Neil Dixit (he/him), a 2024 Pisacano Scholar, is a 4th-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies and a minor in Anthropology.

At Northwestern, Neil interned at the Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at the Feinberg School of Medicine, experiencing the varied landscape of LGBTQ+ health research in Chicago. He appreciates the lessons he learned as an HIV tester and sexual health counselor. Following graduation, Neil spent a year as a fellow with the Northwestern University Public Interest Program in the Community Service Office at Evanston Township High School in Illinois, witnessing students’ advocacy in action as they developed as young leaders, building projects to address community needs they identified in partnership with local organizations. He also enjoyed supporting the student leaders who helmed the school’s community service club.

The following year, Neil served as an AmeriCorps Substance Use Disorder Allies member at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Neil helped develop a harm reduction-informed substance use education curriculum for adolescents and had the privilege of teaching an inclusive health education curriculum for kindergarten through 12^th grade students. Neil enjoys creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for learners to challenge themselves as they grapple with new material. His experiences prior to medical school revealed a passion for working with young people and a desire to grow as an educator. During medical school, Neil continued his work in sexual health and education, volunteering as a sexual health educator at a local youth center and as a HIV tester at a Milwaukee clinic.

His scholarly activity at the Medical College of Wisconsin culminated in a series of publicly accessible videos titled “Centering Lived Experience in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Education” (CLESTE), where interviewees share with learners what they would like future clinicians to know about substance use disorders. CLESTE aims to allow learners to tune into the expertise of people supporting those with substance use disorder at various stages of recovery. Neil prioritizes destigmatizing and demystifying health, especially stigmatized conditions, to ensure people can receive the care they deserve. He continued his exploration of medical education as a near-peer Step 1 tutor.

Looking forward, Neil sees his role as an educator and advocate as integral to his path in family medicine, seeing a future in academic medicine. The unique ability to be a medical and social home for people across the lifespan and across generations drew Neil to the field. Neil hopes to discover new passions in medicine, always with the goal to support patients and learners. As a leader, Neil would describe himself as a “facilitator.” In his eyes, facilitators encourage people to build together through the unique knowledge and experiences they each hold.

Outside medicine, Neil enjoys science-fiction and horror, with favorites including the ever-relevant novels by Octavia Butler and the optimistic universe of Star Trek.