A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 5
Why is it important to get more femalesurgeons involved in orthopedics?
Unfortunately, women are severely under-represented in orthopedic surgery and
many stereotypes still exist about our field. I still meet patients and colleagues
who question my ability as a woman. I'm sure that women struggled more with
this issue in decades past, but I think we still have a long way to go. I allow oth-
ers to get to know me as an individual, so they see my capabilities and me
rather than a stereotype.
How are you raising awareness of the gender imbalance?
Half of all medical students are female, yet so few women pursue orthopedic
surgery as a career. This means we are missing out on bringing some of the
brightest and most talented physicians into our field. It is part of my mission as
an academic orthopedic surgeon to increase diversity in our field. I serve as a
mentor to medical students and residents, and every year another female ortho-
pedic surgeon at Loyola and I host a program that promotes orthopedic surgery
to female high school and medical students.
What are the top challenges you face as a female orthopod?
It can be isolating being surrounded by colleagues who don't look like you. It
can become tiring feeling like you're constantly trying to prove yourself, fight
implicit and even explicit biases, and not fall victim to stereotype threat. I'm
also a wife and mother, and constantly trying to find the right balance between
work and home life. It's impossible to do it all.
OSM