Sisters by Choice

Then it became major, major problem for me you know. Because when I applied to medical school, it was an option, it was an option of two you know. And I had seriously started thinking about it you know whether or not I wanted to do it and then I had gone to my boss, my supervisor at American Cyanamid [American Cyanamid Company] and I had told him that I wanted to do some traveling, I wanted to go overseas to work. And they were saying, "Yeah, we'll support you." American Cyanamid, we had three lady docs as scientists, and I was the only one with a master's [degree] and the boss' wife and another young lady. And so I really, and this company is really like family, I mean, it was just a nice environment. And being a researcher, you know, they give you projects, you do it on your own time, you know. If you finish the project you out of there, you know what I mean. And so I really, really enjoyed it. And so it was a big question you know, do I go to medical school or you know. And this time I'm making good money too and then they telling me you know, whatever you want to do you know, we'll do it. And so it was a company that I saw myself growing old in, okay. So I decided I'm not going to medical school, you know. And so my boss came to me and he says, "What?" I said, "I'm not going." He said, "Before you decide," this is in Greenwich, Connecticut, all right, "before you decide just go down to New York [New York] and talk to them," and so I said, "Okay." So on a Friday I took off, go down to New York and I drive. And although I've gone to New York and you know when you go in just for entertainment, drive down to New York, you don't see all of New York City, right. So Columbia University [New York, New York] is up 169th Street, you know. And you drive down and you try to figure out, now where am I going to park, I mean, I can't see myself living down here, what's going on here. So I go in and talk to the people, and we talk and I say to them, you know I really appreciate the invitation to join your class but I can't come, and they want to know why and it's I don't have any money. Well they had given me some money, but they said, "Okay, you know, go over and talk to the financial people," so they give me more money, you know what I'm saying. Okay so I go back to work and here it is my excuse for not coming you know. So I go back to work Monday and my supervisor said, "Okay Zel [HistoryMaker Dr. Rogsbert Phillips] what you going to do?" "I am not going to medical school, I'll be here." He said, "You sure?" "Nope I'm not going to medical school." All my colleagues, "You sure you're not going?" "Nope, I'm not going," you know. So I was sitting down Tuesday night writing the Columbia University a letter looking at the Knick [New York Knicks] game, writing a letter, typing, you know, you typing. Typing a letter to Columbia saying, you know I appreciate the opportunity, but I'm not coming to Columbia. And I couldn't write that letter, I just could not. So instead I wrote a letter resigning my position. So that's how I ended up in medical school because it was an opportunity that I could not walk away from. I mean and so that's how I ended up in medical school, and that was you know one of the pivoting decisions in my life. And you know I went to medical school and I enjoyed medical school. It gave me an opportunity to further you know grow and mature as a person. But more importantly it really opened up a world where I think, to be able to every, day in and day out, to impact one's life. It's overwhelming, you know, and I don't take for granted being a physician on any level. And my experience in medical school and subsequently meeting patients and interacting with patients. Every patient that I see it confirms to me that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I thoroughly enjoy my life, I enjoy being a physician. And I just can't think of doing anything else, I really can't.$When you first started, when you first opened your office, you were not focusing on the breast surgery.$$I was not focusing on breast surgery and as I said, being an African American female there were certain doctors who just didn't refer patients to me because of that. Not because I didn't take good care of their patients, it was, it was just a good old boy system, you know. But as I, you know, made a statement here in the medical community, and that statement was that I was an excellent doctor taking care of their patients. I mean, there was no question about the level of care, quality of care I gave that patient. You cannot ignore that, I mean, no matter how you want to, and because of that, you know, people start you know giving me more of a chance to take care of their patients, and they were satisfied, the patients were satisfied, and by word of mouth, you know, and referring, patients came to me because, you know, their mother you know, or their father I took care of. But one thing that was unique is that the, my reputation for taking care of breast disease you know was dominated by everything else I took care of. And it got to the point that my referring doctors, no matter what else, you know, walked in their doors for disease process, if it was a breast problem, it was just automatically sent to Dr. Phillips [HistoryMaker Dr. Rogsbert Phillips]. And early on you know if I think about how my practice kind of evolved you know into taking care of patients with breast disease you know I look back and you know my first operation as a student with a breast case, you know, the first, you know, as a resident [at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia], you know, I was on a breast service, my brief, my advisor in medical school was a breast specialist, all right. And so everything, I mean, I keep saying, you know, breast, breast, breast, I mean, it just kept coming, you know, hitting me right square in the eye, you know. And I enjoy taking care of breast patients. And so it just developed, you know, I was there and people you know were referring me, you know, their breast problems.$$And was it because of the great success you were having with their patients?$$You know if we look at how medicine has evolved for women doctors in general, there has been different aspect of medicine that women naturally excelled in. If you look at pediatrics, okay when women were allowed by the male you know, well, I shouldn't say that, when women was allowed to go to medical school, and if you look at the number one field they went into, it was pediatrics and then if you look at in late '80s [1980s] and '90s [1990s], you know, the OB/GYN [obstetrics and gynecology] dominated, you know, choices for women. And I think it was just easier for us. I mean, let's face it, it's not easy being in a male dominated field, profession. I mean, no matter, you can go outside medicine, and I think it was just easier for men to accept us in different roles in medicine. When I came out in surgery, there was only a handful of women throughout the United States was into surgery. And most of us you know if you look at the development of our practice, particularly people in my age, breast was just easier for people to you know to refer to us. And then if you look at, women felt more comfortable you know coming to a woman doctor with breast disease. And that's not to say that men are not as compassionate and or not equipped to take care of the disease, I would never say that because even today medicine is still dominated by men, but I think people recognize that when it comes to breast disease, I bring something to the table that a man cannot bring to it, and that's my you know gender, you know. And women today you know will, you know I have a lot of patients who come to me primarily because I am a woman.