Dr. Elisha Peterson

Dr. Elisha Peterson is a triple board-certified physician, award-winning Toastmasters speaker, and physician strategist based in Washington, DC. She completed her undergraduate education at Loyola University Chicago, her medical degree at Rush Medical College, and her Master of Education at George Washington University. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis and a fellowship in Pain Medicine at Harvard University.

As the longest-running Director of Chronic Pain at Children's National — and the only full-time pain-boarded physician in the organization — Dr. Peterson has spent her career at the intersection of clinical excellence, medical education, and systemic change. She is triple board certified in Anesthesiology, Pediatric Anesthesiology, and Pain Medicine.

Recognized as a Northern Virginia Top Doctor for four consecutive years, Dr. Peterson has been featured in Authority Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, Houstonia, Clinical Pain Advisor, and more. Her TEDx talk, "How Chronic Pain is Like Falling in Love," brought her signature blend of science and storytelling to a global audience.

Beyond the clinic, Dr. Peterson founded the Sevo Sistas Podcast to increase diversity in anesthesiology and amplify the voices of women of color in medicine.

Today, Dr. Peterson also works as a physician strategist, helping women physicians navigate the transition out of academic medicine without losing income, identity, or credibility. Her approach combines strategic career planning with the lived experience of someone who has built multiple revenue streams — all while continuing to practice medicine.