Five Women American Society of Anesthesiologists Presidents: Their Lives and Careers.

ABSTRACT

This article examines the only 5 women to become presidents of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) so far. Through their personal histories, these physicians tell a collective history of women in this specialty from the 1950s to today. We trace their initial interest in medicine, medical educations and training, careers, and family lives. In doing so, the diversity of these individuals' choices and experiences emerge, and also the context in which women anesthesiologists worked. They shaped the specialty by creating new programs, addressing emerging professional problems, and mentoring successive generations. Simultaneously, they dealt with issues common to professional women in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, such as balancing a demanding career and family.