Learn from Experience:

• November 1, 2011

  Julie Welch, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician: Recognizing a Need, Researching the Details, and Leading the Charge

  In 2009, eight years into my career as an Emergency Medicine physician, I was in my third trimester of pregnancy when I learned our 800 physician practice group (the largest in the state) was dropping our paid maternity leave option! Quickly I organized a grass roots effort, leading several female... Read More
• August 31, 2011

  Let Your Inner Compass Be Your Guide

  My father was infected with polio at the age of 28. He spent a year in the hospital, progressing from wheelchair, to full-length lock braces, to below the knee supports. He was never able to walk unaided without crutches and braces for the rest of his life. He was able to support his family, but... Read More
• June 27, 2011

  Stephanie Pincus, MD: Pilot Your Own Plane

  Taking Off: My Journey’s Beginning. I entered Harvard Medical School in 1964; only 10 women in a class of 125. From the West Coast (Reed College by way of LA), Boston and Harvard were far off “places with a good reputation.” In the pre-internet days the ability to learn about places without... Read More
• April 27, 2011

  Making Your Way by Making Connections

  I traveled from UC Berkeley to Harvard Medical School and then to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where I did my residency in primary care—a straight line on my career path to becoming a doctor. Next stop: New York City, to join my husband, a surgical resident, and to complete a... Read More
• April 25, 2011

  How I became a physician activist — and how you can, too

  Hal Scherz, MD, President Doctors4PatientCare I share this story not to pat myself on the back for my success in advocacy, but rather to excite you about what’s possible. Two years ago I didn’t know the first thing about advocacy; I knew nothing about starting an organization to... Read More
• March 13, 2011

  Justice, Justice Thou Shall Pursue

  How I Became a Physician Activist Since 1983 I have been a practicing pediatric otolaryngologist — otherwise known as an ear, nose and throat surgeon for kids. And until 2008, I also held two other positions: full, tenured professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at the University at Buffalo... Read More