Dr. Victoria Teodorescu (Dr. T) grew up in New Jersey, but really claims Nebraska as her home. Her summers as a child in Nebraska were spent chasing after cows, swimming in the irrigation ditches, and finding snakes in the backyard. Dr. T’s road to medicine definitely wasn’t straight. She knew she loved science and math, but Dr. T remembers that “the girls in my high school hadn’t been expected to do much of anything and even if you really want to do something with your life, there is no guidance.”
She attributes her guidance and determination to the women in her family who had the fortunate opportunity to graduate from college back in the 1920s. After graduating from college at NYU, Dr. T took on different jobs including working on Wall Street and even joining the Fashion Institute, before medicine called her home.
Dr. T recounts the people that tried to discourage her on her road to medicine, including her own program director who had told her that “women with children don’t belong in surgery.” Despite all the obstacles, Dr T was able to become Chief of Vascular Surgery at Bronx VA Medical Center where she instituted a diabetic foot clinic to combat emergency amputations for foot infections.
Dr. T joined Emory School of Medicine in 2016 and is currently an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy.
Editor: Patience Timi
Producer: Alex Speak