MEET LOCAL LEGENDS: By State

"Growing up, I was surrounded by doctors and the study of medicine. I couldn't help but be affected by my family's enthusiasm for the subject."

"When you have a loving family, a wonderful circle of friends, then the difficult path to medicine is made possible through their kindness and love. To be a doctor, you need to be a relationship-centered person and derive the joys of your day through those relationships."

"I was one of the first women from my medical school to go into dermatology. Discovering how interesting it was--and how much I still love dermatology-- was not on the board when I started."

"Radiation oncology is a great field. Cancer patients are wonderful to work with–appreciative and really motivated to get better. I love the patients and the chance to make a difference in their lives."

"Dr Cardwell lived one of the most interesting and helpful lives imaginable. Being a pioneer woman physician she was met everywhere with opposition by men physicians so she was compelled to fight her way to prominence by sheer merit."

"I try to deliver the best possible health care for women. It's just not acceptable that in our country women are still dying of preventable diseases such as cervical cancer"

"I always wanted to be a doctor and my parents took me to a female pediatrician, which was unusual back then. It was a very warm, safe place and she interacted well with my parents. She seemed to have it all..."