March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the women whose achievements have shaped our society and to recognize those who have helped define the past, present, and future of our department and professions.
From the earliest days of physical therapy at Duke, women played key leadership roles. Our first PT class in 1943 included two women, and that same year, Dr. Helen Kaiser became the founding Director of the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, serving until 1970. Her legacy continues through a scholarship and graduation award in her name. Many women have led our DPT program over the years, and our DPT program’s signature lectureship honoring each graduating class is named for Dr. Eleanor Branch.
Women helped shape Duke Orthopaedic Surgery. In 1983, Dr. Jacqueline Fogarty became the first woman to complete our orthopaedic residency, and in 2001, Dr. Alison Toth joined as our first female orthopaedic faculty member. Today, over a dozen of our orthopaedic surgeons on our faculty are women.
More recently, women played a central role in establishing our Occupational Therapy program, launched in 2019 under the leadership of Dr. Barb Hooper, with the inaugural class arriving in 2021.
This month, and throughout the year, join me in celebrating the women whose leadership, scholarship, and dedication continue to strengthen our department and the communities we serve. Studies show that women in medical fields have lower complication rates and improve patient satisfaction, resulting in better outcomes for all of our patients.
All the best,
Ben