Improvements have been made in these areas, at least in terms of clarification and expectations. Another challenge for me, when I was a resident several decades ago, was that there weren’t clear policies for maternity leave and family illness. Bressler, MD: Many studies have confirmed inequity in compensation for women relative to their male peers, and I believe this is an ongoing challenge. When my daughter was young and I wanted to be at her daytime school events during grade school and middle school, I learned to schedule time off for the events I chose to attend. I learned that open and early communication works in negotiating these details. Lim, MD: I was the first woman in my department to require maternity leave, and I had to negotiate time off and call schedules. I have learned to prioritize my goals, and I have realized that it is not always possible to do everything. It is even more challenging now as the mother of three small children and a clinician in an academic ophthalmology practice with personal goals to conduct research and teach. Baumal, MD: My personal struggle has always been finding a balance of work and life responsibilities. I learned that treating patients with kindness and empathy, gaining exposure through presenting and publishing, and working hard can help women to be recognized.Ĭaroline R. Male ophthalmologists preferred referring patients to other men, and some patients were skeptical of being treated surgically by a woman, particularly a young woman. Berrocal, MD: When I started in retina, there were very few women in the field. In competitions for academic positions, grants, or awards, I believe that male judges sometimes grade female applicants more harshly than male applicants with similar credentials. Most female physicians I know have occasionally over the course of their careers experienced inappropriate physical contact from male colleagues and/or from patients. Some female employees can be respectful of their male physician bosses but less deferential to their female physician supervisors. Some patients assume that women are nurses, assistants, or technicians and don’t afford them the same respect they do male physicians. Schefler, MD: There are overt and unconscious biases from patients, colleagues, and co-workers. What challenges have you faced professionally that are specific to your being a woman?Īmy C. An edited version of their conversation is shared below. But are these changes enough? Retina Today gathered a panel of respected female retina specialists and asked them to discuss their thoughts and experiences. Berrocal, MD, recalls, women were commonly told when hired that they would be paid less than their male colleagues because they didn’t have to support a family. 1 Women are increasingly visible in practices, at the podium, and in academia. In fact, women now make up more than 20% of ophthalmologists, and nearly half of US medical students and residents are women. Additionally he is a member of the Practice Management Committee and one of the current Co-Chairs of the Early Careers Section of the ASRS.There are more women in ophthalmology-and medicine in general-than ever before. He is currently a Health Policy Committee member and the one of the RUC Advisors for the AAO. He has an interest in retinal coding and has been an invited presenter and panelist on such topics at ASRS and the ASRS Business meetings. His research focus has been on age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and venous occlusive diseases with surgical interests in retinal detachments, macular holes, and scleral fixation of intraocular lens implants. Shah has authored over 70 combined peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and presentations at national meetings. Shah has received numerous prestigious honors, most notably the Rose Award and Behrens Memorial Prize in Ophthalmology.ĭr. He went on to complete an adult and pediatric surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at the renowned William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He performed his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Scheie Eye Institute, where he was awarded the Medical Student Teaching Award for his dedication and excellence in teaching. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he focused his research efforts on age-related macular degeneration and earned the opportunity to complete the prestigious Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. Shah, MD, graduated summa cum laude with a dual degree in healthcare management and biology from the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. Shah is a board-certified retina specialist with Retina Consultants of Houston.Īnkoor R.
0 kommentar(er)
