Women In Neurology Research Articles

Women in neurology

I read with interest the Presidential Address of Dr. Sandra Olson, which focused on the role of women in neurology.1 In her address, she honored great female neurologists/neuroscientists, specifically highlighting pioneers like Augusta Dejerine-Klumpke and Cecile Vogt. I would like to champion the cause of three other women, not mentioned by Dr. Olson, but whom I feel deserve equal recognition for their contributions to our specialty. The first is Rita Levi-Montalcini, who introduced the concept of neurotrophism and discovered nerve growth factor. Levi-Montalcini, an Italian Jew, found her plans to become a neurologist blocked by Mussolini's “Manifesto per …

Women in neurology

Two eggs are sitting in a frying pan. The first egg turns to the other and says, “Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?” The second egg looks over in horror and exclaims: “EEEK! It’s a talking egg!!!” As the first woman to have the honor to hold the title of president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), I have to confess to you, I do feel a bit of a kinship to that first “talking egg.” I certainly don’t make any pretense that I was the first and only woman in the 55-year history of our membership to be qualified to take this leadership role. Unlike many other professional associations, our Academy wisely accepted women from its inception in 1948. Winifred Bayard Stewart, a professor of neurology at the women’s medical college, was invited by Dr. A.B. Baker to the first meeting of what would become the American Academy of Neurology in June 1948 at the Stevens Hotel (now the Conrad Hilton) in Chicago. I’m aware that other women had been approached before me to see if they would be interested in being president of the AAN but they turned down the honor because of other commitments or were not interested in taking on additional work. So I think it was just luck that I was in the right place at the right time and unable to say “No, thank you.” It has been a distinct honor and privilege, for which I will be eternally grateful. Since I hold this unique position, I chose “Women in Neurology” as the topic for my presidential address for a couple of reasons. One, no one has done it before and it seemed natural. But most of all it is quite timely, with the number of women steadily …