Excellence | Success stories |
ER: When I began my residency, I went from most of my classmates being female to being the only woman in my residency year. Four years after that, I became the first female chief resident in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital. It was definitely a big change, but this did not keep me from pursuing the field I was most interested in. I began my GI fellowship the next year. SG: Medical school has been split approximately 50/50 men and women for some time. However, when I came to interview for jobs after GI fellowship, being a woman became an advantage, as many practices were looking to add a female partner in their all-male groups. Working in the field has been nothing short of amazing. I am grateful to have worked with a great group of physicians. We support each other and are constantly striving to provide outstanding care to our patients. I am grateful to have made strong relationships with patients of all walks of life and provide care to them. Patients now come to me for all sorts of reasons and not just because I’m a woman. At this point, my experiences as a woman and a physician shape the care I provide for my patients today.
KB: When I attended med school, Jefferson was 51% female, but not many women chose gastroenterology. But during the years I was there, my two co-fellows were also female, which was awesome. That gave me women to connect with and look up to. At the end of my fellowship, I realized there was a huge demand for women in GI. Many all-male or majority-male practices were looking to fill their positions with women to attract and retain female patients—many prefer to see female physicians.
JP: How have your experiences as a woman GI physician changed or improved over the course of your career? ER: This year marks the beginning of my 40th year as a gastroenterologist. I have seen great advancements in work and family life balance, like the restriction of on-call hours. But there are definitely still improvements that can be made, especially in childcare policies. SG: My experiences have certainly changed over the last 10 years, especially with motherhood. As the first female partner in my group, we had to create a maternity policy. With the support of my managing partner, I was able to create a parental leave policy for both men and women for all doctors in our group in the future. I wanted to create a policy that allowed me to keep the practice I had built but also gave me time for my family. This was the first time I sat at a table and lobbied for myself and for others to follow. This continued as we added nurse practitioners to our practice. I now find myself trying to provide mentorship to them. Most recently, another valuable resource for balancing work and family demands has been telemedicine. From using patient portals to meeting with patients virtually, technology has given physicians the opportunity to educate our patients with flexibility. KB: As I have been in practice, I have seen female patients become much more comfortable with seeing a female GI physician for different reasons, whether
14 PE GI Journal March 2021
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JP: How did your experience being a woman in med school differ from your experience once you entered the field?
