ETSU Health empowering a gender diversified health care workforce

Published 4:23 pm Tuesday, March 14, 2023

JOHNSON CITY – This Women’s History Month, ETSU Health is proud to support the many female physicians who serve this region, including those who are breaking trends and helping to diversify the health care workforce.

Women accounted for less than 40% of active physicians in 2021, according to the latest Physician Specialty Data Reports. The Association of American Medical Colleges notes that women are at even more significant minorities in surgical specialties, often making up less than 10% of active surgeons.

ETSU Health is proud to employ many of the female surgeons who practice in our region. ETSU Health’s Surgery team includes:

• Drs. Judaun Alison, Janet Brown and Anne Eberhart, ophthalmologists;

• Dr. Trevy Ramos, a general surgeon who specializes in surgeries of the liver, pancreas and biliary system;

• Dr. Natalie Scott, a general surgeon who specializes in breast surgical oncology and benign surgical diseases of the breast;

• Dr. Lesli Taylor, a pediatric surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive surgery, pediatric trauma and surgical infectious diseases;

• And trauma surgeons Dr. Sheree Bray, Dr. Diane Cobble, Dr. Christy Lawson, Dr. Lou Smith and Dr. Keelin Roche.

“We are proud to support the women who are empowering future generations. These surgeons are incredibly valuable additions to our community as experts in their specialties, and they serve as exceptional role models to the next generation of providers,” said Dr. William Block, ETSU vice president for Clinical Affairs and dean of the Quillen College of Medicine. “Notably, under their influence, 17 of our 30 surgical residents are female.”

Women made up less than 36% of U.S. and Canadian surgical residents in 2017-2018, which is the latest published report from AAMC.

Quillen College of Medicine also now has a thriving chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons, with 40 medical student members. The organization is a way for female medical students to learn about what a woman would experience in the surgical field and to find mentors.

“The female surgeons at ETSU Health care for their patients with confidence and kindness,” said Fiona Whitaker, a second-year Quillen student and co-founder of the college’s Women in Surgery chapter. “They are not afraid to speak up and take charge but never diminish the people around them and make everyone feel like part of the team. They care about quality education and enthusiastically teach medical students and help them explore their interests.”

Quillen’s student group is collaborating with other medical schools to host a statewide panel of general surgeons and specialists who can assist the students in forming a complete picture of what it is like to train and work as a female surgeon in Tennessee. The panel will take place in early April.

For more information about ETSU Health’s Surgery services and providers, visit ETSUHealth.org or call (423) 439-7201.

ETSU Health Surgery is located at 325 N. State of Franklin Road in Johnson City.

With 30 clinical sites and more than 250 healthcare providers, ETSU Health is on the front lines of efforts to improve the health of Northeast Tennessee by offering leading-edge healthcare in dozens of specialties.