Celebrating Women’s History Month:
Recognizing women in cardiothoracic surgery
by Roxanna Van Norman
March 7, 2024
In celebration of Women's History Month in March and International Women's Day on March 8th, we are spotlighting some of the remarkable women faculty members within the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. We aim to showcase their impactful contributions, from the operating room to their research labs to global health initiatives.
Thank you to all the women in cardiothoracic surgery for their wisdom, expertise, leadership, and compassion for their important work. For more stories and resources, visit the Stanford Medicine page.
Redefining women's leadership in cardiothoracic surgery
Historically, women have been systematically and deliberately excluded from medicine and surgery. Pipeline efforts to increase the number of women entering the surgical field have been successful, but currently, the majority are clustered at the junior level of training and seniority. Surgeon leader Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, co-authors this piece on women's leadership and career development in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.
Passion for bioengineering and cardiovascular regenerative medicine
Ngan F. Huang, PhD, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, is one of the only two research-only (PhD) faculty in the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She shares her career and research experience in bioengineering and cardiovascular regenerative medicine.
Transforming peri-operative care in surgical patients
Billie-Jean Martin, MD, PhD, a clinical assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, is a co-principal investigator on a newly funded project through the Wellcome Leap Initiative, which aims to accelerate breakthroughs for global health. Dr. Martin will co-lead a team of investigators studying the feasibility and utility of novel biomarkers in peri-operative monitoring of surgical patients in a low-resource setting.
Comprehensive care for congenital and acquired abnormalities of the pulmonary arteries
Elisabeth Martin, MD, clinical assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, was recently named the new surgical director of the Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction (PAR) Program at Stanford Medicine Children's Health. The 20+ year program provides the highest level of comprehensive care for children and adults with congenital and acquired abnormalities of the pulmonary arteries.
Maternal and fetal outcomes in Rwandan women with mechanical heart valves
Yihan Lin, MD, MPH, a clinical assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, received a grant from the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute for her project, "Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Rwandan Women with Mechanical Heart Valves." Her project aims to address a critical healthcare challenge among women in Rwanda who have mechanical heart valves and face potential high-risk pregnancy outcomes.