Dr. Shenell Miller-Burns
Dr. Shenell Miller-Burns, a pediatrician at Aurora Health Care is one of the lucky ones—she is doing exactly what she set out to do and prepared for since the age of 13.
“I grew up in Beloit, WI with my mother and stepfather as an only child in the home. When I was 13 years old, my sister was born premature and did not live. That experience is what led to my interest in pediatrics,” she said.
Burns-Miller was always a good student. She attended Alabama A & M University in Huntsville, AL on a full scholarship. She graduated with honors and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology. While working on her undergraduate degree, she volunteered at a children’s hospital in the area. During the summers of her undergraduate college years, she had opportunities to participate in internships. She participated in a summer research program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She spent another summer at Case Western Reserve University participating in a pre-med college program, which helped prepare her for the medical school entrance exam.
In 2002, Dr. Miller-Burns earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin.
“What I found most challenging about medical school was the amount of studying I had to do. I had to study for much longer periods of time and retain more information,” she said.
She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in 2005, and is now a board certified pediatrician.
Dr. Miller-Burns not only enjoys working with children, but she enjoys being a resource to parents and providing them with information that will help them be better parents to their children.
“I believe that the most important aspect of my job is communicating with my patients and their parents. I strive to make them feel comfortable and encourage them to ask questions and discuss their concerns. I want the parent and, when possible, the child to be involved in the decision-making process. I like making parents feel at ease by answering their questions, especially first time parents who are a little more anxious. And, it’s always awesome to see children smile, even when they are not feeling well. Children are so resilient. They make you laugh and smile, even if you’re not having a good day,” she said.
Dr. Miller-Burns also enjoys talking to high school students and encouraging them to pursue their dreams—whatever they are. As a first-generation, four-year college graduate and first-generation medical doctor, Dr. Miller-Burns encourages her patients to follow their dreams.
“I tell my adolescent patients that if they want to pursue a career in the medical field, or any other field, they should ignore when someone tells them they can’t do it.
“While in residency, I was the only African American in my pediatric graduating class. As the only minority in the room, I sometimes felt that I didn’t belong there, but you can’t focus on that. In general, there are people who will come up against you. It was tough for me because being the only African American resident in my class, there were times when the nursing staff didn’t want to take orders from a young, Black doctor. Sometimes when I entered a room, parents would assume I was the nurse, because they didn’t expect a Black doctor. There were times when I had to have another physician agree with my recommendations, so that nursing staff would follow them. I had to work harder than my peers to gain respect,” said Dr. Miller-Burns.
Away from her demanding career, Dr. Miller-Burns enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has been married to her husband, Anthony, for three years and they are expecting their first child.
“This will be my first child and, even as a pediatrician, initially I was a little anxious because of previous medical challenges. Everything is going well, so I’m more relaxed now. As a Christian, I pray daily to get rid of the fears and this pregnancy has been awesome. I give honor to God for that. It’s normal to be a little anxious in the beginning, but I believe in God and I know that everything will go well,” she said.