S3E2: Dr. Courtney Collins, on LGBTQ+ in surgery

In today’s episode, we hear from some Buckeyes! Our WISER co-founder, Vivian Wang (she/her/hers) is joined by JC Chen (they/them/theirs), a PGY2 from The Ohio State University, as they interview Dr. Courtney Collins (she/her/hers). In our conversation, we start to scratch the surface on the topic of LGBTQ+ in surgery.

Dr. Collins is originally from a small town in Washington state. From there, her training took her all the way to the east coast, until finally settling in the Midwest with her partner. She is currently an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University, with interests in complex abdominal wall reconstruction and geriatric surgery.

Being the oldest of five siblings, family was a major support system for Dr. Collins when she came out at a young age. We explored what it was like to grow up gay in a conservative town, and how being a part of the LGBTQ+ community impacted the way she navigated her career.

Diversity and inclusion are often mentioned “buzzwords” in medicine, but active advocacy and allyship from colleagues is often lacking. For those that identify with the experiences in this episode, Dr. Collins gives this advice:

“You don’t have to feel ashamed of yourself for not speaking up for everything that you hear… You can’t take on the whole system by yourself and you shouldn’t feel pressured to.”

While we celebrate the upwards trajectory with LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusivity in surgery, we still have a ways to go, and we invite you to join us and be an ally.

As Dr. Collins aptly notes,

“Nobody is perfect, we all have to work together because changing culture takes a long time…but it’s important to have conversations like this..”