iamblackwell hashtag performance

It is National Women Physicians Day, a day we can celebrate the accomplishments of women physicians and show the next generation of girls that they belong in medical school #IAmBlackwell #NWPD #medicalschool #womensupportingwomen #doctor #representation @Hala Sabry-Elnaggar @Ladyspinedoc⚡️ @Doctor Oh @Doctor Jenaya | 💔🇺🇸 @Fatima Daoud MD FACOG @DoctorJesss @Pediatrician 👩🏻‍⚕️

Beyond grateful for a day to celebrate women physicians. But who knows if this is the next victim of anti-dei moves… arg. #iamblackwell #nationalwomenphysicianday #ladydoctor #womeninmedicine #womeninstem

I almost wasn’t part of this sisterhood of women physicians. Here’s my origin story. My parents actually didn’t want me to be a doctor - which most people are surprised to hear because most Indian parents encourage it. They also didn’t want me to go away to college - they wanted me to stay and go to the university in my hometown and work on my MRS degree essentially. They wondered how I would be able to take care of my husband, kids and home if I did something demanding like become a doctor. They even had some of their male physician friends try to talk me out of it and told me my life would be easier if I took over the family business. They weren’t wrong - medical school, internship, residency and fellowship were hard but honestly most things in life that are worthwhile are associated with some sort of difficulty or adversity, right? The gender gap is closing in medicine but there is still a wide discrepancy within surgical fields - in my particular field approximately 25% of oculoplastic surgeons are female. It’s not always easy to balance my family with work and I have to prioritize what is more urgent or important and I often put myself last but it’s something that I am working on. Social media has been an amazing avenue to connect with other female physicians and surgeons - the shared experience of medical training is powerful - we know what it took to get to where we are now. I want to wish all of my fellow women physicians a Happy Women Physicians Day! #nwpd #thisiswhatasurgeonlookslike #iamasurgeon #iamblackwell #womendocsinspire