Introduction
Neurosurgery is one of the most difficult and demanding careers in the world. The act of cutting into and repairing someone’s brain takes years of dedication and hard work. There are only around 49,000 neurosurgeons worldwide, representing just 0.00000595% of the population, of whom only 8%-11% are female. I interviewed Dr. Elizabeth Liptrap, MD, a neurosurgeon at UAB, to gain a perspective on women in the male-dominated field of neurosurgery.
Discovering Her Love for Medicine
Dr. Liptrap’s father influenced her love for medicine and her decision to pursue neurosurgery. A refugee in the Vietnam War, he dreamt of becoming a physician but could not afford it when he came to the U.S. Growing up, her father encouraged her to consider a path in medicine; she felt the calling and decided to answer. While going through medical school, it was difficult for her to choose a specialty, as she loved every aspect. It was during her neurosurgery residency that she discovered her love for neurosurgery, especially aneurysm and skull base surgery. Though there was a moment when she pursued a career as an ENT (ears, nose, and throat) medical professional, she ultimately switched back to neurosurgery in her 4th year of medical school.
Pathways for Success
“Neurosurgery is a notoriously difficult field requiring significant medical management and surgical technical skills.” Being able to keep going is a struggle, and persevering is a skill. Dr. Liptrap always approached her endeavors, whether it was medical school, residency, or other challenges, with the expectation that they would be difficult. She comments that it was usually not as bad as she expected. She says that whenever she starts feeling sorry for herself, she remembers all the sacrifices her dad made for her and all the people who would pay to be in her position. Lastly, she likes to remember that “all things are finite, nothing lasts forever, and all bad times will eventually end.”
Dr. Liptrap made many significant achievements during her medical schooling and career, including being awarded membership in the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Faculty Gold Medal for Outstanding Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine. Dr. Liptrap credits some of her success to her stubbornness, noting that she was not the most intelligent person, but she worked hard and stayed on task despite the hardships. She also says self-help books helped her identify principles to live by. Some of her favorite books are: Principles by Ray Dalio, The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Good to Great by James Collins, and Grit by Angela Duckworth. I really recommend reading some of these if you have the time.
The Difficulties of Being a Female Neurosurgeon
As mentioned, neuroscience is a challenging field, and the number of female neurosurgeons is relatively low. Dr Liptrap says she was the only female during her residency program and the third female to graduate from it. Additionally, there were no female faculty members either. Dr. Liptrap found it fascinating to meet other female neurosurgeons. She felt that she needed to work twice as hard as her male peers to get the same credit.
After she became a senior resident, she faced challenges in leading male residents who were not used to having women as superiors or in the field at all. She mentions that there were many cases of sexual harassment that her male colleagues did not have to deal with during residency. Dr. Liptrap remarks that there is a significant number of female faculty at UAB, who are all very supportive of each other. Dr. Liptrap believes that female residents can be successful anywhere, but it is beneficial to go to a place with fellow female faculty and mentors.
A Little Bit of Advice
Dr. Liptrap suggests you consider what you want your life to be like if you are interested in neurosurgery. Consider whether you want to have children and be able to spend time attending all of their activities and events. Neurosurgery is a tough specialty, and it can put a strain on your social and family life. You can still have children, get married, and build a family; you will just face a few more challenges along the way. Additionally, she suggests thinking about your ability to handle stress. You have to manage multiple patients at once, and since medicine isn’t linear, things may not go as expected. Neurosurgery is unpredictable. You may have plans outside of work, but if a patient has an emergency, plans will change. Dr. Liptrap recommends shadowing multiple neurosurgeons to get a feel of the field, as there are variations in practices at different institutes.
Dr. Liptrap is happy to talk to anyone interested, so feel free to reach out to her.
