Orthopedic Surgeon
A quiet personality should never be equated with lack of resolve to learn a skill while pushing along a career path despite the lack of role models.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Mary Powell Lewis (MPL) was born in rural Virginia. Her parents were both lawyers, who owned a tree farm that harvested timber.
CHILDHOOD
While helping out within the family business, MPL enjoyed being outdoors, close to nature and animals. Naturally inquisitive, she watched and wondered ‘how things work’ as they grow. How could a sapling turn into a tall tree? How did the tiny bones of a foal grow into a plow-pulling horse?
EDUCATION
MPL was serious, smart and studious as a student. She graduated from high school at age 16. At age 19, she graduated from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington), later earning her medical degree from what is now the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
NOT MINDING THE SIGHT OF BLOOD WHILE CHOOSING A SPECIALTY
“The human body was endlessly interesting for her,” said one of her daughters, Dee. “She was curious and hands-on. But she didn’t rush things. She listened carefully” a trait which would eventually benefit her medical patients.
While briefly participating as a medical student within different medical specialties (called “rotations”) to expose the students to different types of patient needs and physician skills (e.g. anesthesia, internal medicine / family practice, oncology (cancer), radiology, surgery and psychiatry), MPL was most fascinated by surgeons who could deftly create an incision, adjust a fractured bone and seal the area with surgical thread. So, she decided to seek a residency with orthopedic surgeons.
POLITE PERSISTENCE
When MPL was nearing the completion of medical school, female surgeons were a rare breed. She hoped to find a surgical mentor willing to provide guidance as she pushed herself to advance from novice orthopedic resident to expertise as an orthopedic surgeon, with minimal drama about her female status. But she was prepared to undertake the learning process regardless of any unreasonable obstacles which she might find in her chosen path.
MPL’s family called her determination to overcome obstacles her “polite persistence.”
LEARNING AND APPLYING A BROAD RANGE OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES
MPL wanted to help care for patients in need with a wider ‘toolbox’ than just orthopedic skills. In addition to orthopedics, she completed medical residency training in general surgery and radiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and at Philadelphia’s old Hahnemann Hospital.
With her broad range of physician skills, MPL delivered babies in Appalachia, studied radiological physics in London and taught classes at several medical schools. She also worked briefly with military veterans at hospitals in Coatesville, Pa and Wilmington, Delaware.
CAREER SATISFACTION
In addition to serving a wide variety of patients, MPL was a leader within the broad medical community. She was a founding member of the Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society and a mentor to other doctors and patients. She was also active with various societies of orthopedic surgeons.
MPL championed women in any workplace, especially within medicine.
Another daughter, Judith, described her mother as “Southern gracious and formal, quiet but friendly. Always compassionate, she put people at ease.”
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This career story is based on an obituary written by Gary Miles, published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 2, 2024 plus internet research.
