Dr. Angela ShannonHappy Tummies52 • SEPTEMBER 2021
– W O M E N I N B U S I N E S S –A D V E R T O R I A LAngela Shannon always thought she wantedto be a teacher. Now a physician and owner ofa clinic for children, the Smithville, Mississippi,native says she was “involuntarily volunteered”to tutor her two sisters when she was still achild herself. “I realized then that I didn’t havethe patience to be a teacher!” She recalls herlife skills class teacher’s assignment to researcha career she might like and report on it to theclass. “I really do love children and I’mparticularly drawn to babies,” she says. “I usedto love watching the show Empty Nest ontelevision. There was a character on the show,Dr. Harry Westin, who was a pediatrician.”Inspired by the character, she thought shecould do what Harry Westin did.After graduating as the valedictorian fromSmithville High School, Dr. Shannon attendedMillsaps College, where she majored in biologyand minored in chemistry and music. “Mypre-med advisors said I’d only need to takeone or two more classes to have a chemistryminor, which I needed to go into medicineanyway. I minored in music as well to lightenmy load a bit. I love music and can’t see howanyone can exist without it! I learned aboutfamous composers, as well as learning how tocompose. I play piano by ear, and still enjoyplaying when I can, although when mychildren hear me play, they want to climb upand play with me!” She graduated cum laudefrom Millsaps.Dr. Shannon attended medical school atthe University of Mississippi Medical Centerin Jackson. “When in med school, we had totry all fields of medicine. I really enjoyed mygastrointestinal rotation. A colonoscopy is alot like a video game – you have to move ascope around corners and go around curves,and to me, it’s a fun way to make a diagnosis toultimately help a patient.” She graduated fromUMC in 2006 and did three years of residencyat UMC, finishing in 2009. “I determinedthat pediatric gastroenterology would be myfinal destination.” A three-year fellowship atthe Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland,Ohio, helped prepare her for her next step.“My husband and I were ready to leave thesnow behind in Ohio and move back south.”She went to work for GI Associates in 2012,where she specialized in pediatric GI. Whilethere, Dr. Shannon started a travel clinic. “Iwent to Tupelo once a month, which I loved,because I was able to visit my parents and mynow-95-year-old grandmother.”Happy Tummies Pediatric GI Clinic wasfounded in January 2021. It’s a place whereinfants to young adults will receive comprehensiveevaluation and management of theirgastrointestinal problems. “It’s amazing howmany people I meet who do not know thisspecialty exists,” Dr. Shannon says. “Sometimeswhen a child has a chronic stomachache, orthey are not going to the bathroom like theyshould, some reassurance and minor modificationsare all that is needed. However, it isnot unheard of for children to have Crohn’sdisease, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or anynumber of more serious issues. We work hardto find out what’s going on and to make theirtummies happy again.”The Happy Tummies practice is a placewhere children can come to get well again.“We want families to feel welcomed andcomfortable,” Dr. Shannon says. “God gaveme the idea and it is so rewarding when a childcomes in telling me their tummy isn’t happyand I can help make it better.”Dr. Shannon married her husband, Jason,in 2009, near the end of her residency. “He isa certified registered nurse anesthetist. It wasn’talways the easiest path. He was an ICU nurseat UMC for seven or eight years, then he startedhis CRNA schooling while I was finishing myfellowship. Now he works with JacksonAnesthesia Associates,” says Dr. Shannon. Thecouple had their first child in September 2012,one month after she started working.There are now three children in theShannon family. Abigail is eight years old,Jude is six, and Jacob is four. “Jacob is on theHappy Tummies billboards around town,”says Dr. Shannon. “All of our children arevery different, and we love them all to pieces!”The family lives in Madison.Working through the Covid pandemic hasbeen a challenge. “It definitely affected thepractice,” Dr. Shannon says. “We had toestablish guidelines right away. Fortunately,our growth has been slow and steady. We’veembraced telehealth visits, and we’ve had tolimit the number of people who can go in withour little patients. We understand everyone isconcerned and wants to be there to make surethe little ones are OK, but Covid has madethat impossible. We know it can be scary forfamilies, and that is heartbreaking.”Dr. Shannon is involved in several medicalsocieties, including the North AmericanSociety for Pediatric Gastroenterology,Hepatology and Nutrition; and the MississippiState Medical Association, where she is a vicepresident of Madison County for the CentralMississippi Medical component. She is also amember of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., anorganization founded in 1938 that focuses onproviding social, cultural, and educationalopportunities for youth. The family attendsGreater Pearlie Grove Missionary BaptistChurch, where Dr. Shannon is involved withthe nursery and healthcare ministry teams.Happy Tummies is located at1679 Old Fannin Roadin Flowood.For more information visit www.4happytummies.com.Hometown RANKIN • 53