Today is International Women's Day, which was established to celebrate women in the workplace. At Resurgens Orthopaedics, we recognize our female physicians for their hard work and unwavering dedication to our patients and communities.
Women in the Medical Field
For years, women have been significantly under-represented in medicine, especially orthopaedic surgery. While the number of women choosing to become doctors has been increasing, the latest statistics indicate that women make up only about 32.4% of the medical workforce in the United States. Even less move into specialties like orthopaedic surgery where only 7% of the practicing orthopaedists are women.
Dr. Kristy Weber, Chief of Orthopedic Oncology in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Sarcoma Program in Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, is the new and first female president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In a recent speech to the AAOS she said; "I was told that women couldn't get into orthopedics when considering several different subspecialties in medical school during the late '80s. You can bet that's all I needed to hear to solidify my choice, and I am proud to be a woman in a profession that is currently 94% male. While my gender does not define me, I know that reducing barriers and embracing gender, ethnic and racial diversity in our field only stands to better our culture and better serve patients."
The Women Physicians of Resurgens Orthopaedics
Seven of our female physicians (Drs. Albert, Bilbrew, Bruggers, Kao, Kowalchuk, Satterwhite, and Tan) have chosen to pursue an orthopaedic surgery residency after receiving their medical degree. In addition, they have each completed a fellowship (an extra year of specialized training) in their subspecialty. Their specialties include trauma, total joint replacement, hand, foot and ankle medicine/surgery and sports medicine.
Eight of our female physicians (Drs. Chambers, Cone-Sullivan, Cottrell, Dennis, Dows-Martinez, Levine, Perez, and Willett) chose non-operative musculoskeletal medicine after completing their medical degree. They are experts in treating non-operative spine conditions and utilize spinal injections and electrodiagnostic studies as part of the treatment for their patients.
Resurgens Female Physicians Give Back
Currently, women represent only 12% of the academic faculty in orthopaedics. The Perry Initiative is committed to inspiring women to be leaders in the fields of orthopaedic surgery and engineering. In January of this year, Drs. Bilbrew and Bruggers participated in the Perry Outreach Medical Student Outreach Program. Our physicians shared their knowledge and experiences with women in their first or second year of medical school interested in exploring careers in orthopaedics. The purpose of this free program is to connect female medical students interested in orthopaedics to like-minded peers and professional mentors.
Resurgens Orthopaedics celebrates our female physicians and we commend them all for continually making progress in the field of orthopaedics while inspiring others to continue in this path.