Celebrating America's Women Physicians

Changing the face of Medicine
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Suggested Reading

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These bibliographies provide materials for the woman physicians featured in the Changing the Face of Medicine exhibition. A list of books provides suggested K-12 reading materials and videos that explore the possibilities for women in the world of medicine. The research bibliography provides additional resources on the history of women in medicine and a selection of autobiographies by women physicians.

Videos

  • Bright Minds. Produced by Rex Barnett. Atlanta: History on Video, 2001.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: Three African-American students, interviewed at the Student National Medical Association's annual conference in Atlanta in April, 2001, comment on their preparation for and experiences during medical training, and share advice on succeeding in medical school. J. Nadine Gracia, President of the Student National Medical Association, the oldest and largest student organization for minority students in the United States, emphasizes the importance of mentorship to the future of minority medical education.
  • Careers in Medicine: Physician. Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1998.
    Audience Level: Grades 9-12
    Description: This video offers high school students interested in medicine a good overview of the profession, based on vignettes and short interviews of medical school students, instructors, and those working in the field both in clinical and academic settings. Those interviewed discuss what it takes to succeed in medicine, ways to gain practical volunteer experience in the health fields, strategies for finding mentors and for obtaining course planning advice, the current atmosphere of recruiting for minorities and women, how to find funding for a medical education, what medical school is like, and the criteria for evaluating medical school applicants. The emphasis of this video is on the planning needed to prepare for medical school and the self-discipline needed to succeed once in medical school.
  • Making the Grade: From Med School to Internship. Part of the "Hopkins 24/7: Inside America's Best Hospital System" series. Produced by ABC News. Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2001.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine students from the first year to the fourth year comment on various aspects of their medical training, from their anticipation of the first day in the anatomy laboratory and being directly responsible for patient care, to their anxieties about future internships and coping with the real world burdens of the health care system. This video is similar in format to the first of the Harvard Medical School series (So You Want to Be a Doctor?) that follows seven students over a period of fourteen years, but does not have the same level of intimacy or depth. Overall, this is an attractive, well-made, and enjoyable video that will give prospective medical students a insider's perspective on the rigors of medical training.
  • Making of a Doctor. Written, produced, and directed by Michael Barnes. A NOVA production by the WGBH/Boston Science Unit. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 1995.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: This is the second installation in a three-part series that follows seven Harvard Medical School students over a period of fourteen years, from their medical school training to the beginnings of their professional careers. The first hour of this video is designed so that viewers who have not seen So You Want to be a Doctor will get a coherent narrative, thus basically reiterating many of the key scenes from part one. After showing scenes from medical school graduation, the second hour goes on to follow these newly minted MDs as they continue in their individual directions in internship and residency programs. This second video, like its predecessor, is marked by clear and well-paced narration, a sense of drama, and overall excellence in storytelling and video quality. As in the first, the sense of intimacy is well captured. Highly recommended for high school and college audiences.
  • So You Want to Be a Doctor? Written, produced, and directed by Michael Barnes. A NOVA production by the WGBH/Boston Science Unit. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 1991. Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1991.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: Narrated by actor Neil Patrick Harris, star of the TV series Doogie Howser, M.D., this is the first of three videos in a series that follows seven Harvard Medical School students over a period of fourteen years. This video covers the four years of medical school and takes its audience into the many firsts of young doctors in training, among them the first cadaver dissection, the first patient exam, and the first death. Scenes from the lives of the seven students reveal the hardships, rewards, and drama of this test of endurance. The students and their parents, partners, and teachers speak intimately about the impact of medical school on these students. This is an excellent video that provides a fascinating and personal view of medical training, while balancing a dramatic narrative with integrity.
  • Survivor MD. Written, produced, and directed by Michael Barnes. A NOVA production by the WGBH/Boston Science Unit. Boston: WGBH Educational Founation, 2001.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: This video wraps up the three-part documentary series that follows seven Harvard Medical School students over the course of fourteen years. Like the second video in the series, Survivor MD includes significant footage from the first, allowing new viewers to get acquainted with the background. This video concentrates mainly on the early careers of the seven characters.
  • Women Are Pathologists. National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health, and National Institutes of Health Office of Science Education. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health, 1999.
    Audience Level: Grades 6-9
    Description: In the first fictional section of this two-part video, a teenage girl learns about the field of pathology as she deals with the discovery of her sister's cervical cancer. In the second half of the video, three pathologists, Deborah Powell (asurgical pathologist), Maria Merino (an academic pathologist), and Mary Case (a clinical pathologist) give overviews of their roles within this medical specialty and the rewards and challenges of their positions. With an introduction by Victoria Powell, who plays Dr. Amanda Bentley on the TV series Diagnosis Murder, this is an engaging video that skillfully combines story and teaching. This video is part of a three-video series titled Women are Scientists, produced by the National Institutes of Health, and is available for free online by ordering at http://Science-Education.nih.gov.
  • Women Are Researchers. National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health Office of Science Education and Association of Women Surgeons. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health, 2000.
    Audience Level: Grades 5-7
    Description: With an introduction by Gates McFadden, from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, this entertaining and vibrant video features short vignettes organized around questions posed by the young hostess of this show. Viewers are given a short history of women in medicine and a research problem involving the hypothesis that "science is fun." Three researchers in different settings, Terry Young, Connie Noguchi, and Judith Pachciarz talk about overcoming gender, ethnic, and physical barriers to achieve success in their profession. Their discussion ranges from their passion for research and balancing personal and professional lives, to giving valuable advice to young women (grades 5 to 7), to planning for a biomedical research career. This video is part of a three-video series titled Women are Scientists, produced by the National Institutes of Health, and is available for free online by ordering at http://Science-Education.nih.gov.
  • Women Are Surgeons. National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health Office of Science Education, and Association of Women Surgeons. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health, 1998.
    Audience Level: Grades 5-7
    Description: This video introduces young women to the professional and personal lives of three women surgeons, thoracic surgeon Victoria Stevens, cardiac surgeon Rosalyn Sterling-Scott, and trauma surgeon Yvette LaClaustra. Women are Surgeons features a series of short scenes showing the real life drama of these women at work. Various young adults pose questions of interest to them, such as, "How do you make time for life outside of work?" and "How do you deal with stress?" which the three surgeons take turns answering. With an introduction by Christine Lahti, Emmy Award winning actress from Chicago Hope, this video provides a lively and appealing way of encouraging young women grades 5 to 7 to pursue careers in surgery. This video is part of a three-video series titled Women are Scientists, produced by the National Institutes of Health, and is available for free online by ordering at http://Science-Education.nih.gov.
  • Women in Medicine. A production of Dartmouth/Hitchcock Medical Center. Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1993.
    Audience Level: Grades 10 and above
    Description: This informative video starts with scenes from a 1930s newsreel, Men of Medicine, as a contrast to its own discussion about the likely changes that will occur as women continue to contribute to the field of medicine. Some of the questions and issues raised are the emerging changes in research and patient care, with women contributing widely to medicine and the possibility of women bringing new skills into the profession. Various physicians and educators comment on the lives of medical women and their impact on this field.

Oral Histories

  • Women in Duke Medicine. March 26, 2008. A joint project between the Duke Medical Center Archives and the office of the Associate Vice Dean for Faculty Development
    Dr. Ann Brown.
    Website: http://digitaldukemed.mc.duke.edu/med_women/index.php
    Audience Level: Grades 11 and above
    Description: Women physicians and scientists, past and present, talk about their careers in medicine. This web site includes transcripts of their oral history interviews, sound clips, biographies, summaries of the interviews, photographs, and a timeline.