A Delicate Balance: Science, Medicine, and Motherhood

Abstract

The question I’m asked probably more than any other is “How did you get to where you are today?” I think that’s because even now, physician-scientists who are also women with children are not as common as they ought to be. Patricia Schroeder, the long time congresswoman from Colorado, in response to a question from a colleague about how she could be both a mother of two young children and a member of Congress at the same time, replied “I have a brain and a uterus and I use them both.” Looking back on it, I can see that there were many times during the course of my life when, if it had not been for the right kind of help at the right time and place, I could have gone in another direction. But I’m not sure that I actually thought about it in those terms at the time; I was simply focused on getting the job done. So I’m glad for this opportunity to reflect on the path I’ve taken, and I hope that my musings may be of value to others who find themselves in similar circumstances. It’s a cliché that you should begin at the beginning, but in my case, the circumstances of my childhood had a lot to do with where I am now.