Our beloved, Rachelle Anne Scott, MD, passed away on August 30, 2022 at her daughter’s home in Herndon, VA. She was 71.

Rachelle was born in St. Louis, MO on March 31, 1951 to Dorothy Mae (Bates) Lee and Robert Dicks. Shortly thereafter, Dorothy, Rachelle, and twin sister, Rochelle, moved to Erie, PA where she spent her early childhood. Dorothy married Robert Lee and in 1958, younger sister, Katherine, was born. When Rachelle was a teen, the family moved to Indianapolis, IN where she attended Arsenal Technical High School.

Though she was a true midwesterner, as she would tell anyone who asked, in 1969 she left her familiar roots behind for the big city, choosing to complete her undergraduate degree at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. There, she met some of her dearest lifelong friends, as well as her future husband, Franklin Scott. By the time she graduated in 1973–with an acceptance to New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY, in hand–Franklin and Rachelle were married and they welcomed a daughter, Makeba, in 1974. In 1982, a daughter, Keenya was born and in 1992, a son, Jamal.

After earning her medical degree, Dr. Scott continued to thrive academically and professionally. She completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago and served as an attending pediatrician at Harlem Hospital before she decided to complete a second residency, in dermatology, at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical College (NYH-CUMC) in New York City, studying under the guidance of her mentor, George W. Hambrick, Jr., MD. She began the residency program with a two-week-old infant at home and finished it as chief resident, thus commencing a stellar and illustrious 30-year career at NYH-CUMC.

Once, a younger classmate from Vassar, wondering how she accomplished so much, described her as “brilliant.” Ever humble, Dr. Scott responded, “That’s not true, I just work hard.” But, it was her sister, Katherine, who accurately surmised, “You’re both brilliant AND you work hard.”

And that combination seemed to work for her, coupled with her warmth, charm, humor, grace and talent. Within the halls of NYH-CUMC and throughout the streets of the Upper East Side, Dr. Scott was a rock star. Her patients, colleagues and staff all adored her, and would call out to her, “Dr. Scott! Dr. Scott!” wherever she went. And she would take the time to talk to every single person, from the university president to the janitor because she genuinely cared.

Richard Granstein, chairman of the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical Center describes her as follows: “Dr. Scott was the heart and soul of our department. She was one of the hardest working, smartest, and best clinicians I have ever worked with in my professional life,” “She had real heart, cared deeply about her patients and gave them excellent care, loved her family and friends and was a great colleague in every way.”

In 2001, Dr. Scott suffered a stroke which greatly impacted her ability to communicate and compromised her ability to fully practice medicine. She subsequently struggled with other health issues including brain surgery which resulted in a seizure disorder. Although deeply saddened by that turn of events, Dr. Scott never gave up on herself, her ability to heal, or her ability to meaningfully contribute to the field of dermatology. She continued to participate in medicine; remained certified, attended meetings, counseled young physicians, and stayed involved in the study and practice of dermatology until her last days.

Dr. Scott loved her family dearly. Her children were the light of her life and her relationship with her sisters was cherished. She was an amazing mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, colleague and friend. She touched the lives of so many people. She will truly be missed and will never, ever, be forgotten.

Dr. Scott is survived by her three sisters, Rochelle Lee of Providence, RI, Katherine Lee Kasberg (Robert) of Attleboro, MA, and Ramona Dicks (John) of Madison, WI; two daughters, Keenya Scott of New York and Makeba Scott Hunter of Herndon, VA; son, Jamal Scott of Herndon, VA; and twin granddaughters, Jozi and Jaeda Hunter of Herndon, VA, in addition to a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her husband, Franklin Scott, and father Robert Dicks (Alvira).

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