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Morales IC, Desai K, Alam Z, Kumar RP, O'Malley GR, Ruzicka F, Silva NA, Patel NV. Excelencia en Neurocirugía: María Cristina García-Sancho, the First Latina Neurosurgeon in the World. World Neurosurg 2024; 185:310-313. [PMID: 38395351 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.02.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurosurgery is a specialty that has been dominated by males. Although there has been an increase in the number of women in the field, it is not yet close to being equal. Some noteworthy women who have carved the path for other women to follow in their footsteps include Drs. Sofía Ionescu and Diana Beck, the first and second female neurosurgeons worldwide, respectively. However, there are limited publications on Dr. María Cristina García-Sancho, the first Latina neurosurgeon. METHODS The purpose of this review was to illuminate the neurosurgical community on the life of Dr. García-Sancho. A thorough literature was performed on medical and non-medical publications that were either authored by Dr. García-Sancho or mentioned her directly. RESULTS Dr. García-Sancho earned her medical degree at the School of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico under the guidance of Dr. Clemente Robles, who founded Mexico's first neurosurgical department. Her training took her worldwide. CONCLUSIONS Her expertise allowed her to pioneer a revolutionary advancement known as the one-step bilateral cordotomy. Her perseverance led her to becoming the head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the National Cancer Institute of Mexico and co-found the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery, where she served on the board of directors. This review aims to advocate for an equitable environment in the field of neurosurgery with Dr. García-Sancho's story.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Cazorla Morales
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA.
| | - Kush Desai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Zahin Alam
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rohit Prem Kumar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Geoffrey R O'Malley
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Francis Ruzicka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Nicole A Silva
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nitesh V Patel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, HMH-Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, New Jersey, USA
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Pahwa B, Shukla A. Role and contributions of women in revolutionizing neurosurgery. World Neurosurg X 2024; 22:100284. [PMID: 38444868 PMCID: PMC10914579 DOI: 10.1016/j.wnsx.2024.100284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
We owe it to the women neurosurgeons for paving the way to a more gender-inclusive world of medicine. Their dedication and sacrifices have led them and their followers to scale unimaginable heights in terms of administrative positions, leadership, and academics. In today's scenario, it is safe to say that society has progressed considerably. Past years have seen an uprise in the number of females enrolling in a medical degree programme however, this proportion is highly distorted when it comes to specialties such as Neurosurgery. This disparity seems to be evolving and leveling out in all specialties, as more and more women are stepping out of their comfort zone and challenging the established standards of the society. It is with the collective efforts of all stakeholders and women that we see more women not only choosing such specialties which were previously uncharted terrain, but also leading organizations globally and excelling on the administrative and academic fronts. Veteran female surgeons have revolutionized neurosurgery and its subspecialties in unimaginable ways and the present as well as the future generation neurosurgeons continue to take inspiration from them and follow their footsteps. This paper has put together the contributions of female neurosurgeons in various subspecialties of neurosurgery as well as giving an account of the leadership and administrative positions served by women. We also shed light on the role of women as an academician and a researcher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavya Pahwa
- University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India
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Ikeda DS, Chiocca EA, Lonser RR, Sutton TE, McGregor JM, Rea GL, Schunemann VA, Ngwenya LB, Marlin ES, Porensky PN, Shaikhouni A, Huntoon K, Dornbos D, Shaw AB, Thoman WJ, Powers CJ. Carole A. Miller, MD: Matriarch of the Ohio State University's Department of Neurosurgery. World Neurosurg 2022; 166:33-38. [PMID: 35840095 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Carole A. Miller, M.D., was born (May 7, 1939) and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees at the Ohio State University. She went on to complete her neurosurgical training at the Ohio State University Medical Center. After her first faculty role at the University of Michigan (1971), she returned to the Ohio State University Medical Center (1975) where she spent nearly 4 decades. She thrived in the specialty, achieving in every facet of academic practice including scientific contributions, graduate medical education, clinical care, and leadership roles within her academic department, locally, and at the national level of organized neurosurgery. Dr. Miller passed away peacefully, on October 28, 2015, after a courageous battle with cancer. Based on her essential programmatic and specialty-related contributions, she is remembered as the 'founding mother' of neurosurgery at the Ohio State University.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Ikeda
