parenting
Before I am a Surgeon: Choosing Womanhood Without Leaving Surgery Behind.
By: Daniela H. Rodriguez Manrique "Since you want to become a wife and have kids," he said, "are you sure you want to do surgery?" I smiled politely, but I cannot recall what I said next. The only thing I remember is the question lingering in my mind after I left the operating room. "Do I want to be a woman, or do I want to be a surgeon?" Prior to this moment, I had not imagined that these two identities could be mutually exclusive. For the first time, I had doubts about becoming a surgeon, and as a medical student, I questioned if pursuing surgery meant I had to sacrifice the woman I wanted to become. Many women in surgery have encountered some version of this question. Sometimes, the question is asked out loud. Other times, it is implied. As I think of a future surgical residency, I have...
Cutting Through Grief: How Surgery Helped Me Reclaim My Strength
By Meaghan Bethea The first time I stepped into the operating room after my husband died, I wasn’t sure I could do it. Everything felt too raw. Too loud. Too precise for a mind muddied by grief. The sterile light above the surgical table illuminated more than just anatomy; it revealed the parts of me I had been trying to keep buried. Heartbreak. Fear. Uncertainty. I was scrubbed in, masked up, holding retractors with steady hands, but inside, I was anything but that. In the summer of 2023, I had just completed medical sciences, passed Step 1, and was preparing to start clinical rotations. At home, my husband and I had found a rhythm. He managed the household so I could pursue my dream with full focus. We were building a life together with our son. Then, suddenly and without warning, two weeks before third year, he died. I became...
Parental Leave in Surgical Training: Webinar Highlights
Authors: Kylie Dickerson, MD, MS; Nensi Ruzgar, MD; Camila R. Guetter, MD, MPH; Alizeh Abbas, MD; Maria S. Altieri, MD, MS In March 2025, the Association of Women Surgeons Resident and Fellow Committee hosted a discussion on Parental Leave in Surgical Training. The session began with a presentation by Dr. Maria Altieri, Section Chief of GI Surgery and Director of Bariatric Surgery, Pennsylvania Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania, who has published multiple papers on parental leave policies during surgical training. The presentation was followed by a Q&A session with a panel of trainees who shared their experiences related to childbearing during clinical residency or dedicated research time, being a non-birthing parent, and exploring adoption. The goals of the webinar were to discuss different pathways to childbearing and parental leave policies during surgical training. Dr. Altieri discussed her personal experiences with childbearing during different phases of training, from medical school...
As a female surgeon, can I actually have a child-and when?
by Dr. Deepa Patel This is a special edition blog post presented in partnership with the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Female surgeons serving a dual role as mothers are no longer a rarity, as over one third of us have a child during residency. Despite these statistics, I continue to hear that many female medical students avoid careers in surgery as they think that pursuing such a career would hinder their ability to have children. Hearing these concerns surprises me. I have always considered my career a top priority but did know that at some point, I also wanted children. I never considered these goals in opposition. As a young attending about to have her first child within 2 years of finishing a colorectal fellowship, I have found that balancing pregnancy with a career is possible-but needs to be...
Delving into The Fourth Trimester and Beyond Lectures
By Anna Hargrave, DO This past August, we had an incredible series of lectures and panel groups discussing “The Fourth Trimester and Beyond.” The Fourth Trimester is the twelve week period after giving birth, which is particularly critical to all of our women surgeons. The demands of a new baby compete with clinical responsibilities and career goals, and become challenging to balance. While this series was aimed to female surgeons starting or expanding families, the lessons I learned can be applied to all female surgeons including those without children. Some of my key reflections from the month of Surgeons' Career and Leadership Professional Education Lecture Series (SCALPELS) are shared with you in the following paragraphs. To learn more from these phenomenal female surgeons, you can tune into the recorded August lectures! Dr. Amy Vertrees, a general surgeon and veteran who served 17 years with deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, joined...
SBAS – Sunday Series: Finding joy in the little things
by Dr. Crystal Johnson-Mann Most would agree that achieving the idyllic dream of self-care can be challenging at baseline, let alone when trying to incorporate it into a demanding surgeon schedule. The activities that fulfill one’s idea of self-care are highly variable, depending on who you ask. For some, it is a relaxing day at the spa; for others, it may be quiet and solitude in one’s “happy” place. In the current climate, self-care is of the utmost importance. But how exactly does one achieve it? This is much easier said than done, as one would presume. I’m an academic surgeon, wife, mother to 2 little boys, and a former D-I college athlete. I have repeatedly said at the start of each new year since becoming a mom almost 6 years ago that I would make a special attempt to really lean into devoting time periodically for me…to preserve my...
Egg-specting the Unexpected: A Medical Student’s Experience on Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Fertility
by Meryem Guler BS The first time I witnessed a birth was in my third year of medical school on my OBGYN rotation. I found myself in the delivery room assisting the team by holding up one of the patient’s legs during her contractions and counting to ten for each push – a popular role amongst medical students. The patient’s mother was pacing the room around the team, as if walking was the only outlet for her nerves. With one final push, a baby was born screaming and crying into this world. The new grandmother rushed up to greet them, sobbing tears of joy. She kept repeating “they’re so beautiful” and “you did amazing” to her daughter and grandchild. Observing this scene, I thought of my mom and how she would react similarly if this were me. Blinking back tears, I had one final thought before I had to step...
Crying Over Spilled Milk
Special Edition for National Breastfeeding Awareness Month Marjorie Liggett, MD When my newborn wasn’t gaining weight in the first week of life, I became obsessed with my milk supply. I couldn’t stop the racing thought: Am I failing as a mother because I can’t feed my own child? I’ll admit, that was a little dramatic. Blame the hormones and the sleep deprivation, if you must, but I’m sure someone else reading this knows exactly what I’m talking about. Throughout my maternity leave, I diligently pumped and breastfed every 2-3 hours, day and night. Eventually, after a lot of hard work, I felt confident in my milk supply and my goal to breastfeed for 6 months or more. The baby was gaining weight, the anxieties I had around feeding my child began to subside, and I even had generated a moderate freezer stash for a rainy day. As I prepared to...
Progress of LGBTQ+ Rights – A View from One of America’s Youth
By: Alexis Moren The progress of LGBTQ+ rights has seen significant advancements globally, although challenges remain. Over the past few decades, there have been major milestones such as marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, gender identity rights, parenting rights, and the LGBTQ+ community serving openly in the military. Despite these advances, challenges persist. I have been part of conversations discussing how lucky we are to live during this time. This sparked my curiosity – are we? Do LGBTQ+ kids and teens feel this way? I have the pleasure of being close to a pre-teen trans girl who dreams of becoming both a trauma surgeon and a published author. I asked her to tell us about her journey and her aspirations. “I am trans. This does not define me but it sure plays an important part in many aspects of my life; I have been bullied at school, had to keep my identity...
Navigating Medicine: A Journey with Non-Physician Parents
By: Emma Barham Growing up in a household where medical jargon sounded like a different language and stethoscopes were sparse, my journey into medicine was an uncharted territory. My parents always valued education, and I was taught from a young age that knowledge is power and can take you far in life. Although my parents were always supportive of me pursuing medicine, but they were unfamiliar with the intricacies of embarking on a career in the medical world. Their lack of firsthand experience in medicine meant that I had to chart my own course, relying on my own determination to navigate the challenges ahead. As I started my pre-medical journey, I quickly realized the importance of seeking guidance from mentors within the medical community. I gained invaluable insights into the realities of a career in medicine through my interactions with physicians and healthcare professionals. During sophomore year of my undergraduate...
