Dr. Barbara Pettitt was the third woman ever to have been accepted as a surgical intern at LA County General Hospital. The first woman to join the program was a Catholic nun in the 1940s, who eventually dropped out of residency mid-way and returned to her convent. The second woman was a current senior resident who had just requested six months leave from the program to take care of her young child. Dr. Pettitt recalls this about her general surgery residency interview as an intern:
“…the first words out of his mouth were, ‘Why should I take you into this residency program when every other woman I’ve taken has failed?'”
Following this, she did complete her general surgery residency at LA County. Before completing a fellowship in pediatric surgery, she took a year off and attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts as a voice major. Dr. Pettitt practiced for many years as a pediatric surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia before transitioning into her current role as Director of Medical Student Education for the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, where she is beloved by her medical students.
