Women's Month Spotlight: Surgeon's Journey Empowered by Female Mentorship and Friendships

Vacationing with two great friends from medical school 

I went to medical school envisioning a career in primary care but my third year surgery rotation changed my trajectory entirely. After completing my M.D. I trained at Vanderbilt for general surgery and then did an additional fellowship year at Washington University in St. Louis in colon and rectal surgery. There were not many women attendings in either surgery department but I had the great fortune to be surrounded by wonderful mentors AND lots of other female trainees.

I cannot emphasize enough how important relationships with other women in medicine have been to me. Without the friendships I formed in medical school, residency and fellowship my years in training and my time in practice so far would have been very lonely and much more challenging. We message each other frequently (sometimes daily) about clinical questions but also life updates, funny memes, and just “hi thinking about you”. This career is tough and a support system makes an enormous difference.

These women continue to show up for me in so many ways. We see each other at conferences and even vacation together (now with our families) when schedules permit. We navigate professional challenges, serve as sounding boards for occupational forks in the road and we laugh a lot. My advice for anyone going into medicine would be 1) find your tribe and 2) be flexible. Your ultimate destination may be very different than your original plan but if you’re open to opportunities and surrounded by people who care about you everything will work out.

Medical school graduation with a friend I met in my freshman dorm - we both went to Vanderbilt for residency 

Dr. Baily with two other surgical residents at Vanderbilt