our best for each person we care for and it’s important for a physician to communicate this with a patient. Mutual expectations get the best results,” said Shapiro.
In thinking back on all that has been accomplished, Shapiro wisely pointed out that, “No one does it alone and I have enjoyed sharing my life’s work with my husband of 50 years Lt. Col. Donald E. Morgan along with my family, my son Donald Morgan and his wife Dee Dee, and my daughter Leslie Marie Morgan and grandson Stirling.”
By: Jon Radulovic