Sofia Ionescu, the First Woman Neurosurgeon in the World

Ciurea, Alexandru Vlad; Moisa, Horaţiu Alexandru; Mohan, Dumitru

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2013.02.031

Cited by 25 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…1 , 3 The world's first women neurosurgeons emerged in Europe in the 1940s: Alice Rosenstein from Germany, Diana Beck from England, and Sophia Ionescu from Romania. 4 , 5 These women were closely followed by Aysima Altinok in Turkey and Ruth Kerr Jacoby in the United States, who became board-certified in neurosurgery in 1959 and 1961, respectively. 1 , 6 T. S. Kanaka in India became the first woman neurosurgeon in Asia in 1968.…”

Section: Diversity Issues In Neurosurgerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in Neurosurgery

et al. 2021

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Over the past century, the field of neurosurgery has evolved and expanded in various directions. Neurosurgeons have continuously pushed the boundaries of the specialty with scientific discovery and innovation. A diverse array of neurosurgical techniques, treatments, and new areas of study have emerged within the field. Meanwhile, the neurosurgical workforce has stayed demographically homogeneous throughout time. Certain groups remain underrepresented owing to systemic barriers based on social identities and categorizations, including gender, race, ability status, and others. In this article, we highlight some of the underrepresented groups in neurosurgery and chronicle the important contributions and achievements that individuals from these groups have made in the field despite structural barriers and discrimination. We present evidence from the basic sciences, economics, business, and other disciplines that illustrate that diversity is not only just but also the most rational pursuit for positive growth and advancement. Diversity is needed to enrich the specialty and augment its capacity to serve the heterogeneous population of patients that reflect our society. To promote equity and diversity in the field, ongoing deliberate, organized, and systematic efforts to change the status quo and make the field more inclusive are needed.

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Section: Diversity Issues In Neurosurgerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in Neurosurgery

et al. 2021

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“…Even though her father wanted her to be a well-educated woman, he had foreseen a future for her as a mother and housewife. Ionescu, however, was interested in medicine from an early age, and transferred to a girl's school in the capital city of Bucharest, so that she could later apply to medical school [32].…”

Section: Sofia Ionescu-mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was a lifechanging moment for Ionescu, who until then intended to become an internist and return to her hometown in rural Romania. In this team, she would also find her husband, fellow neurosurgeon Ionel Ionescu [32].…”

Section: Sofia Ionescu-mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along with her husband, Ionescu practically lived in the hospital for seven years to ensure continuous, uninterrupted neurosurgical coverage in the 1960 0 s. Her two children were practically raised in her hospital, for she continued to work even two days before giving birth to her daughter! Because of her unrelenting dedication, Ionescu received honors from the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Confederation of Women in Romania, among many others [32,35].…”

Section: Sofia Ionescu-mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Four Athenas – Europe's first female neurosurgeons

Hernández-Durán

Kim

Ivan

et al. 2021

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience

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In the early 20th century, a tumultuous era was yielding geopolitical and social change. Europe at large was undergoing redefinition of borders, political structures, and economies, while rebuilding societies after World War I. At the same time, neurosurgery was emerging as a new specialty, and women were allowed to study medicine for the first time in many European countries. These factors created a synergy, setting the stage for Europe's four first female neurosurgeons to emerge. In 1924, Germany's Alice Rosenstein began her neurosurgical career and contributed to the refinement of pneumoencephalography. Due to her Jewish background, she was forced to flee Europe, emigrating to the United States, where she did not continue to practice neurosurgery. In 1929, Russia's Serafima Bryusova began her neurosurgical training. She studied intracranial pressure in trephined patients and wrote the first Russian monograph on cerebral angiography before she was immobilized by severe arthritis. England's Diana Beck began her neurosurgical career in 1939. She contributed to the surgical treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage and researched idiopathic intracranial hypertension, even though many believed she could not be a successful surgeon due to her myasthenia gravis. In 1943, Romania's Sofia Ionescu started a prolific academic neurosurgical career. She developed a minimally-invasive technique to treat intracerebral hematomas and worked tirelessly to bring neurosurgery to all corners of her country. Europe's first women in neurosurgery were marked by war and adversity. Their stories carry within them a spirit of resilience, fortitude, and tenacity that continues to characterize women in neurosurgery today.

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“…In 2005, the World Federation of Neurosurgical Sciences acknowledged Sofia Ionescu (1920-2008), a Romanian physician who practiced emergency surgery during World War II, as the world's first female brain surgeon. Ionescu's first documented emergency neurosurgical operation took place in 1944, apparently 8 years before Beck was to perform her own first intracranial procedure [4]. However, those in favour of considering Beck as the "first," note that Ionescu officially graduated from medical school in 1945.…”

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confidence: 99%