Discrimination between genders remains prominent in the medical field, according to physicians who spoke at a recognition lunch yesterday.
Results from the “”Grace Project,”” an extensive survey conducted by the College of Medicine, revealed that female physicians recognize gender discrepancies in salary and leadership opportunities in health care, said Dr. Katherine Reed.
Reed was one of the speakers at Local Legends Assembly, which honored four female physicians for their accomplishments, ranging from reaching out to economically disadvantaged areas to creating a poison and drug information center.
Drs. Ana Maria Lopez, Leslie Boyer, Myra Lee Muramoto and Eve Shapiro were honored by Local Legends, a foundation in partnership with the American Medical Women’s Association, for their outstanding work in the medical field and their overall contributions to their community yesterday at the University Medical Center.
The physicians, who are considered pioneers of the medical fields, received nominations from locals who were affected by the women as well as congressmen Jim Kolbe and Raul Grijalva, said Dr. Keith Joiner, dean of the College of Medicine.
“”These women know how to approach something in a rigorous, effective way,”” Joiner said.
Although female physicians get mistaken for nurses or even housekeepers, the honored women feel healthy when their communities are healthy, and relationships with patients and their community are more important than salary or materialistic personal gain, said Reed, a former Local Legend winner.
Boyer, the medical director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, was recognized for her lifelong research on venomous bites and stings.
After working with UA toxicologists, Boyer helped the first antivenin treatment get approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Boyer spent much time encouraging more public knowledge of the hazards that poisonous snakes, spiders, scorpions and other venomous creatures can pose. She also helped form the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, which remains one of the only centers in the U.S. that offers advice and information on poison.
“”Go for it and do it because you want it, the way you want it, whether or not that’s the way people tell you it should be done,”” Boyer said, offering advice to hopeful female physicians.
Lopez is known for her outstanding knowledge and treatment of cancer among the Tucson medical community.
“”Ana Maria is exceptionally outgoing, a people person committed to her career who continues to strengthen her knowledge of medicine and the patients she serves,”” said Grijalva, quoted on the Local Legends Web site.
Lopez is fluent in English and Spanish, which helps patients who speak either language communicate easily with her.
In 2004, Lopez was elected one of the Best Doctors of Tucson, and she was named one of the Best Doctors in America in 2002 and 2003.
“”Persevere, I think it’s a long process and at times it seems too much to do, but just find the resources you need to get you through it,”” Lopez told aspiring physicians.
Muramoto, who has dedicated much of her career to substance-abuse research and education, teaches the harms of tobacco to lower income pregnant women, the Hispanic community and the Southwest Native American community.
She has also extended her teaching to countries such as India and Indonesia, and is one of the founders of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Center for Child Health Research Tobacco Consortium.
