![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Alexandra-Elise-Dakaud-Patterson-MAIN.jpg\")
Dr. Alexandra-Elise Dakaud Patterson, a general surgery resident who also is completing a master\u2019s in cosmetic science and formulation design, spent the summer with the ABC News medical unit.<\/p><\/div>\n
However, working at one of the nation\u2019s busiest trauma centers and the constant exposure to tragedy was starting to wear her down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good program, but I came to realize this pace doesn\u2019t really fit me. I was a general surgery resident, but I was primarily doing trauma cases,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to explore more aspects of general surgery, and I started looking for a space where I could safely do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she investigated other programs, Toledo caught her eye. Though she\u2019d never set foot in the Glass City, the name was familiar from regional weather maps she remembered seeing as a young child in Pittsburgh and she found herself impressed by the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences\u2019 residency program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just knew this place would mean something to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After three years in UToledo\u2019s residency program, Dakaud Patterson has no doubt she\u2019s in the right spot. Not only has Toledo given her the breadth of experience she wanted, but it\u2019s also helped her zero in on cosmetic surgery as her preferred specialty \u2014 and provided her a unique opportunity to pursue her master\u2019s degree in cosmetic science and formulation design.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be the cornerstone of my branding of a cosmetic surgeon to say I\u2019ve mastered cosmetics inside and outside the operating room,\u201d she said. \u201cThe manifestation of the wildest version of my dreams is happening in Toledo. I couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n
UToledo\u2019s fully online Master of Science in Cosmetic Science and Formulation Design Program<\/a> launched in 2023, not long after Dakaud Patterson arrived on campus. While the program is designed to be completed in five semesters, Dakaud Patterson is taking an accelerated path that will allow her to complete the 30-credit-hour program in just one year, matching up with her residency program\u2019s research year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different approach and it\u2019s a lot for her to balance, but I think it speaks to her dedication and her ambition,\u201d said Alison Wery, an associate lecturer and director of the cosmetic science and formulation design graduate program. \u201cI see her love for both the cosmetic industry and her residency program, and I really am excited to see what she ends up developing and creating,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s really breaking the mold and she\u2019s been amazing to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of Dakaud Patterson\u2019s decision to pursue cosmetic surgery came out of a desire to bring beauty to a world that can be quite dark \u2014 something she saw firsthand during her preliminary residency training.<\/p>\n She\u2019s also driven by her own experiences. As a youngster, she underwent a trio of spinal surgeries that forced her to relearn how to walk and left her with a sizable scar she carries to this day.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to heal other people\u2019s scars because I know what it\u2019s like to have one,\u201d she said. \u201cIt allows me to connect with my patients on an even deeper level. There are different reasons why people become surgeons, and I think being able to help someone able to feel at home in their own body is something that\u2019s unique in cosmetic surgery and I\u2019m excited to explore that.\u201d<\/p>\n Having the professional development year at UToledo also allowed Dakaud Patterson to dip her toe into journalism through a five-week externship with the ABC News medical unit in New York City.<\/p>\n She first learned about the externship six years earlier as a medical student, when she came across a social media post about the program. She made a mental note to apply if she ever had the chance.<\/p>\n As she began planning for her year away from the operating room, Dakaud Patterson recalled that post and sent out a hopeful application to ABC. By mid-July, she was working in Manhattan, reviewing embargoed medical studies alongside Emmy-winning journalist and executive producer Eric Strauss, veteran medical journalist Liz Neporent and medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton \u2014 gaining exposure to the highest levels of medical journalism.<\/p>\n Her first national byline came from a study on GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, looking at weight regain after the medication was stopped. The article was published on the ABC News website<\/a>, featured on \u201cGood Morning America\u201d and rose to the number one trending story on Google News.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so cool. I was able to see my language, the way that I interpreted and explained complex studies, blasted verbatim on millions of TVs,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was an awesome experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Now back in Toledo, Dakaud Patterson is completing her master\u2019s degree, contributing to research in cosmetic surgery and wound care, and developing her expertise in cosmetic injectables and permanent makeup, while also growing her entrepreneurial interests.<\/p>\n She is excited to return to the operating room in July for her final two years of residency training at UToledo. During her fourth year, she plans to apply for a cosmetic surgery fellowship position, with the goal of transitioning directly into fellowship training after graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cI really appreciate this residency program for the opportunities I\u2019ve had and the encouragement I\u2019ve received to take advantage of them,\u201d she said. \u201cI think people should know we have something special here. \u00a0They say, \u2018You\u2019ll do better in Toledo.\u2019 They were right.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Alexandra-Elise Dakaud Patterson, a general surgery resident who also is completing a master\u2019s in cosmetic science and formulation design, spent the summer with the ABC News medical unit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":849,"featured_media":94863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,69,38,1,42,71,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94862"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/849"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94862"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94865,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94862\/revisions\/94865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nShe and her fellow faculty members are always eager to see what their students end up doing post-graduation, but Wery said Dakaud Patterson\u2019s first-of-its-kind pairing of surgery and cosmetic science is particularly inspiring.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Alexandra-Elise-Dakaud-Patterson-MAIN-150x150.jpg\")
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