Page 13 - Women Unlimited | Rochester Medicine | University of Rochester Medical Center

A (Wo)man’s World?

A sampling of early questions and challenges

Showered with support. faced by URMC women faculty in fields traditionally
As the only female intern in dominated by men.
pediatrics at Yale University in
the 1940s, Ruth Lawrence, MD,
was given sole use of one of
two shower rooms on her dorm
floor. “I would get a little rat-a-
tat on my door at night from the Name neutrality.
men, asking if they could take a When B. Paige Lawrence, PhD, Wright Family
shower in my room,” she recalls. Research Professor, arrived at the airport for a
“I’d say, ‘If you pick up your meeting in Montreal, the scientist assigned to pick
towel, yes.’” Those men wound her up was surprised by her appearance. “Oh my
up being extremely supportive, God, you’re a woman!” he exclaimed, apparently thrown
throwing her a baby shower and off by her gender-neutral name. The same thing happened
taking medical calls on her behalf when she traveled to France to give a talk, and it happens
just before the first of her nine occasionally when she attends conferences. “The fact that many
children were born.
people just assume I’m a man says something about our culture as
scientists,” she says.

A lesson in leadership.
In the late 1980s, while on sabbatical Server scientist?
at a Switzerland research institute,
Edith M. Lord, PhD, brought her While at an international
5-year-old daughter, Kara, to a conference, Deborah J. Fowell,
PhD, found herself chatting with
Privacy, please. grand affair there. “We were fellow graduate students and a
Prior to joining the University walking past pictures of well-respected scientist who was a
of Rochester, Ania Majewska, people who were in leader in his field. Aside from being
PhD, experienced male charge of things,” Lord the only female in the group, Fowell
colleagues coming into the says, “and she had was passionate and animated as she
women’s bathroom to tell her one question: discussed how vaccines work and ways
she has a phone call, as well as ‘Where are to improve them. During a pause, the
a male advisor who reserved a the women, scientist said, “Oh, dear, can you run along
single room for the two of them Mom?’” and get us some drinks?” Fowell obliged,
to share at a conference—until his but on her way back with the beers, she
wife intervened. “In both cases I admonished herself. “I remember thinking, ‘How
was too timid to say anything about stupid. Why am I doing this?’” she says. “This
the behavior, which, looking back, is person five minutes earlier had been very gracious
sad,” she says. “But, in general, I think in listening to my ideas. It was an odd juxtaposition.”
women have a harder time standing
up and pointing out behaviors that are
unprofessional. Maybe it’s because many
of us don’t like to be confrontational, so
we put up with it more.”

ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2019 – V2 23