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PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE

MEDICINE BENEFITS

AS MORE WOMEN

JOIN THE RANKS

By Sheldon Gross, MD, 2018 BCMS President

Dear Colleagues,

The theme for this month’s San Antonio Medicine is “Women in Medicine.” In the spirit of full transparency, my oldest daughter,
Leah, is a Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist. I am immensely proud of her and the work she has done. This obviously affects my attitude
of women in medicine.
One of the great pleasures of my work week is having fellows in child psychiatry come and visit my office on Friday afternoons. I
have been doing this for over 20 years. Greater than 50 percent of these individuals are women. Without fail, I find them to be enthu-
siastic, attentive, and smarter than I am. I am sure that the same can be said for women in every aspect of medicine.
The Bexar County Medical Society has a long history of having a banquet every year honoring specific women in medicine who
have made outstanding contributions to our community. This year’s banquet is at the Witte Museum. I encourage all to attend, although
I am concerned they may already be sold-out.
The face of medicine has changed over the last 50 years as our culture and society has changed. My Aunt Winnie attended medical
school and trained as an anesthesiologist 70 years ago. She was one of a small number of women at that time allowed into medical
school. As any profession opens its doors to a wider array of applicants, what follows is a more effective use of human potential. I can
only hope that this trend will continue.

Medicine benefits when we attract the best and the brightest. I am happy to add that the current President of the American Medical
Association, Dr. Barbara L. McAneny, is an oncologist from Albuquerque, New Mexico who is doing an exceedingly good job as one
of many women who have served as President of the American Medical Association. Of historical note, the first woman to ever serve
in this capacity at the AMA was a Texan, Dr. Nancy Dickey. I am also encouraged to see that an increasing number of women have
become more actively involved with the Bexar County Medical Society in recent years.

Women make up more than 50 percent of the leadership group we have been training this past year. They have the same charac-
teristics of the child psychiatry fellows that I mentioned earlier. They are enthusiastic, focused, and they are smart.
I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving. As always, your thoughts and comments are always welcome at San Antonio Medicine.

Sincerely,
SHELDON GROSS, MD
President, Bexar County Medical Society

8 San Antonio Medicine • November 2018