Nina Braunwald: A Female Pioneer in Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

Nina Starr Braunwald, the first female cardiac surgeon, made headlines during a time when almost all specialty surgeons were men. Women have typically been deterred from entering surgical specialties, in part because of their traditional dual burden of managing their households and careers. Instead, female medical students and junior doctors have tended to be more attracted to medical specialties. This was the reality during Dr. Braunwald's venture into medicine in 1949. However, she never allowed negative ideas to keep her from joining a surgical training program. Under the mentorship of the prominent cardiac surgeons Charles Hufnagel and Andrew Morrow, Dr. Braunwald progressed in her career by conducting research that led to her development and implantation of the first prosthetic mitral valve. She was also a great teacher. Dr. Braunwald balanced her personal and professional activities admirably, and her example still inspires female doctors to consider careers in cardiothoracic surgery. In this report, we provide details of her impact on cardiac surgery and insights into her successes.

The Future of the surgeon-scientist: A Journey Funneled through inspiration, Roadblocks and Resilience

“…In more recent times, this role has evolved past the bench to become a part of an interdisciplinary team as pioneers of medicine. Remarkable examples of such pioneers include Nina Braunwald and her work on prosthetic mitral valves, solid organ transplantation developed by Joseph Murray and Thomas Starzl, and Frederic Mohs with the invention of Mohs micrographic surgery [ [2] , [3] , [4] ]. Individuals pursuing careers as surgeon scientists are charged with the task of advancing the surgical field.…”

Nina Braunwald - The Original Female Cardiothoracic Surgical Giant Pages of History Breaking glass ceilings with grace and compassion

“…Despite an overtly hostile environment toward women, it was her quiet resilience that fueled her continued advancement in cardiothoracic surgery, as she established a cardiac surgery training program at the University of California San Diego. 4 Nina Braunwald worked tirelessly towards the development of an artificial heart valve. She developed the Braunwald-Cutter valve that became commercially available in 1971 and was implanted in thousands of patients.…”

“…Although she did not proclaim herself to be a feminist, she was undoubtedly a spectacular surgeon and this was simply how she proved all her detractors wrong.That Nina Braunwald overcame these barriers was a testament, not only to her individual assets, but also to the contribution of forward-thinking and dedicated mentors. 4 Emulating her mentors, she was a role model to her students, positively influencing their careers and freely giving credit to those she worked with, a rare trait in most cardiac surgeons even today. She was described to be a petite five-foot-tall woman who was 'all about business and would tell it as it is'.…”

“…Her observations were accurate, often witty yet respectful and conveyed to her residents a kindness that was not easily forgotten. 4 A determined goal-oriented woman and a mother of three daughters, she balanced family responsibilities with the hefty demands of cardiac surgery. Eugene Braunwald described her approach to both as 'doing only what she considered essential, doing it intensely, and not spending much time or energy on anything else'.…”

Mechanical prosthetic heart valves: here to stay!

“…Dr Nina Braunwald studied medicine in New York and seized the opportunity to work as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr Hufnagel himself at Georgetown, where she completed her residency [ 3 ]. Completing her training, she was the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery.…”