Scott was born and raised in
Newark, New Jersey, and was inspired to become a physician by both her father and uncle. Her father was a dentist, and his dental office was the source of Scott's early exposure to medicine. She helped there on Saturday mornings by cleaning dental instruments, editing information on charts, and organizing patient documents. Scott attended
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy, New York, for her undergraduate education, and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1970. She entered
New York University School of Medicine, and graduated in 1974, despite being subject to the sexism and racism in the medical field during that time. She remained in New York City for internships and residency at both
St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center and
St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center. Scott continued her residency as a thoracic surgeon at
Boston University Medical Center from 1977 to 1979. She returned to New York City from Boston for residencies at St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center, once again, and
New York Medical College, where she specialized in
cardiac surgery and
general surgery. By doing this, Scott became the first African-American woman to establish a residency in cardiothoracic surgery. Scott continued her training in cardiovascular surgery as a fellow at the
Texas Heart Institute, where she was the first ever to receive the Mary A. Fraley cardiovascular fellowship in 1980. Following later graduate studies, in 1994, Scott received a Master of Science degree in Health Administration from the
University of Colorado College of Business. == Career ==