- Department of Surgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
| | - E Antonio Chiocca
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Russel R Lonser
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Tracy E Sutton
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - John M McGregor
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Gary L Rea
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Victoria A Schunemann
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Laura B Ngwenya
- Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Evan S Marlin
- Department of Neurosurgery, St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paul N Porensky
- Service of Neurosurgery, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Ammar Shaikhouni
- Division of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kristin Huntoon
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - David Dornbos
- Department of Neurosurgery, Semmes Murphey Clinic and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Andrew B Shaw
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - William J Thoman
- Department of Neurosurgery, Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Ciarán J Powers
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Gassie K, Quinones-Hinojosa A, Dagi TF. Commentary: Dr Dorothy Kenke Nash: The First Woman Neurosurgeon in the United States. Neurosurgery 2021; 89:E318-E322. [PMID: 34498701 DOI: 10.1093/neuros/nyab338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Gassie
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Ozair A, Bhat V, Nanda A. Lessons from the life of Asia's first female neurosurgeon for modern neurosurgical trainees and educators worldwide. J Neurosurg 2021; 136:1164-1172. [PMID: 34534957 DOI: 10.3171/2021.3.jns2193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Surgical specialties, and particularly neurosurgery, have historically had and continue to have poor representation of female trainees. This is especially true of South Asia, considering the added social and cultural expectations for women in this region. Yet it was in India, with its difficult history of gender relations, that Asia's first fully qualified female neurosurgeon, Dr. T. S. Kanaka (1932-2018), took root, flourished, and thereafter played an integral role in helping develop stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in the country. While a few biographical accounts of her exist, highlighted here are the lessons from her illustrious life for neurosurgical trainees and educators worldwide, along with the instances that exemplify those lessons, drawn from several hitherto unutilized primary sources. These lessons are consistent with the factors identified in previous systematic reviews to be contributing to gender disparities in neurosurgery. Many of the virtues that ensured her success are attributes that continue to be critical for a neurosurgical career. Additionally, the circumstances that helped Kanaka succeed have been recounted as considerations for those working to promote diversity and inclusion. Finally, her life choices and sacrifices are described, which are underexplored but relevant concerns for women in neurosurgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Ozair
- 1Faculty of Medicine, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Vivek Bhat
- 2Faculty of Medicine, St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, India; and
| | - Anil Nanda
- 3Department of Neurosurgery, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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Casillo SM, Venkatesh A, Muthiah N, McDowell MM, Agarwal N. First Female Neurosurgeon in the United States: Dorothy Klenke Nash, MD. Neurosurgery 2021; 89:E223-E228. [PMID: 34293169 DOI: 10.1093/neuros/nyab246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dr Dorothy Klenke Nash (1898-1976) became the first female neurosurgeon in the United States in 1928 and maintained her status as the country's only female neurosurgeon until 1960. She graduated with her medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1927 and then trained at the Neurologic Institute of New York under Dr Byron Stookey. During her training, she contributed to the advancement of neurosurgical practice through academic research. In 1931, she married Charles B. Nash, and together they had 2 children, George (1932) and Dorothy Patricia (1937). Dr Nash became a senior surgeon at St. Margaret's Hospital in Pittsburgh in 1942. Shortly thereafter, she joined the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery led by Dr Stuart N. Rowe and became an instructor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In acknowledgment of her advocacy for public access to services for mental health and cerebral palsy, Dr Nash was recognized as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania (1953) and honored by Mercy Hospital (1957), Bryn Mawr College (1960), and Columbia University (1968). She retired from neurosurgical practice in 1965, at which time she devoted herself to her grandchildren and her Catholic faith. She died on March 5, 1976 at the age of 77. With unwavering tenacity, Dr Nash paved the way for all women in neurosurgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Casillo
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anisha Venkatesh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nallammai Muthiah
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael M McDowell
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nitin Agarwal
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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