St. George’s University School of Medicine Alumni Association (SOMAA) celebrated accomplished alumnae during National Women’s Physician Day (February 3) by hosting a virtual panel discussion with SGU women doctors.
With the theme “SGU Women in Medicine: Stories of Success,” the pre-recorded discussion shared the stories of how several women physicians (and SGU grads) successfully became MDs and their advice to other women doctors and medical students.
The panelists included:
- Sasha Lake, MD ’18, assistant professor at St. George’s University;
- Kumkum Sarkar Patel, MD ’12, board-certified gastroenterologist;
- Jessica Best, MD ’12, emergency medicine physician;
- Svjetlana Lozo, MD ’09, urogynecology and pelvic reconstruction surgeon; and
- Angela Self, MD ’98, president of the Tarrant County Medical Society.
The panel was moderated by Danielle Krol, MD ’12, medical officer at the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and SOMAA treasurer.
In her welcome remarks, Frances McGill, MD ’81, FACOG, and SGU professor emeritus of clinical skills and obstetrics & gynecology, said the University’s first graduating class in 1981 had just four women who earned their MD. Today, women represent just over 50 percent of recent incoming classes in the School of Medicine.
“We are going to hear tonight the success stories of our graduates, and we wish to celebrate all their accomplishments. These are women who are from across the globe. These are women who have come from varying backgrounds. For some, they are the first person in their family who went to college,” Dr. McGill said. “We are very proud to be from St. George’s University and we welcome you.”
Topics covered by the panelists included:
- Their paths to becoming MDs and how they came to be the physicians they are today;
- Their perspectives on what it means to be a leader and advice to those who aspire to be leaders in their fields;
- Work-life balance tips, especially when it comes to balancing marriage and children; and
- The importance of mentorship.
“We are so proud to acknowledge our female doctors who continue to provide excellent care and are committed to making a difference in the lives of their patients every day,” said Brendon LaGrenade, vice provost of SGU and director of Alumni Affairs.
Here are some key insights from the panelists:
Dr. Lozo on leadership advice: “Learn who you are. Learn your own leadership style and learn your own potential. We all have different ideas of who we are and what we can do.”
Dr. Self on work-life balance: “The number one thing where I find balance in my life is enjoying my work and the people that I work with. If I didn’t have the enjoyment of the job that I do and the people that I work with, it would be difficult to enjoy the other part(s) of my life. […] And secondly, making the most of [the] days I have off.”
Dr. Best on the benefits of emergency medicine: “There are a lot of different specialties in? emergency medicine. People that are interested in global health can do administration, you can even do ICU, you can go into pain management, you can do sports medicine, you could probably even get into urgent care primary care. A lot of people do aesthetics on the side, so it’s a very flexible specialty in that if you are experiencing any kind of burnout, you can easily pivot into something else.”
Dr. Lake on mentorship: “Mentorship is very important especially when students are starting their medical education journey. A lot of the students have many different interests, and they don’t know which path to go, so personally I believe in having several mentors—I have a mentor for leadership, and I have a mentor to help me guide through like my academic pathway. They have provided both constructive criticism of my strengths and weaknesses, and things that I can work on to evolve as a better individual and medical educator. And I tried to do the same for the students that I interact with.
Dr. McGill on mentorship: “Look for role models and when you get comfortable, talk to them about yourself. Don’t be afraid to be open and say, “you know, I just don’t know if I can do this’ or ‘I’m not sure what I want to do’ or ‘there are all these opportunities that are out there, but I’m concerned about my ability. I’m concerned about the time commitment.’”
Dr. Patel on building a support system: “Do what you can in terms of building a network […] whether that is finding a partner, whether that’s finding friends, whether that’s finding your family or choosing to do residency, fellowship. Wherever you have a network, have support because you never know when you’re going to need to rely on them.”
