MEET LOCAL LEGENDS: By Medical Specialty

"I was the middle child of five and then lost a brother and a sister. I felt helpless but came to see that medicine could give me the information and power to battle illness."

"When I was four, my older sister died of complications from measles and that had a profound impact on me. Also, my uncle was a doctor whom my father had helped put through medical school and we had great respect and admiration for him. Then I entered the University of Rochester wanting to take pre-medicine courses, only to be told nursing was the only route open. I told my parents and my father said, 'If you want to be a doctor, don't let anyone stop you!'"

"My parents taught me to do something with my life. They got up at four in the morning to work. I always liked helping people, and medicine has given me that opportunity."

"I was determined to be a doctor. I wanted to be something that was very far from the norm for women in those days and being a doctor was about as far as you could get."

"I'm passionate about raising women's awareness of heart disease. Our biggest challenge is helping our patients understand their risk."

"I like fixing problems-in or out of the operating room. Cardiac surgery is a field where you can watch physiology in action. You see the heart beating, identify the problem and fix it, then watch the heart function better right before your eyes."

"Women respond differently to heart attacks than do men. Women need different treatments, different therapies, and different recovery plans."