Andrea L. Merrill is a surgical oncologist.

Taylor Swift in the operating room: the surgeon who found strength in song

Physician
February 4, 2024

Every surgeon dreams of the day when they’ll wield the cold steel of the scalpel independently. Of the day they’ll see their name on the daily operating room (OR) schedule. Of the day they’ll be the one leading the surgery team. Of the day they will finally get to choose the music.

Surgeons are particular people, and our music choice is no exception. …

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Taylor Swift in the operating room: the surgeon who found strength in song

Calling attention to the disparity in surgery: Here’s what I learned

Physician
July 3, 2015

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On Monday, June 1st, I awoke with a mixture of butterflies and excitement. Every 30 minutes I checked online to see if it was up. My heart pounded every time I clicked the refresh button. Finally, around noon, there it was — my first piece of medical writing, published on KevinMD.com.

In medicine, we often present objective facts. We …

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Calling attention to the disparity in surgery: Here’s what I learned

Why are women so underrepresented in surgery leadership?

Physician
June 1, 2015

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At my institution, we have a decades-old tradition known as Girls’ Night Out. Once a year, the female surgical attendings treat the female general surgery residents to a night out at a fancy North End restaurant. At its infancy, in the late 1970s, the dinner consisted of the only two female members of the department of general surgery. It has since …

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Why are women so underrepresented in surgery leadership?