Students from local high school provided with bird's eye view of operating room as part of program designed to inspire careers in medicine
PITTSBURGH, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In recognition of International Women's Day (March 8), Allegheny General Hospital, the flagship academic medical center of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), this morning welcomed students from Avonworth High School to observe an all-female surgical team performing a cardiac procedure. The visit by Avonworth students is part of the hospital's formal Open Heart Surgery Observation Program, which is designed to inspire careers in medicine.
Led by Candice Lee, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at AGH, the all-female surgical team includes a cardiac fellow, surgical advanced practice provider, anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, perfusionist (heart and lung bypass machine operator), surgical technologist and circulating nurse.
Dr. Lee and her team today performed a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure, an open-heart surgical technique that bypasses blocked coronary arteries by grafting a healthy blood vessel (usually an artery in the chest wall and a vein taken from the leg) to create a new pathway for blood to flow to the heart muscle, restoring oxygen supply and preventing cardiac incidents like a heart attack.
AGH's all-female surgical team is emblematic of a nationwide movement to advocate for greater representation of women in medicine, especially the surgical fields – since Dr. Lee joined AHN in 2020, having an all-female heart surgery team has become a more routine occurrence at the hospital.
Even so, women have been – and continue to be – underrepresented in surgical specialties nationally. In fact, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges suggests that women make up less than 17% of the surgeons within the seven most common surgical specialties.
"It's a special honor to be in the operating room today among such talented, highly skilled female clinical professionals," said Dr. Lee. "Women are notably underrepresented in surgical specialties, but it's our hope that today's event will serve as a powerful reminder for future generations of young women that they are more than capable of achieving their career goals in the field of medicine."
International Women's Day, which takes place during Women's History Month, is recognized on March 8, and is considered a global celebration that honors women, advocates for gender equality, and pays tribute to the female pioneers who paved the way for socio-economic advancements around the world over the decades.
About the Allegheny Health Network:
Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org) is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 14 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, multiple employed physician organizations, home and community based health services, a research institute, and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, trauma care, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women's health, diabetes, autoimmune disease and more. AHN employs approximately 22,000 people, has more than 2,600 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Media Contact
Nikki Buccina, Allegheny Health Network, 412-596-2679, [email protected], www.ahn.org
SOURCE Allegheny Health Network
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