March is Women's History Month—a time to honor the significant contributions women have made throughout history and society. It also serves as an opportunity to reflect on the crucial role women have played in shaping our department’s past and ongoing work.
In 1943, our first physical therapy class included just four students, two of whom were women. That same year, Helen Kaiser, PhD, became Duke's first Director of the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy (1943–1970). A trailblazer in her field, Dr. Kaiser’s legacy continues to inspire us today through a scholarship and a student graduation award established in her honor. Over the years, four of our seven PT program leaders have been women, and our program’s annual lectureship—celebrating each graduating class—is named after Eleanor Branch, PhD, a former faculty member and Director of Graduate Studies.
In 1983, Dr. Jacqueline Fogarty made history as the first woman to graduate from Duke’s orthopaedic residency program. Nearly a decade later, the second cohort of female residents followed. In 2001, Alison Toth, MD, became the first female orthopaedic surgeon on our faculty and now serves as Surgeon-in-Chief for the Duke University Health System. We are proud to have 20 women orthopaedic surgeons on our faculty—twice the national average. Additionally, over 40% of our residents identify as female.
During the early 2000s, several women held cross-appointments in orthopaedic surgery while continuing to make significant contributions in other departments and secure NIH funding for groundbreaking research. Today, nearly half of our department’s research personnel are women, driving some of our most notable advancements. In 2024, our two highest NIH-funded faculty members were women: Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, and Shyni Varghese, PhD.
In 2019, our department launched the Duke Occupational Therapy Program (OTD), led by its inaugural director, Barb Hooper, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA. Just five years later, on May 4, 2024, the OTD program proudly celebrated its first graduating class of 36 students.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us honor the women whose contributions have shaped the fields of orthopaedics, occupational therapy, and physical therapy at Duke. Their remarkable legacies continue to impact our department, our community, and the patients we serve.
All the best,
Ben