With only one out of every 20 neurosurgeons in the United States female, finding two practicing at the same hospital is a rarity. But at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, it's reality.
When Dr. Maria Toledo told her medical school advisor she wanted to become a neurosurgeon, he laughed. Then came the prediction: "You're not going to be a good wife, mother or surgeon." Dr. Ann Carr faced similar warnings that she couldn't have both a career and a family. Around her, she saw only male neurosurgeons — no role models, no proof it could be done.
Both charted their own path. "I figured if men can have a life and be a surgeon at the same time, I should be able to also," Dr. Carr said.
For Dr. Toledo, the spark came from her grandparents who were a psychiatrist and a surgeon. When she heard a neurosurgeon describe procedures that could help psychiatric patients, something clicked. "I made it a point that I wanted to do that because I loved it," she said. She became the first female neurosurgeon in Puerto Rico.
Today, they're part of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola's six-member neurosurgery team where women represent 40 percent of the surgeons — more than three times the national average of 8 to 12 percent.
When young women ask Dr. Toledo about combining career and family, she's honest about the challenges and clear about the possibilities. "I just don't want people to think you cannot have everything you want in life. You can."
Both physicians mentor the next generation, serving as the role models they never had. Their presence opens doors and changes perceptions. When young women at Ascension Sacred Heart consider neurosurgery today, they don't have to imagine what it looks like. They can see it in the operating room, in the hallways, in their own hospital.
