Why relaunch a blog?
This is my old blog, entitled Strawberry Buttercream, with a facelift and a new purpose. You’ll see many old posts, chronicling my struggles and frustrations through residency. In my first post in 2010, I wrote, “Here I will be posting about my own life and maybe one day I will figure out what it all means.”
What does it all mean? Why was I capturing my (many) frustrations through my training?
I knew one day, I would want to share the story. I would want to make this path, our path, a better road to travel for generations before us. I would want to offer solace and hope to those who are traveling a similar path. Those stories are still here, in case they offer any solace to those who are in need.
My blog was focused on the struggle between femininity and medicine, on findings ways not to lose oneself, and on maintaining balance in one’s life. That hasn’t changed- those are still the goals.
The new name, The Blackwell Legacy, is inspired by the first female physician, Elizabeth Blackwell. Blackwell happens to also be my great-grandmother’s surname, and Elizabeth is my middle name; in this way, not only am I telling my story, but I am sharing many of the same themes and issues common to female physicians as a whole.
Have you seen the popularity of female physician groups on social media? This is a group without advocacy, without voice on the unique issues of female physicians (getting paid significantly less than our male counterparts, higher burnout rates, pregnancy, maternity leave, pumping, etc)- but this needs to change. I hope by telling my story, I can inspire other women to keep their heads up, advocate for themselves, and eventually, I would like to inspire these women to mobilize. Let’s create change.
My facebook group, The Blackwell Legacy, is a place for female physicians to discuss, encourage, and advocate for each other- in all stages. Remember, that young innocent-looking female medical student was you, at one point.