On Thursday, April 17, three Augusta University leaders with medical backgrounds spoke on a panel about women physicians at the Historical Collections and Archives Room at Greenblatt Library.
Dr. Lisa Leggio, MD, Dr. Natasha Savage and Dr. Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy, talked about their expereinces, not only as doctors, but as advocates for fellow women. Leggio’s background is in pediatrics, Savage is the Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education at MCG and Spearman-McCarthy practices in psychiatry and health behavior. Courtney Berge, the Special Collections Librarian, led the panel.
The doctors talked about their experiences in hospitals, being advocates for other women, and how their scope of work has changed over time. The Panel was held in conjunction with the traveling exhibit the AU Libraries are hosting from the National Library of Medicine called “Rise, Serve, Lead! America’s Women Physicians.”
The exhibit’s goal is to raise awareness of the roles females play in the medical fields. The panel held with this exhibit promoted the same goals at the local level. Alongside talking about their careers, they also discussed issues they have advocated for, including more women’s representation in the medical field and providing basic necessities, such as pumping time for mothers with newborn children.
In addition to the panel having a local focus, a display was also placed inside Historical Collections that focused on the first women physicians at Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia.
The exhibit will remain on display on the first floor of Greenblatt Library through May 10. For more information about the exhibit, click here.
