As one of the two percent of Black women in medicine, a multi-business entrepreneur, and advocate she’s the living proof that it can be done.
At ten years old, Aliya Frederick made it her priority to become a doctor. Though she had no role model to follow, she had ambition that would outpace all predictions. Indeed, one should never dare underestimate a child whose love of science and math is coupled with a family that never once told her that her dream was too big.
Today she is Dr. Aliya Frederick, MD, PhD, a double board-certified pediatric neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist, a neuroscientist, researcher, public speaker, mentor, advocate, and entrepreneur, a list that would impress more than one. But she is also one of two percent of Black women in medicine, a number she carries with purpose rather than treating it as a mere statistic. Across every dimension, her work always gets back to a singular idea: helping others dream bigger, lead with purpose, and see a future they had not yet imagined for themselves.
The Premise to a Remarkable Journey
The decision she made as a ten-year-old first became a reality at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she enrolled as a Meyerhoff Scholar. There, she found herself surrounded by mentorship, community, and opportunity at a scale that would multiply her talent. Yet, the turning point came during an epiphany she had while in England for a summer research experience in a neuroscience lab. Despite the gloomy British weather, a new passion lit before her eyes: neuroscience. Dr. Frederick understood for the first time how science and medicine could couple and answer complex questions and improve the lives of others.
From that point the route sharpened. She completed MD and PhD training at Vanderbilt University, then followed residency and fellowship at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital, the same institution where she now serves as faculty. What began as a childhood fantasy had become a credential, a specialty, and a lived practice.
Inside the Pracitce
Currently, Dr. Frederick is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of California, San Diego and a Pediatric Neurologist at Rady Children’s Hospital, one of the nation’s top-ranked children’s hospitals. Inside this intensive, high-volume tertiary care environment, she cares for children living with complex neurologic conditions, focusing on chronic and intractable migraine and refractory epilepsy, the kinds of cases where standard treatment has, at times, run out of answers.
Her clinical focus is as much about access as it is about diagnosis. Dr. Frederick works relentlessly to expand access to advanced therapies for young patients with limited options, including onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine and non-invasive neuromodulation for children who have exhausted other paths. Alongside an already impactful profession, she advances clinical research and advocates for equitable access to evidence-based treatments, so that the science reaches the families who need it rather than stopping at the lab door.
Building Possibilities Beyond the Clinic
Yet, what sets Dr. Frederick apart is her tireless contributions outside the clinic. Under the banner of her personal brand, The Crowned MD, she has built and continues to expand a platform that reaches audiences far outside traditional medical spaces. She uses her visibility and experiences to promote health awareness, mentorship, representation, and leadership development among young women and students from underrepresented communities. These are inspiring contributions that have changed, and will continue to change many lives.
But her commitment is not symbolic; it is concrete. She actively supports and guides students through STEM pipeline programs and long-term mentorship, helping the next generation of healthcare leaders see what is possible. At the core of her work one can find: service, representation, mentorship, excellence, and possibility, values that continue to shape Dr. Frederick’s leadership, which, in her telling, was never about title or position but about showing up consistently for others and creating meaningful impact. As one of a small percentage of Black women in medicine, she shows up with visibility and purpose, so that a child can picture himself in a room of endless possibilities. Dr. Frederick’s journey is simply the continuation of the dream she once held, except this time she is helping others make theirs possible.
Success Forged in Hardship
Most of us would assume that her résumé now reads as impressive. Though, the climb was not as smooth. By far, the greatest challenge she has overcome was navigating the demanding path of medical and graduate school while raising a family, an experience that very few can relate to. Pursuing an MD and a PhD took years of sacrifice and perseverance, and balancing the responsibilities of motherhood against the relentless demands of training, research, and clinical care compounded the difficulty. Yes, there were times when the road ahead seemed impassable and genuinely uncertain, but life taught her that success is rarely achieved in a straight line.
Many times, she described having to take leaps of faith before she could touch her dream. Those years did more than test her; they deepened the empathy and perspective she now brings to families in her own waiting room. They sharpened her conviction about mentorship and representation, because she knows how much the right encouragement and the right role model can change the trajectory of one’s life.
From Crown to Caduceus
Dr. Frederick is also a seasoned beauty queen with a legacy of national and international titles. It is this side of her story that gave The Crowned MD both its name and its reach. Rather than keep the two worlds separate, she has merged expertise with influence, using the platform she built to educate, advocate, and inspire the next generation.
In 2026 she extended that vision into business by launching Regal Health and Beauty LLC, a company centered on enhancing well-being and making wellness more accessible. It houses two brands that mirror her professional expertise and personal mission: The Crowned MD, which carries the work of inspiration, mentorship, and leadership development, and Royal Pain, through which she aims to provide science-backed wellness solutions for people living with migraine. Her long-term goal is to build purpose-driven brands rooted in excellence and innovation, merging science, wellness, education, and empowerment.
And it is fair to say that her work has not gone unnoticed. She was named San Diego Power Woman in 2022, San Diego Black Leader of Influence in 2025, a Woman of Influence in Healthcare in 2025, and a recipient of the Woman of Achievement Award of Excellence in 2025, along with several commendations from the State of California, including being named Ms. Black California in 2025. She is also a four-time Global Beauty Awards winner, taking Best in Science in 2023, Best in Healthcare in 2024, Best in Education in 2025, and Best in Healthcare again in 2026. These are not simple achievements; they are the product of years of devotion, hard work and perseverance.
Why Their Story Matters Now
San Diego, California is a region that prizes the people who refuse to choose between excellence and access, and Dr. Frederick is one of them. She treats the children other clinics cannot, and she also builds the pipeline that decides who gets to treat them a generation from now. She is not just the two percent of Black women in medicine; she is the representation that dreams can turn into reality. That is the real medicine she practices.
The medicine that helps children, advocates for others and builds futures. The medicine that lets a ten-year-old look at her and decide, with no evidence but her own certainty, that it can be done.
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